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telegramdesktop/tdesktop

📈 Trending★ 31,803C++Audience · developerComplexity · 4/5ActiveLicenseSetup · hard

TLDR

Official Telegram Desktop client source code. A native desktop app for messaging, calls, and file sharing built with C++ and Qt.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Desktop messaging app
      Voice and video calls
      File sharing
      Group chats
    Tech stack
      C++ language
      Qt 5 and Qt 6
      OpenSSL cryptography
      WebRTC for calls
      FFmpeg media
    How to use
      Build from source
      Contribute patches
      Security audits
      Create custom fork
    Platforms
      Windows
      macOS
      Linux
    Key features
      MTProto encryption
      Native desktop app
      Hardware integration

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build Telegram Desktop from source code for your own operating system or architecture.

USE CASE 2

Contribute bug fixes, security improvements, or new features to the official Telegram client.

USE CASE 3

Audit the client's encryption and security implementation for research or compliance purposes.

USE CASE 4

Create a custom fork of Telegram Desktop with modified features or branding for a specific use case.

Tech stack

C++Qt 5Qt 6OpenSSLWebRTCFFmpeg

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Building from source requires C++ compiler, Qt SDK, multiple dependencies (OpenSSL, WebRTC, FFmpeg), and platform-specific build configurations.

Use and modify freely under GPLv3; you must share modifications and include the license, with an exception allowing use of OpenSSL.

In plain English

This repository contains the complete source code for Telegram Desktop, the official desktop client for the Telegram messaging service. Telegram Desktop is the application you download and run on your computer to send messages, share files, join groups, make calls, and use all of Telegram's features from a desktop environment rather than a mobile device. The client is built on top of the official Telegram API and uses MTProto, Telegram's own encrypted communication protocol, to securely send and receive messages. MTProto is designed to be fast and resistant to various forms of traffic analysis and interception. The application is a native desktop program, not a web wrapper, which means it runs directly on the operating system and accesses hardware for things like audio calls and notifications. The code supports building on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The README primarily contains build instructions and a list of the third-party libraries the application depends on, including Qt for the user interface, OpenSSL for cryptography, WebRTC for voice and video calls, FFmpeg for media playback, and several compression and utility libraries. You would interact with this repository if you want to build Telegram Desktop from source, contribute patches or improvements, audit the client's code for security research, or create a custom fork. For normal use, pre-built installers are available directly from Telegram's website. The primary programming language is C++, and the user interface is built with Qt 5 and Qt 6. The project is released under the GPLv3 license with an OpenSSL exception.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I compile Telegram Desktop from this source code on Windows? What dependencies do I need to install first?
Prompt 2
Walk me through the build process for Telegram Desktop on Linux. What are the key steps in the CMake configuration?
Prompt 3
Show me how the MTProto protocol is implemented in this codebase for encrypting messages.
Prompt 4
How do I set up a development environment to contribute patches to Telegram Desktop? What's the workflow for submitting changes?
Prompt 5
Explain how WebRTC is integrated into this codebase to handle voice and video calls.
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.