9 Easy Ways to Fix Links Not Opening on Telegram

In Summary

Telegram is a popular messaging app used by millions of people around the world.
In addition to features like a built-in media player and photo viewer, Telegram also has a built-in web browser that allows you to open links shared by your friends or in the group.
In this guide, you will learn how to fix the links not opening problem in Telegram.

Telegram is a popular messaging app that allows users to share text, photos, videos, and links with each other. It comes with features like a built-in video player, photo viewer, built-in web browser, and more to open all sorts of media, including videos, photos, and links within the app, without needing to get out of the app.

These features can be handy, but sometimes they might run into issues that can prevent you from performing specific actions. At times, links shared on Telegram may not open, leaving users frustrated and unable to access the desired content. This problem can occur due to various reasons, such as incorrect link formatting, app updates, or issues with the device or network.

If you are experiencing issues with links not opening on Telegram, you are not alone. Fortunately, there are several solutions available to fix this issue, and in this article, we will explore some effective troubleshooting methods. Whether you are using Telegram on your smartphone or desktop, we’ve got you covered with step-by-step instructions to help you get links working smoothly on Telegram.

Table of Contents

How to Fix Links Not Opening on Telegram

We have listed nine troubleshooting steps to fix the problem of not opening links on Telegram. It is important that you follow the steps in order, as they are arranged from the simplest and most obvious causes to more complex solutions below.

Check the Telegram App Status

If opening Telegram links takes too much time or server errors like 503 or others are displayed, there is a possibility that Telegram servers are unreachable. This can happen with any popular apps like Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and others. You can check the server downtime using the various methods listed below.

Visit a website that tracks the status of popular websites and apps, such as downdetector.com. These sites provide real-time updates about Telegram’s status.
Check Telegram’s official Twitter account (@telegram) or website (https://telegram.org/blog) for announcements or updates about Telegram outages or maintenance.
Use a third-party app or website to test if Telegram is working. For example, you can try to access Telegram using a web browser with the web version (https://web.telegram.org/) or use a different device or internet connection to see if the problem persists.

If the server problems are confirmed, wait some time to get them to the normal state, this is the problem from the Telegram itself, as a user, there is nothing we can do to fix it.

Restart Your Device

Another method to fix not displayed links in Telegram is to restart the device. Restarting the device is the most well-known and popular troubleshooting method to fix most issues, including the problem of not displaying links on Telegram. Different smartphones follow different steps to restart a device. However, most of the steps are very similar for all Android smartphones.

How to restart an Android smartphone

Press and hold the power button: locate the power button on your device, usually located on the side or top of the device. Press and hold the power button until the power menu appears.
Tap Restart or Reboot: in the Power menu, you should see options such as power off, restart, or reboot. Tap on the reboot or restart option. For some devices, swiping is required.
Wait for the device to reboot: After you tap Restart or Reboot, your device will shut down and then turn back on. This can take a few seconds or a minute depending on your device.
Unlock your device: after rebooting your device, you’ll need to unlock it as you’d normally access the home screen and apps.
Once you have completed the restart, open Telegram again and open the links. If the problem persists, follow the other troubleshooting methods.

How to restart an iPhone

Press and hold the power button and either of the volume buttons until the “Slide to power off” slider appears on the screen.
Slide the power off slider to the right.
Wait for the iPhone to shut down, which may take a few seconds completely.
Press and hold the Power button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Release the Power button and wait for the iPhone to restart.

Try Using an External Browser

Telegram has its own built-in browser to open links shared on the platform. You can tap on the link, view the link source, and click “Open” to open the link in the browser. If the built-in browser has problems, sometimes it takes longer for the links to open or they do not open at all. In this case, you can use external browsers like Google Chrome to open the links.

Open the Telegram app on your smartphone and go to the link you want to open
Now tap on the link. A new window will open to load the links. If the built-in browser can not open the link, click on the three-dot menu in the upper right corner
Now click “Open in browser” in the list of options to open the link.
The link will open with the default browser on your smartphone.

Copy Links and Open Them in Your External Browser

You can also copy Telegram links and open them in your browser. Compared to opening Telegram links in an integrated browser, this requires additional steps open the links. But opening links in external browsers has its own advantages, such as more features, the ability to bookmark and view them in history, and more. To open Telegram links in an external browser, follow the steps below.

Open the Telegram app on your smartphone
Go to the link you want to open, long-press on the link, and click Copy
Once the link is copied, open your preferred web browser, go to the URL, paste the link, and click Enter
The link will now open in your browser.

Force Telegram App

Android smartphones have a built-in “Force Stop” feature that allows you to pause and stop a particular app that is currently running in the background. When you force-stop an app, it closes the app and stops its background processes with the Telegram app. Forcing an app to stop can be useful for clearing the currently running process from Telegram.

To force stop an app on Android, you can follow the steps below:

Open the “Settings” app on your Android device.
Scroll down and tap “Apps” or “App Manager“, depending on your device and Android version.
Find Telegram and click on it.
On the app’s info screen, you should see a button that says “Force stop.” Tap on this button.
A warning message will appear asking if you want to force-stop the app. Tap “OK” to confirm.
The app should now force quit, and all background processes, services, and notifications will stop.
Alternatively, you can search for Telegram, long press on it, and click on the info to see the options to force stop.
Note that force-stopping Telegram will not delete any data or settings associated with the app, so you can continue to use the app as usual after force quitting.

Check the Telegram App’s Internet Connection

Telegram requires a constant internet connection to work. Make sure you have an active internet connection on your smartphone. Sometimes slower internet or no internet can not open Telegram links.

There are several ways to test the internet connection on your smartphone. The most common and easiest method is to use a internet speed test website. If you have an Internet connection problem, you can follow the steps below to fix the network issues on your smartphone.

Here are some steps you can take to solve network issues on your Android smartphone:

Check your network connection: make sure you are connected to a Wi-Fi network or that your mobile data connection is enabled. If you are having issues with a Wi-Fi connection, try moving closer to the router to get a better connection or reset the router settings. Then try to open the links again.
Turn airplane mode on and off: Turning Airplane Mode on and off can sometimes help troubleshoot network problems. You can find Airplane Mode in your Quick Settings or in the Settings app.
Restart your device: Restarting your device can sometimes help fix network issues. Simply press and hold the power button and select “Restart” from the power menu.
Check for software updates: Make sure your device has the latest software updates. Go to the Settings app, select “System,” and then “Software Update” to check for updates.
Clear the cache and data of network-related apps: Go to the Settings app, select Telegram, and then select the app that is connected to your network connection (for example, the browser or messaging app). Clearing the app’s cache and data can help resolve network-related issues.
Reset network settings: Go to the Settings app, select System, then Reset Options, then Reset Wi-Fi, Cellular & Bluetooth. This will reset your network settings, including Wi-Fi, mobile data, and Bluetooth.
Contact your internet service provider: If the network problem persists, you may need to contact your ISP for further assistance.
If your internet is working properly. Check if Telegram has access to the data. Long press the app > tap Info > Data.

Clear the Telegram App Cache

The app cache is a temporary storage on your smartphone that contains data and files such as images, videos, and other data that an app needs to access frequently to make the app load faster. Telegram uses this cache to load faster and run more smoothly. Over time, if the device has problems with the cache memory, it can cause the app to stop working. You can simply clear the cache to fix this problem.

Clearing the app cache will not delete any personal data such as login credentials, saved settings, or app-related documents. It only removes temporary files and data that the app has stored in the cache.

To clear the cache on an Android device, you can follow the steps below:

Open the Settings app on your Android device.
Scroll down and tap “Apps” or “Application Manager,” depending on your device and Android version.
Find Telegram and click on it.
On the app’s info screen, you should see an option labeled “Storage.” Tap on that option.
In this screen, you will see an option called “Clear cache.” Tap on this option.
A confirmation dialog will appear asking if you want to clear the cache. Tap “OK” to confirm.
Repeat these steps for all other applications whose cache you want to clear.
Alternatively, you can also find the Telegram application, long-press on it, click on the info and memory settings, and then click on Clear Cache.

Update Telegram App

Sometimes the specific version of Telegram can be the reason why links cannot be opened. This can be a developer’s mistake or the specific version of the app is not optimized for your device. You can easily fix this issue by updating Telegram on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

To update Telegram on an Android, follow these steps:

Open the Google Play Store app.
Tap the profile icon in the top right corner.
Tap Manage apps & device. Apps for which an update is available are marked with “Update available”
Find Telegram and update the app.

To update Telegram on an iPhone, follow these steps:

Open the App Store on your iPhone.
Tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
Scroll down to see the list of available updates.
Find Telegram in the list and click Update
When prompted, enter your Apple ID password to authorize the update.

Uninstall and Reinstall the Telegram App

If the problem persists, try uninstalling and reinstalling Telegram. This is also one of the most popular and common ways to fix Telegram issues. Make sure that you back up your chats and media before uninstalling Telegram. You might lose your data if you do not do it properly. Follow the steps below to back up your Telegram data.

Open Telegram on your device.
Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner to open the menu.
Go to “Settings” and then to “Chat Settings“.
Select “Chat Backup“.
Here you can choose to back up your chats either manually or automatically and which data to include in the backup, such as media and stickers.
If you choose to backup manually, tap “Backup Now“.
If you choose to back up automatically, select the frequency of backups and the cloud storage service to use. Telegram offers support for Google Drive and iCloud.

How to uninstall Telegram on your Android/iPhone

Open your phone and search for Telegram
Now long press on the app and click uninstall on Android and remove>delete if you are using an iPhone.
Once you have uninstalled the app, open Google Play Store and search for Telegram if you are using an Android device, or visit Apple App Store and search for Telegram if you are using an iPhone.
Install Telegram on your smartphone. Open the app and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup. On the backup screen, tap Import chats from backup to restore your Telegram chats and media.
Once the process is complete, try opening the links again and check if the problem is fixed.

Factory Reset Your Smartphone

If the above troubleshooting methods do not work, you can reset your smartphone as a very last resort. When you factory reset a device, all data, settings, and apps, including Telegram data, are reset to the original factory settings, just like a new device. All your personal data, including contacts, Google accounts, photos, videos, music, and documents, will be deleted from the device’s internal storage.

You need to set up your reset device just like you set up a new device. Different Android smartphones require a different factory reset procedure. Once the reset is complete, set up your smartphone, install the app, and open the links in Telegram. This should fix the issue of not being able to open links on Telegram.

FAQs about Telegram Links Not Opening

How to avoid spam links on Telegram?

There is no direct way to avoid spam links on Telegram. Since there is no control over what users can post on the platform, it can be difficult for any user to detect spam links. However, you can take some precautions to avoid spam links and protect yourself from spam. These are just social engineering techniques. If you have time, you can copy and paste the URL to the https://www.emailveritas.com/url-checker website to check whether the link is spam or not.

Be careful with links from unknown sources: If you receive a link from someone you do not know or from a group or channel you do not know, be careful before clicking on it. Spammers often use unsolicited links to direct users to malicious websites or download unknown applications.
Check the website URL: Before clicking on a link, always check the URL to make sure it matches the website you want to visit. Scammers often use links that resemble legitimate websites to trick users into clicking on them. For example, you might get a link with Flipcart.com instead of the original Flipkart.com
Do not give out your personal information: some spam links ask for personal information, such as your phone number or email address, before you can access the content. Never share your personal information with unknown websites or services.
Report spam links: If you encounter spam links on Telegram, report them to the administrators of the group or channel, or use the reporting feature in the app. This way, you can protect other users from becoming targets of spammers.

How do I prevent an automatic download in Telegram?

Just like other messaging services, Telegram offers automatic download features for downloading photos and videos shared on the platform. To prevent the automatic download of media files on Telegram, you can follow the steps below:

Open Telegram on your device.
Tap the three horizontal lines in the top left corner to open the menu.
Select "Settings" from the menu.
Tap on "Data and Storage".
Under the "Media Auto-Download" section, you will see three options for when to download media files automatically: "In all chats," "In private chats," and "In groups."
To prevent automatic downloading, simply turn off the toggles for each option by tapping on them.
You can also enable automatic downloads for specific media types, such as photos, videos, or documents.

How to open Telegram links on a Laptop?

To open a Telegram link on your laptop, you can follow the steps below:

If you do not have it installed yet, download the Telegram desktop app or open Telegram Web in your browser.
Click the link you want to open in Telegram. The link can be on a website, social media platform, or email.
If you have the Telegram desktop app installed, the link opens automatically in the app. If you are using Telegram Web, a window opens asking if you want to open the link in the Telegram app or in your web browser.
Choose the option to open the link in the Telegram app, and a new chat window opens.

How to enable link previews on Telegram?

Link previews allow you to see the website before you click on the link. They give you a first impression of the website. Link previews in Telegram can be enabled with these steps:

Open Telegram on your device.
Go to "Settings" by tapping on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the app.
Tap on "Privacy and Security".
Scroll down to the "Link preview" section and check the toggle next to "Show link preview" to enable link preview.
If you only want to preview links from trusted sources, you can enable the "Filter links" toggle switch, which will only display link previews from websites that are included in Telegram's trusted sources database.
Once link previews are enabled, simply share a link in a chat or in the group, and Telegram will automatically generate a preview of the webpage.