Pinning a message in a group chat can be more than helpful if a lot of new messages arrive daily. This is quite common in the chats you create with your friends, where what is really important is lost in a sea of jokes, funny memes and secret screenshots that you share.
A pinned message can save you from having to unnecessarily scroll through the message thread and waste time. But what happens if you accidentally unpin an important note? Here’s how to fix it.
Recover unpinned message
What happens when you delete the pinned message from the group chat? Is recovering it too complicated?
If you are an administrator, you can simply search for the message within the message thread and pin it again. You can repeat this as many times as you want. However, if you are a regular member of the chat, you will need to ask the administrator to do this for you.
Note that when you are an administrator, you can pin messages in both public and private groups. If not, you can only pin and unpin messages when you are a member of a private chat.
Types of Telegram groups
In Telegram you can create different types of groups. It can be a small group made up of your siblings and parents, but it can also be a Super Group once it reaches 200 members.
Supergroups give you more options when you are an administrator. You can add up to 100,000 members, mention them in your messages, reply to a particular message, pin and unpin messages as in a normal group, but your members will still be notified even if they turn off notifications.
You can also add automatic bots to your group, as well as create a specific username that people will use to find and join your group. If your group has more than 100 members, you can also choose an official sticker pack. If you need help taking care of your group, you can also add other people as administrators and delegate different tasks to each of them.
How to pin a message on Telegram
If you are a group admin or regular member of a private group and there is a message you want to pin, here’s how you can do it:
- Launch the Telegram app on your phone.
- Open the chat group where the message you want to pin is located.
- Find the desired message and tap it. Note: Don’t long press the message, a simple tap will launch the menu.
- A new menu will appear: Tap Pin.
- In the pop-up window, choose whether you want to notify all group members that a new message is pinned by checking or unchecking the box.
- Tap OK to complete.
- The message you just pinned is now at the top and you will be able to see it there every time you open the chat.
How to unpin a message on Telegram
When you no longer need to pin a message, you can unpin it in two ways.
- When you open the chat with the message pinned, you will see an X on the right.
- When you tap it, you will see a pop-up window where you need to tap Unpin.
EITHER:
- Find the pinned message within the chat.
- Tap it to open the messages menu.
- Tap Unpin.
Please note that if your device is running iOS, you will need to press and hold to open the messages menu. The rest of the process is basically the same.
How to recover a pinned chat
Unfortunately, Telegram does not make it easy to recover a pinned message. On the one hand, you must be an administrator of the group. You should then detect the error within seconds to easily re-pin the message.
If you accidentally unpin a message in a group chat on Telegram, for a few seconds, you can quickly recover it by tapping ‘Undo’ at the bottom of the screen.
If you don’t hit the “Undo” button in time, you’re not completely out of luck. You will need to pin the message again. If you’re in a super chat or one with a lot of messages, it may not be easy to pin a message. Fortunately, there is a little shortcut you can use to locate the message you want to pin.
To quickly locate and re-pin a message, do this:
- Open the group chat and locate the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
- Tap “Search.”
- In the search box, type a keyword from your pinned chat.
- Use the up and down arrows at the bottom right to browse through messages until you find the one you’re looking for.
- When you locate the message you want to pin again, tap it and then tap “Pin.”
If you are a member of a public group, you will not be able to pin a message. But, if you are in a private group, any member can pin a message. Assuming you are in a public group and want to pin a message, you will need to contact one of the administrators to do so.
How to set a chat
Did you know that you can also pin important chats on Telegram? If you have an Android device, just:
- Open Telegram on your device and find the chat or channel you want to pin.
- Press and hold the desired chat and tap the Pin icon that will appear at the top.
- The chat will now appear at the top of the app as pinned.
If you change your mind, you can repeat the same steps, but choose the Unpin icon from the bar that will appear after long-pressing the desired chat.
If you are an iOS user, the steps are similar:
- Launch Telegram and scroll to find the chat you want to pin.
- Swipe the chat to the right.
- Tap Pin and you’re done.
Again, when you no longer want this chat to be pinned, simply swipe to the right side again and tap Unpin.
Frequent questions
Users often say that Telegram is not the most user-friendly chat app available today. In some cases, this is very true. If you still have questions about Telegram’s pinning feature, read on.
Do I have to be an administrator to post a message?
The answer to this question depends on the type of group you are in. When someone creates a group, they can choose to make it public or private. Public groups do not allow all members to post a message. You must be an administrator.
If you are a member of a private group, you can pin a message by following the instructions above.
What can I do if I can’t post a message?
If you’re having trouble pinning a message, it’s probably because you’re not an administrator. You can send a message to one of the group’s administrators and ask them to pin the message or add you as an administrator.
If you don’t see the option to pin a message, make sure you tap the message instead of long-pressing it. If you long-press the message, you’ll only see the options to forward, reply, or delete the message. But, if you tap on it, you will see the pop-up menu with the option to pin it.
Get your administrator privileges
Pinned messages are quite useful, but only administrators have the right to manage them in supergroups or public chats. You have more power in a private one, but if you’re a member of a public group where you’d like more control, show them that you’re admin material; maybe your wish will come true.
