Lookup Private Telegram Groups and Channels

Private Telegram groups and channels have no public @username, so you can't search them by name. With their invite link (t.me/+… or t.me/joinchat/…), @doublegram_lookup_bot shows you what's behind it before you join: whether it's a group or a channel, its name, its description and how many members it has.

Can Lookup find private groups?

No. On Telegram, private groups and channels aren't listed or searchable anywhere: the only way in is an invite link from someone who has it. Lookup doesn't find them for you, and it never reads their messages or their member list. What it does is tell you what's behind a link you already have.

Invite link lookup

1. Copy the invite link, from whoever shared it with you.
2. Paste it into the private chat with @doublegram_lookup_bot.
3. Lookup shows you what Telegram shows anyone who opens the link. It doesn't join the chat to do it.

The result includes:

• Type: group or channel
• Title: the name of the group or channel
• Description: the text Telegram shows in the preview
• Members: how many members or subscribers it has
• Profile photo: yes or no
• Privacy: private, join by invite link only

There's no @username, because private chats don't have one, and no numeric ID: Telegram doesn't share it through an invite link. To get the ID of a private channel, forward one of its posts to Lookup.

If the link has expired or was revoked, Lookup tells you: This invite link has expired or is no longer valid. The search isn't counted.

Private channel paths (t.me/c/…)

Links like https://t.me/c/1234567890/99 point to a message inside a private group or channel. Only members can open them, and Lookup can only read the private chats it's already in, so it usually replies I can't read this group or channel.

What works instead: ask for an invite link or, for a channel, forward the post itself to Lookup to get the channel's ID and title.

When Lookup cannot access a chat

With a negative ID (-100…) or a t.me/c/… link, Lookup can only read the private groups and channels it's already in. For the others it replies I can't read this group or channel, and the search doesn't count toward your daily searches. Use the invite link, or forward a post.

Public vs private comparison

Quick reference

• Invite links: t.me/+… or t.me/joinchat/…
• You see: group or channel, title, description, members, private
• No numeric ID from an invite link: forward a channel post to get it
• t.me/c/… links and -100… IDs: only for chats Lookup is already in
• Expired or revoked links: not counted

For all the other kinds of links, see Search by t.me link.