How to make your own Telegram sticker set

Choose the Telegram download

When your set is finished, press the Telegram button next to the LINE ZIP.

This matches Telegram's rules:

• A still sticker is a PNG or WEBP file with one side exactly 512 px and the other 512 px or less (Telegram's sticker documentation).
• A set's icon is 100×100 px (Telegram Bot API).
• Every sticker in a set has at least one emoji. You choose them while you upload, not in the file.

Animated sets have no Telegram download. Telegram's moving stickers must be WEBM video (VP9, 3 seconds at most, 256 KB at most) or its own TGS animation format (video sticker rules). MochiStamp makes animated stickers as animated WebP, which is what WhatsApp takes. For Telegram, use a still set.

Unzip the download first: on Android, select the ZIP in the Files app and tap Extract (Files by Google Help); on iPhone, tap the ZIP in the Files app (Apple Support); on a computer, open the ZIP as usual.

Which way to choose

• Telegram's sticker editor: everything happens inside a chat on your phone. Quick for a handful of stickers.
• The @Stickers bot: you send the files one by one with an emoji each, choose the icon and the set's link name yourself, and it works from Telegram on a computer too, which is easier for a full set of 8 to 40.

Both make a set that anyone can add.

Way 1: Telegram's sticker editor

Telegram has a built-in sticker editor that turns a picture on your device into a sticker and can make a set from it (Telegram's sticker documentation).

1. Put the PNG files in your photo gallery (on iPhone: open a file in Files, tap share > Save Image).
2. In any chat, open the sticker panel from the message field and tap the (+) button.
3. Choose 01.png. The background is already transparent, so you don't need the cut-out tool. If a white background shows anyway, the editor can cut the character out in one tap.
4. Instead of sending the sticker, tap Add to Sticker Set > New Sticker Set and type a name for your set.
5. Choose the emoji that match the sticker (Telegram also suggests some).
6. For 02.png and the rest, repeat steps 2 to 5, but choose your set under Add to Sticker Set instead of making a new one.

The button names above are those of Telegram's English app; other languages and versions word them a little differently. If there is no (+) in your sticker panel, update Telegram.

Way 2: the @Stickers bot

@Stickers is Telegram's official bot for sticker sets (Telegram FAQ). It opens a mini app with buttons, and it also takes text commands, which is how these steps work (Telegram's sticker documentation). Sending many files is easiest from Telegram on a computer.

1. Open @Stickers and send /newpack.
2. Send the name of your set. This is the title people see when they add it.
3. Send 01.png as a file, not as a photo. On a phone, use the attach menu > File. On a computer, turn off compression in the send window (its wording depends on the version). A photo is compressed and loses its transparent background.
4. Send one emoji that fits the sticker, for example 👋 for a wave.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 02.png, 03.png and the rest.
6. Send /publish.
7. When the bot asks for an icon, send icon.png as a file. Send /skip instead if you want the first sticker as the icon.
8. Send a short name for the link, in Latin letters, digits and underscores, for example mochi_penguin. If it is taken, try another.
9. The bot answers with your set's link: https://t.me/addstickers/ followed by the short name. Anyone who opens it can add the whole set.

To add stickers to the set later, send /addsticker and choose the set. Type / in the chat with the bot to see all its commands.

Share your set

• Send the t.me/addstickers/… link in a chat, a group or a channel.
• Or just send one of the stickers: whoever taps it can add the whole set (Telegram blog).

When something goes wrong

• The bot doesn't take the picture: it was probably sent as a photo. Send the PNG again as a file.
• Wrong size: one side must be exactly 512 px. The LINE ZIP (370×320) is too small; use the files from the Telegram download.
• A white background instead of a transparent one: the picture went through as a photo (compressed to JPG), or it is a screenshot. Send the PNG from the ZIP as a file.
• File too big: the files in the Telegram download are kept small. If you edit a sticker and save it as a large image, bring it back to a 512×512 PNG before you upload it.
• The bot keeps waiting: after each sticker it needs an emoji before the next file. Send the emoji, then the next PNG.
• The short name is refused: use only Latin letters, digits and underscores, start with a letter, or choose another name if it is taken.
• An animated set: there is no Telegram download for it, because Telegram's moving stickers must be WEBM video. Use a still set.

Questions

Do I need Telegram Premium?

No. Telegram Premium is needed to add and use custom emoji sets, but sticker sets work for everyone (Telegram's sticker documentation).

Who can use my set?

Anyone with the link, and anyone who receives one of its stickers and taps it. Only post sets you are happy for others to add.

Which emoji should I choose?

The feeling of the sticker: 😂 for laughing, 🙏 for thanks, 👍 for OK. When someone types that emoji in a chat, Telegram suggests matching stickers, so a good emoji makes your sticker easy to find.

How many stickers can a set have?

Telegram's Bot API documentation gives 120 for a sticker set. A MochiStamp set has 8 to 40, so it always fits in one.

Can I use the same set on WhatsApp?

Yes, with the WhatsApp download of the same set (512×512 WebP). See How to add your own stickers to WhatsApp.

Official pages

• Stickers and emoji (Telegram documentation)
• Sticker Maker (Telegram blog)
• @Stickers (Telegram's official bot)
• Stickers in the Bot API (Telegram documentation)