Detect User ID: get a Telegram ID

You are setting up a bot, writing a script or adding yourself to an admin list, and suddenly you need a numeric ID. Telegram does not show it anywhere in the interface. Detect User ID hands you that number in one message.

Where a numeric ID comes in handy

A username can be changed, but the ID stays with the account. That is why bot developers and admins rely on it.

• Bot setup. Many bots ask for the owner's ID so only that person can run commands.
• Scripts and automations. Sending notifications to a private chat needs a numeric address.
• Support. If someone has account trouble, an ID names exactly who is meant.

Your own ID, one step

Open the bot and start a chat. It replies with your identifier. Copy it and paste it wherever it was requested. 🆔

No settings and no sign-up. The bot describes itself simply: it shows an ID, yours or someone else's.

Someone else's ID: forward a message

To learn another person's number, forward one of their messages to the bot. It reads who sent it and shows the ID.

1. Open the chat with that person.
2. Tap their message and choose forward.
3. Pick the conversation with the bot.
4. Copy the number from the reply.

When it does not work

Every user has a privacy setting for forwarded messages. If someone hides their account when forwarded, the bot will not see their ID, and there is no way around it. Telegram withholds that data on purpose.

In that case ask the person to message the bot themselves and send you the number. It takes half a minute. 🔒

What an ID does not reveal

The number gives no access to chats, a phone number or personal details. It is a technical address for the account. Still, do not publish other people's IDs without reason, and do not collect them from people who do not know.

A decent ID bot never asks for your login code, two-step password or your bot's token. If it does, close the chat. ⚠️

Other ways and when you need them

For personal use a bot like this is enough. IDs of groups and channels can be found through other routes, such as a developer's bot settings. For the usual tasks, one forwarded message is the fastest answer.