How to Set Up an Automatic Welcome Message in a Telegram Group
The first minute in a new group decides whether someone stays, says hello or quietly mutes the chat. A short, friendly welcome that tells people where they are and what to do next makes a real difference, but nobody can greet every newcomer by hand. This guide shows how to let a bot welcome each new member by name, what to write, and how to keep the group active afterwards with scheduled posts.
Does Telegram have a built-in welcome message?
No. When someone joins a group, Telegram shows a small system line saying they joined, and that is all. There is no setting for a custom greeting, no way to point newcomers to the rules and no way to address them by name. The standard solution is a bot: you add it to the group once, and from then on it posts your welcome text every time a new member arrives.
What a good welcome message does
- Says where they are. One line on what the group is about, so people who joined through a random link know they are in the right place.
- Sets expectations. The two or three rules that matter most, or a link to the full rules in a pinned message.
- Gives one next step. Introduce yourself, read the pinned guide, check today's schedule, or message the bot for help.
- Feels personal. Using the member's name costs nothing and makes the message read like a greeting instead of a notice.
Set it up with TeleMinute, step by step
TeleMinute is a no-code Telegram bot builder for the web, iOS and Android. Group welcome messages and scheduled posts live in the Groups tab of the bot editor and are available on paid plans.
- Get a bot. Create one with BotFather and paste the token into TeleMinute. Our BotFather guide walks you through it in two minutes. Give the bot a clear name and profile photo, because members will see it in the group.
- Add the bot to your group. Open the Groups tab and click Add to a group. Telegram opens and asks which group to add the bot to. Once it is added, the group appears in the list with the status Active.
- Check posting rights. In most groups the bot can greet people as a regular member. If only admins may send messages in your group, promote the bot to admin.
- Write the welcome message. Under the group, switch on Welcome message and write your text, up to 1,000 characters. Use {name} for the new member's first name, {username} for their @username (it falls back to the first name if they have none) and {fullname} for first and last name.
- Save and test. Ask a friend to join, or join with a second account. The bot greets every new member who joins, one message each, and ignores other bots.
Each group has its own welcome text, so one bot can greet people differently in a customer group, a team chat and a community.
Welcome message templates you can copy
Community or interest group
Welcome, {name}! 👋 This is the place to share photos, tips and questions about film photography. Please keep it friendly and on topic, and check the pinned message for the rules. Tell us what camera you shoot with!
Customer group for a product or shop
Hi {name}, thanks for joining! Here you get news, early offers and answers from our team. For order questions, message our bot directly so we can see your details. Opening hours: Mon to Sat, 9:00 to 18:00.
Course or cohort group
Welcome to the cohort, {name}! 🎓 Lessons go live every Monday and the weekly Q&A is on Thursdays at 19:00. Introduce yourself with one sentence: who you are and what you want to learn.
Local club or event group
Hey {name}, welcome to the Sunday runners! We meet at the park gate at 8:00. The route for this week is in the pinned message. See you there 🏃
Tips for welcome messages people actually read
- Keep it short. Three or four lines. If you need more, put the details in a pinned message and link to it.
- Put the most important thing first. On phones the preview shows only the start of the message.
- Match the tone of the group. Emoji and jokes suit a hobby chat, not necessarily a support group.
- Mind busy moments. The bot greets every newcomer separately. In a large group that gets dozens of joins after a promotion, a very long welcome can crowd the chat, which is one more reason to keep it brief.
- Point private questions to the bot. Group chats are public. Ask people to message the bot for anything personal, and let the bot answer common questions with commands and keyword replies. Our guide to building a Telegram FAQ bot shows how.
Keep the group alive with scheduled posts
A welcome message gets people in the door. Scheduled posts keep them engaged. In the same Groups tab, click Add scheduled post, write the message, choose Daily or Weekly, pick the day and time, and the bot posts it for you. You can add up to 10 scheduled posts per bot, each up to 4,096 characters. Ideas that work well:
- A weekly rules reminder or "how to use this group" post.
- A daily tip, question of the day or discussion prompt.
- A weekly reminder for a recurring event, class or live stream.
- An opening-hours or contact reminder in a customer group.
Scheduled posts also work in channels: add the bot as an administrator from the channel settings and it shows up in the same list. If you publish articles or videos, the bot can even post them automatically as they come out, see our guide to auto-posting RSS feeds and YouTube videos to Telegram. Not sure whether you need a group, a channel or a bot at all? Our comparison of Telegram bots, channels and groups helps you decide.
What a welcome bot does not replace
TeleMinute's group tools focus on greeting new members and posting on a schedule. They do not include captcha checks, spam filtering or automatic removal of messages. If your group is public and attracts spam, keep Telegram's own admin tools in use (slow mode, join requests, restricted permissions for new members) or add a dedicated moderation bot alongside your welcome bot.
See your bot live in one minute, no token needed
TeleMinute lends you a demo bot for 15 minutes, with no card and no BotFather step. Try commands and replies first, then connect your own bot to greet your group.
Try a demo bot, no token neededFrequently asked questions
Does Telegram have a built-in welcome message for groups?
No. Telegram shows a small system line when someone joins, but it has no setting for a custom greeting. To send a real welcome message you add a bot to the group and let it greet new members automatically.
Does the bot need to be an admin to send welcome messages?
Not in most groups. If regular members are allowed to send messages, the bot can greet people as a regular member. If only admins may post in your group, promote the bot to admin. In channels the bot always has to be an admin, but channels do not have join greetings, only scheduled posts.
Can I greet new members by their name?
Yes. Write {name} in the welcome text and the bot replaces it with the new member's first name. {username} inserts their @username, falling back to the first name if they have none, and {fullname} inserts first and last name.
Can I send a welcome message in a Telegram channel?
Channels do not show join events to members, so there is nobody to greet in the chat. What works in channels is scheduled posts: add the bot as an administrator and let it publish a daily or weekly message, or post new articles and videos automatically from an RSS feed.