t.me not working: why you need to replace all links with telegram.me

Quick fix (TL;DR)

If your Telegram links like t.me/username have stopped opening — replace them with https://telegram.me/username. This is Telegram's official working domain that functions without restrictions.

Why t.me stopped working

The t.me domain is a shortened redirect that Telegram uses as a convenient alias for its links. However, in some countries and regions, ISPs block this specific domain while the main telegram.me domain remains accessible. Additionally, DNS resolution issues with t.me occur periodically, making links non-functional for a portion of your audience.

This is particularly critical for businesses: "Message us on Telegram" buttons on websites, links in email signatures, QR codes and social media posts can silently "break," causing you to lose customer inquiries without ever knowing it.

What is telegram.me

telegram.me is Telegram's original, primary domain for external links. It predates the t.me shortcut and is more reliable in terms of availability. Links like https://telegram.me/username or https://telegram.me/joinchat/XXXX work identically to t.me but are significantly more stable in restricted regions.

Where to replace links

Go through all your business touchpoints:

• Website — footer, Contacts page, chat widgets, CTA buttons
• Google Business Profile — messenger link in your company card
• Social media — profile descriptions on Instagram, Facebook
• Employee email signatures
• Marketing materials — banners, flyers, business cards (at next print run)
• QR codes — regenerate with the new URL
• Messengers and bots — welcome messages, auto-replies

How to replace links on your website

In WordPress/plugins: use the Better Search Replace plugin and replace https://t.me/ with https://telegram.me/ across the entire database.

In CMS (MODX, OpenCart, etc.): run an SQL query:

UPDATE table_name SET field = REPLACE(field, 'https://t.me/', 'https://telegram.me/') WHERE field LIKE '%t.me/%';

Manually via code editor: use global find & replace (Ctrl+H in VS Code) across all templates and config files.

Verify the result

After replacing, confirm the links open correctly:

1. Navigate to https://telegram.me/your_username in a browser
2. Confirm that Telegram opens (in the browser or via the app)
3. Test on a mobile device

Solution (for those scrolling to the bottom)

Replace all t.me/... links with https://telegram.me/... — on your website, social media, email signatures and marketing materials. This is Telegram's official domain that works reliably and without restrictions.