Telegram has two kinds of groups — a regular group and a supergroup. They look almost the same: the same name, the same members, the same chat history. But a supergroup has more capabilities, and some of the bot's features work fully only there.
The good news: turning a regular group into a supergroup takes just a couple of taps, and you lose nothing in the process.
The main point: you only need to switch the required setting on once — and you can turn it back right away. The group stays a supergroup, yet by its look, members, message history and name it is indistinguishable from before. You lose nothing and re-invite no one.
Why it's needed
Telegram allows some of the bot's features to run only in supergroups — this is a Telegram limitation, not the bot's. In a regular group Telegram simply doesn't give bots the capabilities they need, so such features can't work at full strength there. As soon as the group becomes a supergroup, everything works normally.
What to know beforehand
- Everything is kept: members, message history, name, photo, pinned messages and administrators all stay in place.
- It's safe: becoming a supergroup is a standard Telegram capability used by millions of chats.
- It won't turn back into a "regular" group — but that's not needed: nothing changes for members, and this is exactly what the bot requires.
Below are several ways. Just pick any one.
Method 1. Turn on chat history for new members
This is the cleanest way: you switch on one setting, then turn it back if you like.
1. Open the group settings (the pencil / "Edit" icon).
2. Find "Chat history for new members".
3. Choose "Visible" and save.
At this moment Telegram automatically turns the group into a supergroup.
You can revert it: right after that, switch the history setting back to "Hidden" — the group stays a supergroup, and new members, as before, won't see the old chat history. Everything looks just like it did.
Method 2. Turn on public access
Another quick option is to give the group a public link.
1. Open the group settings → "Group Type".
2. Choose "Public" and pick a short link (address) for the group.
3. Save — the group becomes a supergroup.
You can revert it: if you don't need a public group, switch the type back to "Private" right away. The group becomes private again but stays a supergroup.
Method 3. Turn on Slow Mode
Slow Mode is available only to supergroups, so turning it on also converts the group.
1. Open the group settings → "Slow Mode".
2. Pick any interval (for example, a few seconds) and save — the group becomes a supergroup.
3. If you like, turn Slow Mode off again — the group stays a supergroup.
How to tell it worked
- In the bot's menu, the warning that "the feature works only in supergroups" disappears, and the feature starts working.
- In the group settings you'll see options that weren't there before (Slow Mode itself, for one).
Tip: if the bot's group settings menu was open at the moment of conversion, just go one step back and open it again — after that everything works as usual.
Done. The group is now a supergroup, and the bot can run its features in it at full capacity.