Telegram has millions of public channels and groups: news, movies, music, courses, local chats, jobs, and just about any hobby. Finding them is the hard part. The built-in search mostly matches chat names and usernames, gives you only a handful of results, and has no way to browse by topic.
Search bots fill that gap. They keep their own index of public channels, groups, bots, and posts, so you send a keyword and get a long list of matches with member counts and direct links. Here is how they work and which ones are worth trying.
How to search Telegram with a bot
- Open one of the bots below and tap Start.
- Send a keyword, for example "python", "travel", or the name of a show.
- Use the buttons under the results to switch between channels, groups, videos, music, or bots, and to open the next page.
- Tap a result to open the chat, look through recent posts, and join if you like it.
- No keyword in mind? Most bots have a trending list (usually /top or /hot) and a directory of communities by topic.
Search bots to try
- Argo🔍Search: a Telegram search engine with 20 interface languages. It finds groups, channels, videos, and music by keyword, /group opens a directory of groups, and /top shows what people are searching for right now.
- Search Bot: part of the OKSearch network. It finds groups, channels, bots, and posts, and can filter results by 27 content languages, which helps when you want chats in one particular language. /export saves the results to a CSV file.
- OkSearch Bot: the same kind of search for groups, channels, bots, and posts, plus /rand for 10 random links and /community for communities that match your interests.
- Kuaisou Resource Search: one of the biggest Telegram search engines, used by almost 3 million people a month. Results can be switched between channels, groups, videos, images, audio, messages, bots, and files, and a button hides adult content. Most of the index is in Chinese, but the interface also works in English.
The largest Telegram search engines, such as JISOU with over 5 million users a month, were built for Chinese speakers. If you read Chinese, they are listed in the Chinese version of this article.
More ways to search
- Searchee Bot: a directory of channels in 40 categories, from news and technology to cooking and sports. Good for exploring a topic rather than looking for a specific word.
- MotherSearch - search: looks for channels, text messages, audio files, and documents across Telegram.
Tips for better results
- Keep the query short. One or two words work better than a full sentence.
- Try other words and languages. Synonyms and the same word in another language often bring up completely different chats.
- Look at the member count. Big numbers usually mean an active community, but check the latest posts before you join.
- Use more than one bot. Every bot has its own index, so a chat missing in one may turn up in another.
Stay safe
Search bots index everything public, including scams and fake channels that copy the names of popular ones. Check that a channel is active and has real discussions, look for the verification badge on official accounts, and don't send money or personal data to people you met in a random group. If a bot offers an adult content filter, it's worth turning on.
Own a channel or group?
Many of these bots let owners add their chats to the index for free: look for /add or a submit button in the bot's menu. Some also sell keyword ads and run referral programs. It's an easy way to bring new members to a public community.
More bots like these are in the Telegram Search category.