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Scheduled photos and videos in Telegram: limits and setup
How to schedule photos, videos and albums in Telegram: bot setup, album captions, media limits and common errors. A step-by-step guide.
You can schedule photos, videos and albums in Telegram through a bot administrator. An album holds 2–10 files, has one caption for the whole set, and the first file becomes the cover.
What you can schedule
- A single photo with a caption — the basic format for announcements and quotes.
- A video with a caption — for demos, behind-the-scenes clips and short instructions.
- An album (media group) — 2 to 10 photos or videos in one post. The best format for roundups and before/after stories.
- A document — a PDF price list, checklist or guide.
Albums and captions
An album has one caption for the entire media group, not one per file. The first file becomes the cover: it is what people see in the feed and in previews. If every image needs its own text, publish separate posts or number the items in the caption.
How to schedule a post
- Create a bot in @BotFather and copy its token.
- Add the bot to the channel as an administrator with the “Post messages” right.
- Connect the channel in your scheduler using the token and the channel's @username.
- Upload the photo or video, write the caption and choose the date and time.
- Add the post to the queue and check the preview before it goes live.
Limits and technical details
- Media captions are shorter than regular messages: long text is cut. For a large article, publish a photo with a short caption and a separate text post.
- Supported formats and file sizes depend on the Bot API and the client. Test the exact file with a draft publication.
- Upload large videos in advance: processing can take time.
- Permissions matter more than a pretty setup: without the publishing right, nothing will be sent.
Common mistakes
- The album went out without a caption — the caption was attached to the wrong file. Attach it to the first item.
- The video did not send — the format or size is unsupported; transcode to MP4/H.264.
- The post appeared without the photo — the upload had not finished. Check the attachment status before publication.
Read next: how to schedule posts in Telegram and cross-posting to Telegram, VK and MAX.
Frequently asked
Can I schedule an album in Telegram?
Yes, a bot can schedule a media group of 2–10 files. The album has one caption, and the first file becomes the cover.
Why use a bot instead of the native scheduler?
You get a calendar, a queue, cross-posting and access from several devices. The native scheduler is fine for one-off posts, not for a system.
Why did a scheduled video fail to publish?
Most often the format, size or upload was incomplete. Check the Bot API requirements and the attachment status in your scheduler.
Try it on your own channels
Free plan: one channel and ten posts a month, no card required.
This guide is also available in Russian — the whole knowledge base exists in both languages.