In this guide, you will learn unique search methods that will help you find accounts on other services, track online activity, and even identify that person's friends.
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You will learn how the digital ID works in Telegram and why it remains unchanged even after changing the nickname. You will learn methods for finding the channel administrator through reposts, mentions, post signatures, and change history. You will learn about tools and bots that help find accounts, track their activity, and store data. You will also learn how to decrypt the administrator ID using private links and OSINT tools.
There is no universal way to find the administrator or owner of a channel, but there are proven methods that help resolve this issue.
Before starting the search, you need to clearly define your goal:
Who owned the channel?
Who is the admin?
Who is the current owner?
Do I need to find all of this data together?
This article will not cover phishing and social engineering techniques. It will only use historical analysis and minimal user interaction.
Data that can be contained on a channel:
Texts, photos, audio, videos, files, links.
All collected materials can be checked through HowToFind Bot.
If there are photos, you can use the image search in the relevant services.
Referral links
Some bots contain user IDs.
Example:
https://t.me/PimEyesBot?start=445588014, де445588014– ID акаунта.
If there are additional characters after start, it may be an internal identifier.
Private links
Until 2017, Telegram created private links for groups and channels with an encrypted admin ID.
Where is the account ID located?
In long links after joinchat (18+ characters).
Where is there no ID?
In public links (t.me/durov).
In links with AAAAA (encrypted zeros).
In short links (up to 18 characters after joinchat).
How to decrypt the administrator ID?
Make sure the link contains an ID.
Copy everything after joinchat.
Example: із
http://t.me/joinchat/D-3jrhMOTiIE-WwV8wnomAзалишитиD-3jrhMOTiIE-WwV8wnomA.
Go to 8gwifi.org, insert the hash sum and click Submit.
Open the received HEX code via cryptii.com.
Enter HEX, set to 32 bits and get the numeric format.
The first number in the results is the administrator’s Telegram ID.
The resulting ID can be used to further search for information through OSINT tools such as HowToFind Bot (t.me/usinfobot).
The received Hex must be copied and opened on the cryptii.com website.
Paste the Hex into the appropriate field, set the format to 32 bits and check the decryption parameters – they must correspond to the specified settings.
Gives Telegram ID in the first number.
You will get a number, this is the account ID of the creator of the private link. Example: 267248558.
The resulting Telegram ID is displayed in the first number of the decryption result.
This is the ID of the account that created the private link.
To find information about an account by ID, you can use the HowToFind Bot, in particular t.me/usinfobot.
To do this, you need to enter the command into the bot:
@usinfobot 267248558
This will allow you to find out the name and link to the Telegram account.
To understand how to get a digital ID for users and what it is for, it is worth considering its main advantages. A digital ID in Telegram allows you to maintain a constant connection with the account, as it remains unchanged from the moment it was created. Sometimes information about the ID can be stored in mentions in chats or channels, but this is not always the case. If a user changes their letter nickname or completely deletes it, it becomes more difficult to find the profile. In such cases, the digital ID becomes the only stable identifier, which allows you to track the account regardless of changes in its settings.
More details about this feature will be discussed after it is activated. Follow the instructions below and repeat all the steps.
Scroll to the very bottom!
Now we can see users’ account IDs!
A powerful tool for analyzing messages in Telegram chats. It allows you to track a user’s friends, all mentions of them, and record ID changes. In addition, you can save the found messages in text format and monitor account activity.
Telagago is used to search for mentions in Telegram. This service effectively analyzes changed IDs obtained through Funstat, which allows for deeper monitoring of user activity in the messenger.
A bot with a large user base that provides access to a variety of features. Some of them are paid, but some tools are available for free, including searching for old nicknames and accounts by ID.
A bot for searching for old usernames. This bot is popular, but many rarely use it in their work.
A multifunctional bot for analyzing Telegram. Although the search is not always perfect, it effectively processes both alphanumeric and numeric IDs, allowing you to get useful information.
A tool for public search in Telegram. Just enter keywords or IDs obtained through Funstat and run the analysis. Before starting, you need to select the section corresponding to Telegram.
A service for searching channels by keywords, which also stores the history of their publications. A great tool for Telegram analytics.
A system that stores the history of Telegram ID changes and channel content, providing convenient access to archived data.
An indispensable tool for Telegram analysis. Allows you to search by posts, IDs, mentions, and keyword history.
A compact tool for searching posts by keywords. Can work with ID, which helps to analyze information effectively.
A useful tool for viewing Telegram user profiles. Allows you to receive information about changes to nicknames and other account data.
A multifunctional service with wide capabilities. Allows you to search Telegram by channels, nicknames, and digital IDs.
A database of Telegram IDs containing data leaks. Inserting a previously obtained digital ID allows you to find account history and possible mentions.
Even if the link is no longer active, the account ID remains.
You can check it by searching for mentions in Telegram or via Google.
The signature under the post is an obvious but often ignored detail.
It is located near the time of publication and contains the name and nickname of the account.
If at least one post in the channel has a signature, this is a chance to find the administrator.
The resulting name can be checked for mentions in Telegram or searched for in the channel group.
If a channel post has been forwarded to another chat or channel, this can be used.
Most often, reposts are made by subscribers, but sometimes they are made by the administrator.
It is worth checking whether this channel has a chat and who mentions its content.
If some users often mention or forward messages from the channel, these are potential admins or their acquaintances.
Some Telegram channels have associated groups for discussion.
If a group is associated with a channel, the administrators are usually in it.
If an admin posts in a group on behalf of a channel, their name is not visible. But there are ways to find them:
Scroll through the chat to the beginning – the first participants usually include the admin.
Look at who is managing the bots in the group – admins usually do this.
Pay attention to who the participants address as the admin.
Use group search by entering queries:
admin /admin адміністратор
Clear all chat messages (available in Bgram) so that only system messages remain – they will show who pinned messages and managed voice chats.
Ask questions to group members – sometimes users can directly point to the administrator.
The channel profile picture can be used to search for mentions on the web.
Use Google Images, Yandex.Pictures, or other OSINT tools.
HowToFind Bot also contains useful resources for such analysis.
The channel name and URL can be used to search for mentions on the Internet.
It is best to use search engines that support Telegram search (a list is available at HowToFind Bot).
You can find promotional mentions, messages from the channel administrator, or other relevant data.
Take part of the channel link:
t.me/durov → durov
Use OSINT tools such as Maigret, Sherlok, t.me/maigret_osint_bot to check mentions of this nickname.
If the channel is private? See the “Private Link” method (described earlier).
If content has been removed from a channel, this can be detected. How to check:
Copy the link to the last post (e.g. t.me/durov/171).
Count the total number of posts in the channel (e.g. 138).
Subtract the total number of posts from the last number:
171 - 138 = 33
This means that 33 posts were deleted in the channel.
Telegram analytics sites can keep the history of posts even after deletion.
You can find the channel on services like TGStat or similar platforms.
Advertising posts are most often deleted – they may contain the contact details of the administrator.
Telegram does not display channel name changes in the regular client.
You need to use Telegram X (Android) for this.
Going to a channel in Telegram X will show all changes to its name.
Select all posts and hide them in Bgram or Telegraph.
Only system messages will remain, among which you can find information about name changes.
The first channel name always remains in the first channel message.
To go to it, just open the link: t.me/durov/1
How to use these names? Use the search methods described above for name or channel link.
The channel description may include the administrator’s contact information or other important links.
Even if there is no data in the current description, services like TGStat may store previous versions.
It is worth checking the description’s change history to find useful information.
Finding the administrator or owner of a Telegram channel is a task that requires a comprehensive approach. Since there is no universal method, the effectiveness of the investigation depends on the analysis of available data, such as referral and private links, mentions in chats, the history of changes to the channel name and its signatures.
Using OSINT tools greatly simplifies the process of collecting information. Bots and services such as Funstat Bot, TelegramDB Search Bot, TGStat, IntelX, HowToFind Bot and LeakOSINT allow you to find user IDs, saved mentions, account history and even deleted data.
The right combination of analytical methods, verified sources and automated bots allows you to identify the channel administrator, track his activity and obtain the necessary information even in the event of nickname changes or content deletion.
Telegram remains one of the most anonymous messengers, but modern analysis methods allow you to collect enough data to identify the owners of channels and chats. It is important to remember the ethical and legal aspects of using the information received, as well as the security of personal data.
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