Telegram Link Preview Checker

See your link exactly as Telegram shows it in chats and channels, with the large-photo or small-thumbnail layout Telegram would choose. We fetch the page as TelegramBot and show what's missing.

Free, no sign-up. We fetch the page from our server as each platform's bot, without running JavaScript.

How Telegram builds a link preview

When you send a message with a link, Telegram's servers (not your phone) fetch the page with the User-Agent TelegramBot (like TwitterBot) and build what Telegram calls an instant webpage preview. The card it shows in the chat has up to four parts:

  • Site name in the accent color, from og:site_name. Without it, Telegram shows the domain.
  • Title in bold, from og:title, then twitter:title, then the page's <title>.
  • Description, from og:description, then twitter:description, then the meta description. Telegram shows more of it than most messengers, several lines.
  • Image, from og:image, then twitter:image.

The image layout depends on the image itself. A wide image (like the standard 1200×630) becomes a large photo under the text. A small or square image becomes a thumbnail in the top-right corner of the card. If your preview shows a tiny square where you expected a banner, check the image's real dimensions in the results above.

Telegram stores the preview on its servers and reuses it for everyone who shares the same URL. That's why a fixed page can keep showing the old card.

Why the Telegram link preview isn't showing

TelegramBot is blocked

Cloudflare's bot protection, a WAF rule or a "block empty User-Agent" rule on the server can answer TelegramBot with a 403 or a JavaScript challenge. The checker requests your page as TelegramBot and as a browser, and shows the difference if there is one. Allow the TelegramBot User-Agent in your firewall rules.

The meta tags are added by JavaScript

TelegramBot reads the raw HTML. If the page is a client-rendered React or Vue app, it sees an empty shell and shows only the link. You need server-side rendering or prerendering for the pages you share.

The image can't be used

Relative image URLs, SVG files, images behind hotlink protection and images that need cookies all end up as a preview without a picture. Use an absolute HTTPS URL to a JPG or PNG.

The preview is cached

If you changed the tags after the link was first shared in Telegram, everyone still gets the old version until you refresh it (see below).

The sender turned previews off

Telegram lets the sender remove or reposition the preview before sending. If only one message is missing a preview, that's the likely reason.

How to refresh a Telegram link preview

  1. Fix the tags and confirm the result with the checker above (press Re-check to skip our cache).
  2. Open @WebpageBot in Telegram and send it the exact URL you share, including any trailing slash or parameters.
  3. The bot replies with the updated preview. New messages with this link use it from now on.

Previews in messages that were already sent don't update. Send the link again to show the new card.

Telegram preview checklist

  • og:title under about 100 characters, with the key words first.
  • og:description of 1–3 sentences. Telegram shows more of it than WhatsApp does.
  • og:site_name set to your brand name.
  • og:image: 1200×630 JPG or PNG with an absolute HTTPS URL, plus og:image:width and og:image:height.
  • TelegramBot gets a 200 response, without redirects to login or consent pages.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my Telegram link preview not showing?
The usual causes: TelegramBot gets a 403 or a captcha page from your firewall or Cloudflare, the page is rendered with JavaScript so the bot sees no tags, og:image is a relative URL or SVG, or Telegram cached an older, broken version. Run the check above to see which one applies.
How do I update a Telegram link preview?
Open @WebpageBot in Telegram and send it your URL. It re-fetches the page and updates the preview Telegram stores. Previews in messages that are already sent don't change.
Why does Telegram show a small thumbnail instead of a big image?
Telegram uses a large photo for wide images and a small square thumbnail for small or square ones. Use a 1200×630 image and declare og:image:width and og:image:height.
Does Telegram use Twitter Card tags?
Only as a fallback. TelegramBot reads og:title, og:description and og:image first, and uses twitter:title, twitter:description and twitter:image only when the Open Graph tag is missing.
Where does the bold name above the title come from?
That's og:site_name. Without it, Telegram shows the domain.
Can I hide the preview for a link in Telegram?
Yes, as the sender: tap the × on the preview before sending, or use the link preview options in the message composer to move or remove it. That doesn't change the preview for other people sharing the same link.
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