Telegram Checklists: How to Create and Share To-Do Lists in Chats

Telegram checklists are interactive to-do lists you send as a message. A Telegram Premium user creates one from the attachment menu by choosing Checklist, adds a title and tasks, and sends it to a group, a private chat or Saved Messages. The creator decides whether other people can mark tasks as done and whether they can add new tasks.

This guide covers creating, sharing and editing checklists, the permission settings, practical ways to use them, and what to do if you do not have Premium.

What a checklist is

A checklist is a special kind of message. Instead of plain text, it shows a title and a list of tasks, each with a tick box. Tapping a task marks it done, if you are allowed to. Everyone in the chat sees the same list and the same ticks, so it works as a shared to-do list that updates for everyone.

Telegram announced checklists for tracking tasks, coordinating teams, and managing shopping and to-do lists. They suit anything with steps that more than one person might complete, and they work equally well as a private list in Saved Messages.

Who can create one

Creating a checklist is a Telegram Premium feature. If you do not see the Checklist option in the attachment menu, either your account is not on Premium or your app needs updating.

Taking part is a different matter. People in the chat can see the checklist, and the creator's settings decide whether they can mark tasks done or add tasks. If you are not on Premium and someone sends you a checklist that allows it, try ticking a task; your app will tell you if anything is restricted.

If you are deciding whether Premium is worth it for features like this, see Telegram Premium vs free.

Where you can send checklists

Telegram's announcement lists:

• Groups, for shared team or family tasks.
• Private (one-to-one) chats, for example a shopping list with a partner.
• Saved Messages, for your own personal to-do list.

Channels are not in that list. If you run a channel and want a task list for your admin team, use a private admin group or Saved Messages instead.

How to create a checklist on Android and iPhone

1. Open the chat where the checklist should go.
2. Tap the attachment (paperclip) icon.
3. Choose Checklist.
4. Type a title, such as "Weekend trip" or "Shop: Saturday".
5. Add tasks one by one. Each task gets its own line with a tick box.
6. Set the permissions: whether others can mark tasks as done, and whether others can add tasks.
7. Send it.

The checklist appears in the chat as a message. You can reply to it, pin it and forward it like any message.

How to create a checklist on Telegram Desktop

The option may be in a slightly different place on Desktop. Depending on your version, look for Checklist in the attachment menu or in the chat's three-dots menu. The rest of the process is the same: title, tasks, permissions, send.

If you use Telegram Web, check the attachment menu. Features sometimes reach the web apps later than the mobile apps; see Telegram Desktop vs Web vs mobile.

Permissions: who can tick and who can add

There are two separate switches, and they answer different needs.

Allow others to mark tasks as done

• On: anyone in the chat can tick tasks. Good for shared chores, shopping and team work.
• Off: only you can tick tasks. Good when you are reporting progress to others, for example a launch checklist you want people to watch but not touch.

Allow others to add tasks

• On: people can add new items. Good for a shopping list where everyone adds what they need, or a packing list for a group trip.
• Off: the list stays exactly as you wrote it. Good for a fixed process, like steps for onboarding a new moderator.

In a large group, think carefully before turning both on. An open list in a busy chat can fill with jokes or duplicates. For bigger groups, it is often better to let people tick but not add, and ask them to suggest additions in a reply.

Editing a checklist after sending

As the creator, you can usually edit the checklist message to change the title, reword tasks, add tasks or remove them. Telegram's developer documentation says that when tasks are removed in an edit, the ticks on the remaining tasks are kept. So you can tidy up a list without losing the progress already made.

When someone ticks a task, Telegram records who completed it and when. In shared chats, this makes it clear who did what without anyone having to announce it.

Practical ways to use checklists

A shared shopping list

Create it in a private chat with your partner or housemates. Turn on both permissions. Anyone can add an item at home, and whoever is at the shop ticks items off. Pin it so it is always at the top of the chat.

Team tasks in a group

For a small team, a checklist per project or per week keeps everyone on the same page. Allow people to tick tasks so whoever finishes something marks it. If your group uses topics, post each checklist in the relevant topic so it does not get lost; see how to use topics in groups.

Personal to-do lists in Saved Messages

Saved Messages is a private chat with yourself and syncs across devices. A checklist there works as a simple to-do app on every device you use. See Telegram Saved Messages tips for more ways to organise it.

Running a channel as a team

Channel admins can keep a weekly content checklist in their admin group: draft posts, check links, schedule, reply to comments. Combined with scheduled messages, it makes a lightweight publishing process. See running a Telegram channel as a team for a fuller workflow.

Events and trips

A packing list for a group trip, or a "who brings what" list for a party, works well with both permissions on. Each person adds what they are bringing and ticks it once it is packed.

Example: a club organiser's setup

An illustrative scenario. Omar organises a weekly board games night in a group of thirty people. He has Premium.

1. Each Monday he posts a checklist titled with the date.
2. Tasks include booking the room, confirming the host, bringing snacks and setting up tables.
3. He allows others to mark tasks done but not to add tasks, so the list stays short.
4. Members who volunteer for a task reply to the checklist, and Omar edits the task to include their name.
5. He pins the checklist and unpins last week's.

By Thursday, the ticks show what is still open. Nobody has to ask in the chat whether the room was booked.

Checklists and bots

Telegram's Bot API supports checklists, so bots built for task management can send and update them where the platform allows it. If you use bots in your team groups, check whether yours supports checklists. Only add bots you trust to groups with private plans.

If you do not have Premium

You can still keep to-do lists in Telegram without the checklist feature:

• A plain text list. Write each task on its own line. When something is done, edit the message and add a mark or strike the line through with formatting; see the text formatting guide.
• A pinned message. Pin the list in a group so it stays visible, and edit it as tasks are done.
• Polls. A poll with several options can work as a "who is doing what" sign-up. It is not a real checklist, but people can choose their tasks; see polls and quizzes.
• Joining a list someone else created. If a Premium user sends a checklist that allows others to tick or add, you may be able to take part; your app will tell you if not.

Troubleshooting

The Checklist option is missing

Check that your account has Premium and that your app is up to date. On Desktop, look in the three-dots menu as well as the attachment menu.

I can see the checklist but cannot tick tasks

The creator has turned off marking by others. Ask them to change it, or to tick the task for you.

I cannot add a task

Adding by others is turned off. Suggest the task in a reply.

I cannot schedule a checklist in a group with topics

Users have reported that the schedule option was missing for checklists in topic groups. If you hit this, send it manually or schedule it in a normal chat instead. Telegram may change this in later versions.

I reached the maximum number of tasks

Checklists have a limit on the number of tasks. Split a long list into two, for example by day or by area.

Common mistakes

• Opening both permissions in a large group. Lists fill up with noise. Allow ticking, keep adding closed.
• Sending a new checklist for every small change. Edit the existing one instead; ticks on remaining tasks are kept.
• Forgetting to pin it. In a busy chat, an unpinned checklist disappears within hours.
• Using one giant list. Split by week, project or person so finished lists can be archived.
• Expecting reminders. A checklist does not notify people about deadlines. Use scheduled messages for reminders.

FAQ

Do I need Telegram Premium to use checklists?

You need Premium to create one. Others in the chat can view it, and the creator's permissions decide whether they can tick or add tasks.

Can I send a checklist to a channel?

Telegram's announcement lists groups, private chats and Saved Messages. For channel work, keep checklists in an admin group or Saved Messages.

Can I see who ticked a task?

Telegram records who completed each task and when, which helps in shared chats.

Can I edit a checklist after sending it?

Yes, as the creator you can usually edit it. Ticks on tasks you keep stay in place.

Is a checklist private?

It is as private as the chat it is in. In Saved Messages only you see it; in a group, every member does.

Summary

Telegram checklists are interactive to-do lists sent as messages. Premium users create them from the attachment menu, choosing whether others can tick tasks and add new ones, and send them to groups, private chats or Saved Messages. Edit lists instead of resending them, pin the ones that matter, and keep adding closed in large groups. Without Premium, you can still join others' checklists or use plain text lists, pinned messages and polls.