1
Open Telegram & Find BotFather
In Telegram, search for @BotFather — this is the official Telegram bot that helps you create and manage bots.
🤖
BotFather
✓
@BotFather · Official bot manager
Make sure you pick the one with the blue verified checkmark. There are fake accounts that look similar!
2
Start a Chat with BotFather
Open the chat with BotFather and tap "Start" or type /start. BotFather will show you a list of available commands.
BotFather
I can help you create and manage Telegram bots. Here's what I can do:
/newbot — create a new bot
/mybots — manage your bots
/setname — change bot name
/setdescription — change bot description
/setabouttext — change bot about text
/setuserpic — change bot profile photo
12:00
Type /start first if BotFather doesn't respond automatically.
3
Create Your New Bot
Type /newbot and send it. BotFather will ask you two questions: first the display name, then the username (must end with "bot").
BotFather
Alright, a new bot. How are we going to call it? Please choose a name for your bot.
12:01
BotFather
Good. Now let's choose a username for your bot. It must end in 'bot'. Like this, for example: TetrisBot or tetris_bot.
12:02
my_awesome_helper_bot
12:03
The username must end with "bot" (e.g., my_helper_bot). If the name is taken, try adding numbers or underscores.
4
Get Your Bot Token
After creating the bot, BotFather will give you a Token — this is the key to control your bot. Keep it safe!
BotFather
Done! Congratulations on your new bot. You will find it at
t.me/my_awesome_helper_bot.
Use this token to access the HTTP API:
1234567890:ABCdefGHI_jklMNOpqrSTUvwxYZ
Keep your token secure and store it safely. Anyone with your token can control your bot.
12:03
Your bot Token is like a password. Never share it publicly. If it gets leaked, send /revoke to BotFather to generate a new one.
5
Customize Your Bot (Optional)
You can set a profile picture, description, and about text for your bot using BotFather commands.
/setuserpic
Set a profile photo for your bot
/setdescription
Set the text shown when users first open the bot
/setabouttext
Set the bio text in the bot's profile
/setcommands
Set the menu of available commands
Setting a profile picture and description makes your bot look more professional and trustworthy.
6
Add the Bot to Your Group
To add your bot to a group chat, open the group settings and add it as a new member using its username.
🔍 Search: @my_awesome_helper_bot
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My Awesome Bot
@my_awesome_helper_bot
🎉
Bot Added Successfully!
Your bot is now in the group. It will show as a member and can respond to messages (once you set up the bot code).
If your bot needs to read all messages (not just commands), send /setprivacy to BotFather and set it to Disabled. By default, bots in groups only see messages starting with "/".
7
Find Your Telegram User ID
Many Bot configurations require your User ID (a numeric account ID) — for example, setting up admin whitelists or restricting Bot access to specific users. Here are three ways to find it.
Method A: Use @userinfobot (Easiest)
Search for @userinfobot in Telegram, open a chat and send any message. It instantly replies with your User ID.
userinfobot
👤
Your account info
Id:
123456789
First: Lewis
Last: —
Username: @lewsiafat
Language: en
14:00
Id: 123456789 ← This is your User ID — copy this number
Method B: Use @RawDataBot (Also gets Group ID)
Search for @RawDataBot, add it to your group, and send a message. It replies with the full raw JSON of that message, including chat.id (group ID) and from.id (your User ID).
{
"message_id": 42,
"from": {
"id": 123456789, ← Your User ID
"first_name": "Lewis",
"username": "lewsiafat"
},
"chat": {
"id": -1001234567890, ← Group ID (negative)
"title": "My Group",
"type": "supergroup"
}
}
Group IDs are always negative numbers (e.g. -1001234567890), while User IDs are positive. You may need both when configuring your Bot.
Method C: Use the Bot API directly (For Developers)
If you already have a Bot Token, call the getUpdates endpoint and find the User ID in the JSON response.
https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_BOT_TOKEN>/getUpdates
First send a message to your Bot, then open the URL above (replacing the Token). Look for message.from.id in the JSON — that is your User ID.
If getUpdates returns an empty array, make sure you have sent a message to the Bot first, and that no Webhook is set (Webhooks disable getUpdates).
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Summary
✅ @userinfobot — Quickest way to get your own User ID
✅ @RawDataBot — Get both Group ID and User ID at once
✅ getUpdates API — Developer-preferred, no third-party Bot needed