How to stop spam in a Telegram group: a layered plan

Spam in a Telegram group comes in a few shapes: accounts that join and post a link at once, floods of messages, scam text from people who look real, and noise from join and leave messages. Each shape needs a different fix. No single setting or bot stops all of it.

This guide gives you a plan in layers. First you use Telegram’s own tools, which cost nothing. Then you add bots for the gaps. The bots here are from the maker of this site, and we say so where we recommend them.

Layer 1: Telegram’s built-in anti-spam settings

Telegram has four free anti-spam controls that need no bot. They are member permissions, slow mode, invite links that need admin approval, and automated spam filters with an aggressive mode for large groups. Set these first. They cost nothing and help against floods, unwanted content and waves of new accounts.

Member permissions

Telegram lets admins set default permissions for all members. You can stop members from posting specific kinds of content, or from sending messages at all. Open the group info, then Edit or Manage group, then Permissions. Menu names differ between apps.

A common setup for a group with spam:

• If your app shows a permission to add members, turn it off, so members cannot pull other accounts in.
• Turn off kinds of content you do not need in the group.
• Give admins full rights, and give members only what the group needs.

Slow mode

Slow mode lets each member send one message per interval that you choose. A timer shows how long they must wait. You find the Slow Mode switch in the group’s Permissions. It slows down floods, but it does not stop one spam message.

Invite links with admin approval

You can make an extra invite link with the setting “Request Admin Approval”. A person who opens the link sends a join request. Admins see the request, with the profile photo and bio, and approve or dismiss it. In recent apps you manage requests in the group info under Member Requests.

If your old invite link leaked into spam lists, revoke it. Telegram says a revoked link stops working immediately.

Anti-spam for large groups

Telegram has automated spam filters. When the aggressive mode launched, Telegram said admins of groups with over 200 members could turn it on. If it removes a real message, you can report the false positive from the Recent Actions tab.

Layer 2: a captcha-style human check for new members

Group Gate stops accounts that join and post at once: it mutes each new member until they tap one button, I’m human. Only the new member can tap it. A member who does not tap within 5 minutes is removed with a 60-second ban, and can join again later.

1. Add Group Gate to the group. See How to add a bot to a group and give it admin rights.
2. Make it an admin with Ban users and Delete messages. Without these rights it cannot mute or remove anyone.
3. Send /gate in the group. It shows the status. /gate off stops the check.
4. Set a short welcome text. For example /welcome Hello {name}, tap the button to chat.
5. Test from a second account. Join as a regular member and check that the card appears.

Pro for one group costs 150 Stars (about $3) once. It gives 10 minutes to tap, your own button, and a filter that deletes links and @-mentions from members who joined less than 24 hours ago. That filter bans nobody and skips admins. To compare every bot’s Pro upgrade, see the Pro page.

Layer 3: link and flood filters with Group Shield

Group Shield deletes the spam that gets past the human check. With /links on it deletes links from non-admins, and with /flood on it mutes a member who sends 5 messages in 10 seconds for 10 minutes. Make it an admin that can delete messages and restrict members. Every switch starts off:

1. Send /links on. The bot deletes messages with links from non-admins, also links in captions.
2. Send /flood on. A non-admin who sends 5 messages in 10 seconds is muted for 10 minutes.
3. Send /clean on. The bot removes join and leave messages.
4. Send /status. Check that the switches show what you expect.

Know the limits. The link rule uses the links that Telegram marks in new messages, so a bare @mention is not a link. Edits are not checked, so a link added to an old message stays. As the bot itself says: these rules don’t stop all spam.

With Pro for the group, 150 Stars (about $3) once, you can let up to 20 domains through with /allow example.com and block up to 50 words or phrases with /block unwanted phrase. The word filter works even with /links off.

Optional: join requests and channel checks

Join Approve and Subgate sit in front of your group, but neither one is a spam filter. Join Approve approves every join request at once and sends a private welcome. Subgate makes members join your channel before they can write. Use them for join requests and channel rules, and keep Group Gate for spam.

• Join Approve approves every join request at once and sends each new member one welcome message in private. It does not check people. Use it when you want the request link and a welcome, but no admin taps Approve. If you want to screen each person, approve requests by hand instead.
• Subgate asks members to join your channel before they can write. When a member who is not subscribed writes, it deletes that message, if it can, and restricts them until they tap I subscribed. It is a channel tool, not a spam filter.

Which tool stops which kind of spam?

Each kind of Telegram group spam has one best layer. Group Gate stops new accounts that post a link at once, Group Shield stops links and floods from members who passed the check, and slow mode slows floods. A real person who spams later still needs an active admin.

Warning: A bot in your group cannot stop spam that members receive in private chats. Tell members to block and report such accounts. Telegram limits reported accounts, so they can only message people who saved their number.

Common problems with anti-spam bots

If an anti-spam bot seems to ignore your test, you are probably testing as an admin. Group Shield and Subgate skip admins, and Group Gate checks only new members, so test with a second, regular account. Also check the bot’s admin rights, and send /status to Group Shield, because every switch starts off.

• The bot ignores your test. Admins are never checked. Test with a regular member account and a new message.
• Group Gate does not mute anyone. Check that it is an admin with Ban users and Delete messages, and that /gate shows the check is on.
• Group Shield deletes nothing. Send /status. Every switch starts off.
• Real people get removed. They did not tap in time. Ask them to join again, or use Pro for a 10-minute window.
• Spam still gets in. Add the next layer, keep an admin active, and act on reports quickly.

For more bots for your group, see Best Telegram bots for group chats.