How to Extract Chats from a Telegram tdata Folder

The .tdata folder contains your Telegram desktop session data, including encrypted chat histories. While Telegram doesn’t provide a direct export from this folder, you can recover your chats using the following workaround.

⚠️ Disclaimer

Extracting data from .tdata may violate Telegram’s terms of service. Proceed responsibly and ensure you own the account.

Prerequisites
  • A Windows PC with Telegram Desktop installed.
  • Access to the original .tdata folder (usually located in %APPDATA%\Telegram Desktop).
  • A secondary folder to copy .tdata into.
Step 1: Copy the .tdata Folder
  1. Close Telegram Desktop completely (right-click the tray icon > Quit).
  2. Navigate to %APPDATA%\Telegram Desktop in File Explorer.
  3. Copy the entire .tdata folder to a safe location, e.g., C:\RecoverTelegram.
Step 2: Install Telegram Portable
  1. Download the portable version from the official source: desktop.telegram.org.
  2. Extract the ZIP file into C:\RecoverTelegram\TelegramPortable.
Step 3: Replace the Portable .tdata
  1. Open C:\RecoverTelegram\TelegramPortable.
  2. Paste your copied .tdata folder here, replacing any existing one.
Step 4: Launch Telegram Portable
  1. Run Telegram.exe inside TelegramPortable.
  2. Telegram will automatically log you in using the session data in .tdata.
  3. Your chats will appear as they were on the original machine.
Step 5: Export Chats

Now that you’re logged in:

  1. Go to Settings > Advanced > Export Telegram Data.
  2. Select “Chat history” and configure options (format, media, etc.).
  3. Click “Export” and wait for the archive to be generated.
  4. Find the folder with your exported HTML/JSON files.
Troubleshooting
  • Invalid Session: Ensure the .tdata folder is intact and matches the correct Telegram version.
  • Missing Chats: Only messages synced to desktop will appear; older messages may be missing.
  • Export Errors: Run Telegram Portable as Administrator.
Conclusion

By using Telegram Portable and your original .tdata folder, you can recover and export your chat history without coding. Always back up your session data regularly to avoid data loss.

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