Done-for-you Telegram evidence certification
A Telegram conversation you need as evidence? We certify your export.
Export your Telegram chat from Telegram Desktop, send it to us, and we deliver a court-ready certified package: a readable, line-numbered transcript with an eIDAS qualified timestamp. One conversation, certified in 24 hours.
Investment or crypto scam, divorce, harassment, a broken promise, a group admin who denies what was said? If a Telegram message is your proof, capture it now, before it is deleted for everyone or the account disappears.
A plain screenshot has no provable date, and on Telegram a display name can be changed in seconds. Your certified package carries an eIDAS qualified timestamp (presumption of accuracy under Article 41(2)), a chain of custody, and your preserved raw result.json, so it holds up in court.
Only have Telegram on your phone? You still can export, the desktop app pulls your cloud chats down by itself. Stuck? Email us first, we confirm you can export before you pay.
We never see what we do not need. We work only from the files you send us, from a multi-chat export we transcribe only the one conversation you ask for, and after we hand over your package we delete all your data from our servers.
One-time payment · no subscription · the certified package is yours to keep forever.
Delivered in 24 hours · eIDAS qualified timestamp included · Verifiable by anyone
Alex K.
@alexk_invest · last seen recently
14 March
Send the 1,200 to this wallet and I'll open the position today.
14:02
Sent. You guaranteed I can withdraw any time, right?
14:05
Any time, guaranteed. You have my word.
edited 14:11
Withdrawals are frozen. You need to pay the 15% release fee first.
2 Apr 18:40
Illustrative example. We turn your raw Telegram export into a line-numbered transcript, so you can cite Line 47 and point to the exact message.
Every package can be verified by anyone, for free, in the open Trust Verifier.
Quick answer
How do I turn a Telegram conversation into court-ready evidence?
In Telegram Desktop, open the chat, click the three-dot menu and choose Export chat history, run it once as JSON and once as HTML, then send both to ProofSnap and we deliver a certified package within 24 hours. We render a readable, line-numbered transcript so you can cite a specific message, hash every file with SHA-256, sign the manifest, anchor it in the Bitcoin blockchain and add an eIDAS qualified timestamp. The raw export is preserved untouched. One conversation is $59.99.
Are Telegram messages admissible in court? Yes, provided they are authenticated and preserved rather than screenshotted. Courts want a provable date, an unaltered full thread and metadata, which is exactly what certification adds to a raw export.
Export chat history exists only in Telegram Desktop, not in the mobile apps, not in Telegram Web, and not in the native macOS app from the App Store. Secret Chats cannot be exported at all. What certification proves: that your export existed in that exact state no later than the timestamp, and that it has not changed since it was sealed. What it does not prove: who was behind the account. Authentication of origin stays with the court. ProofSnap is an evidence tool, not legal advice.
Why a Telegram screenshot will not hold up
You may already hold the decisive evidence in your case. The problem is the form it is in. Certification fixes all four weaknesses.
"Anyone could have edited this"
A screenshot or a copy-pasted export is trivial to alter. Without a cryptographic hash the other side can dismiss it as unverifiable, and the burden is on you.
The name in the screenshot proves nothing
On Telegram a display name and an @username can be changed at any moment, and a phone number can be hidden. What actually identifies the account is the numeric from_id in the raw JSON export, which a screenshot never shows.
Delete for everyone, with no time limit
Either party can delete a Telegram message for both sides at any point, and auto-delete timers wipe threads on a schedule. Scam and impersonation accounts are also removed. This is the usual pattern in investment and payment fraud cases: the moment you object, the thread starts vanishing. Export and certify now, while the conversation still exists.
No chain of custody
A raw export folder on your desktop is missing the metadata, custodian declaration and integrity record that authentication needs (FRE 902(14)). We preserve the raw export and add all of it. The same gap is why chat screenshots are so often challenged as inadmissible.
From "I have the chat" to court-ready, in four steps
A done-for-you service. You export and send, we do the rest, you receive the sealed package within 24 hours.
Export from Telegram Desktop
Open the chat, click the three-dot menu, choose Export chat history. Run it as JSON and again as HTML.
See exact steps ↓Upload on the secure page
A secure upload page opens right after payment. Zip your ChatExport folders, upload them, and email us which chat to certify plus your case reference.
We certify and deliver
A signed ZIP with your line-numbered transcript, preserved raw export, Bitcoin anchor and eIDAS timestamp, within 24 hours.
Step 1 in detail
How to export your Telegram chat
Telegram's Export chat history lives in one place only: the Telegram Desktop client. Here is the exact path, and what to tick in the dialog so nothing is left behind.
First, get the right app
Export chat history is not in the Android app, not in the iPhone app, not in Telegram Web, and not in the native macOS Telegram app from the App Store. It is a feature of the cross-platform desktop client.
Windows and Linux
Install Telegram Desktop from desktop.telegram.org.
Mac
Use the same client. On the Mac App Store it is listed as Telegram Lite, or download it from the site.
Nothing to transfer
Sign in and your cloud chats sync down by themselves. Your phone stays untouched.
Export from Telegram Desktop
With Telegram Desktop open and signed in:
- 1Open the conversation, click the three-dot menu at the top right, then Export chat history.
- 2In Chat export settings, tick every media type you have (Photos, Video files, Voice messages, Video messages, Stickers, GIFs, Files), drag the Size limit slider up so nothing is skipped, and leave the date range on All time. Set Format to Machine-readable JSON and export.
- 3Repeat the same export with Format set to Human-readable HTML. Two exports, same settings.
- 4You get a ChatExport_ folder for each run. Zip both folders whole and send them to us.
Why both formats
result.json is the forensic artifact: each message carries a numeric id, an ISO date, an absolute date_unixtime, a from_id such as user123456789, structured text_entities, and an edited flag where a message was changed after sending.
messages.html is what the conversation looked like. Having both lets an expert confirm the transcript against the raw data and against the rendering, from the same source.
Exporting several chats at once instead? Use Settings, Advanced, Export Telegram data and pick the chat types you need. We will transcribe only the conversation you nominate.
What a certified message looks like in the raw source
{
"name": "Alex K.",
"type": "personal_chat",
"id": 123456789,
"messages": [
{
"id": 47,
"type": "message",
"date": "2026-03-14T14:11:32",
"date_unixtime": "1773490292",
"edited": "2026-03-14T14:12:05",
"from": "Alex K.",
"from_id": "user123456789",
"text": "Any time, guaranteed. You have my word."
}
]
}Illustrative, with the real field names from Telegram's published data export schema. Note the two time fields: date is written without a time-zone offset, while date_unixtime is an absolute Unix timestamp. Read carelessly, the two can be interpreted hours apart. We reconcile them and state the time zone explicitly in the transcript, so a court is never left guessing which clock a message is on.
Export button greyed out, or nothing happens?
If your Telegram Desktop session is brand new, Telegram holds the export for up to 24 hours as an anti-abuse measure. You do not have to wait: a request notification goes to your other devices, and approving it on your phone releases the export immediately. Ignore it and you have to request again after 24 hours.
This is a Telegram account-security measure, nothing to do with us.
Secret Chats cannot be exported
Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted and live only on the two devices involved, so there is no server copy and Telegram excludes them from the export by design. They do not appear in device backups either. Ordinary chats, groups and channels are cloud chats and export in full.
Evidence stuck in a Secret Chat? Email us and we will tell you honestly what is still possible.
Optional: the local Telegram Desktop data folder
Telegram is a cloud messenger, so unlike WhatsApp there is no local message database that holds your history. The desktop client keeps an encrypted cache in tdata, which can still be worth preserving in a contested matter. If you want it sealed alongside your export, zip the folder as-is:
- •Windows:
%APPDATA%\Telegram Desktop\tdata\ - •Mac:
~/Library/Application Support/Telegram Desktop/tdata/(if your build names the folder differently, look for the Telegram Desktop folder under Application Support; press Cmd+Shift+. to reveal hidden folders) - •Linux:
~/.local/share/TelegramDesktop/tdata/
A word of warning: tdata is your live session. Anyone holding a copy can potentially sign in as you, so treat it like a password. We seal whatever you send, hashed and timestamped, never opened. Most cases do not need it, and the export alone is the stronger, cleaner exhibit.
Telegram introduced this export tool in its official Chat Export announcement, and the output format is documented in the public data export schema, which is what lets an expert re-derive our transcript from your files. Not sure what you have? Email support@getproofsnap.com before you order and we will guide you.
What you get back: your certified Telegram evidence package
The centrepiece is a human-readable transcript: we parse your Telegram result.json (cross-checked against messages.html) into a clean, line-numbered transcript PDF you can actually hand to a court. Around it sits a signed ZIP built for admissibility, and we email you an Evidence Delivery Note alongside it.
Everything is verifiable by anyone, for free, in the open Trust Verifier.
The conversation transcript (rendered from your export)
A raw result.json is not something you hand a judge, and a folder of messages.html plus media subfolders is barely better. We produce a Chat Conversation Transcript PDF: every message in original send order, by timestamp, with each entry numbered in the left margin so you can cite "Line 47" in a filing.
Photos and images rendered inline, in place, so the message and the picture are read together
Documents, videos and voice messages referenced by file name and linked to the preserved attachment in the ZIP
Telegram-specific detail carried through: edited markers, replies mapped to the message they answer, forwards attributed, and the numeric from_id behind each display name
Cover sheet: parties, case reference, date range, message count, source file and source SHA-256
Faithful rendering: nothing added, altered, reordered or omitted (not a selective extract); service events and deletions shown as markers
Methodology, time-zone reconciliation and scope-of-proof notes included for the court
Inside the signed evidence ZIP
Your certified ZIP holds 11 to 15 files, depending on how much media your export contains.
Preserved raw export
Your original result.json and messages.html are kept untouched alongside the transcript, so it can be re-derived and independently verified.
Two views of one source
The machine-readable JSON and the human-readable HTML come from the same export run, so an expert can check the transcript against the data and against the rendering.
Two timestamp layers
Bitcoin OpenTimestamps anchor plus an eIDAS qualified timestamp from Disig. We email a delivery note carrying the ZIP SHA-256.
Two layers of proof, and what each one means
Both layers are included in every certification. The qualified timestamp is what carries legal weight in the EU.
Bitcoin OpenTimestamps
The SHA-256 hash of your sealed manifest is anchored in the Bitcoin blockchain: a decentralised, independent, tamper-resistant proof that the export existed at a point in time. Subject to the court's free evaluation of evidence.
eIDAS qualified timestamp
Court-grade in the EU
Issued by Disig a.s., a Qualified Trust Service Provider on the EU Trusted List. Under eIDAS Article 41(2) it carries a presumption of accuracy of the date and integrity of the data: the other side has to rebut it.
What certification proves, and what it does not
What certification proves
- The export existed in that exact state no later than the timestamp.
- It has not been altered since it was sealed.
- The raw export is preserved for later expert examination.
- Because the JSON carries a numeric from_id, the messages are tied to a specific Telegram account identifier rather than to a display name that can be changed at will, which materially strengthens attribution.
What it does not do
- It ties messages to an account identifier, not conclusively to a person. Telegram accounts can be anonymous, and an account is not proof that a specific hand typed the message.
- It captures what is in the account today. Messages already deleted for everyone before you exported are gone and no export can bring them back.
- It is verifiable preservation, not a full forensic acquisition of the device.
- Admissibility and final authorship are decided by the court.
We make the content, order and timing impossible to dispute, so the fight is about what the messages mean, not whether you faked them. The raw JSON also carries the numeric account identifier behind every display name, which pushes attribution as far as an export can go. The court still assigns final authorship, as it always does.
Built to support authentication under FRE 901 and self-authentication under FRE 902(14) in the US, and the eIDAS Article 41(2) presumption in the EU. In the UK, the Family Procedure Rules Part 22 leave it to the court to direct what evidence it needs and the form it takes, with written evidence verified by a statement of truth under Practice Direction 22A, so a documented, authenticated exhibit is what you want in front of the judge. ProofSnap is an evidence tool, not legal advice. For your specific case, consult a qualified lawyer.
Pricing
Already have the Telegram conversation exported? We certify it as-is.
One certification covers one conversation, including its attachments and any supporting file.
Telegram Chat Certification
1 conversation · certified in 24 hours
- Your Telegram export, certified as-is
- One conversation, group or channel, including attachments
- Readable, line-numbered transcript rendered from your JSON
- eIDAS qualified timestamp + Bitcoin anchor
- Signed ZIP + certificate PDF + chain of custody
Right after payment, a secure upload page appears where you send us your files, so nothing sensitive has to go by email. If we cannot process your files, we will help you produce a usable export or issue a full credit toward a future certification. Not sure what you have? Ask us before you order.
Several conversations or a recurring need?
Law firms, fraud recovery teams and investigators certifying chats regularly: email support@getproofsnap.com and we will arrange volume handling.
Evidence on another messenger?
We also certify WhatsApp chat exports and Signal chat exports, on the same terms. This page is also available in Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Russian.
Certified Telegram evidence vs. a screenshot, a DIY exporter or a forensic examiner
Court-grade certification, delivered in 24 hours, at a fraction of a forensic examiner's cost.
| Feature | ProofSnap | Screenshot | DIY exporter | Forensic examiner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Readable, line-numbered transcript | No | Sometimes | ||
| SHA-256 hash + signed manifest | No | No | ||
| eIDAS qualified timestamp | No | No | Rarely | |
| Raw result.json preserved for re-derivation | No | No | ||
| Turnaround | 24 hours | Instant, no proof | Instant, no proof | Days to weeks |
| Typical price | $59.99 | Free | ~$30 | $375 and up |
Frequently asked questions
For a website, not a chat
Need to prove a web page, not a Telegram conversation?
This page is about Telegram chats. If your evidence is a website, a public Telegram channel viewed in a browser, a social post, a marketplace listing, a review or an online article, ProofSnap is a Chrome extension that captures it as court-ready evidence yourself, in seconds. Same integrity you get here: a SHA-256 hash, an RSA-4096 signature, a Bitcoin blockchain timestamp and a Provenance Certificate, packaged into an 11 to 15 file evidence ZIP you can verify for free.
Standard SnapPack
10 captures · no expiration · one-time purchase
Pay-as-you-go, no subscription. All features: export, metadata, a short video proof, Provenance Certificate and blockchain timestamp.
eIDAS SnapPack
EU qualified timestamps (Disig a.s.)
$5.00 / stamp · also 1× $6.99 or 10× $49.99
Adds a qualified eIDAS timestamp per capture (Article 41), with a legal presumption of accuracy across the EU. Whitelabel branding on the evidence PDF.
Subscription
Essential · Professional · Enterprise
Annual plans save 20%
For regular use: monthly capture allowances, File Certification and eIDAS stamps on higher tiers. Includes a 7-day free trial (a credit card is required to start).
Prefer no subscription and no auto-renewal? The Standard SnapPack at $4.99 is a one-time purchase. SnapPacks are bought inside the extension after you install it. See the full ProofSnap pricing and features on getproofsnap.com.
Free to install · capture your first web evidence in under a minute.