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Telegram's servers keep just two crops of your photo: 640 x 640 for the profile page and 160 x 160 for chat lists. This free maker removes the background, frames your face for the circular avatar Telegram shows everywhere, and exports a PNG at exactly 640 x 640. All of it happens inside your browser tab, so the picture never leaves your device.
Your photo never leaves your device. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded to a server.
Drop in a JPEG, PNG, or WebP. Telegram recompresses whatever it receives into a 640 pixel JPEG, so pick a shot with a clear subject and strong contrast rather than one carrying fine text or a busy background.
The background comes off in the browser, then you frame the result as a circle or a square. Telegram masks avatars into circles in chat lists and headers, and only shows the full square when someone taps the photo to expand it.
Save the PNG at 640 x 640, the largest copy Telegram's servers keep, then set it as your profile photo. Previous pictures stay in Telegram's profile gallery, so you can open an earlier one and tap Set as Main if you change your mind.
| Recommended upload size | 640 x 640 px, square |
|---|---|
| Where it appears | Rendered as circles at small UI sizes (roughly 40 to 60 px in chat lists and chat headers) backed by a server-cropped 160x160 px thumbnail; the profile page and tap-to-expand view use the server's 640x640 px version |
| Crop shape | Displayed as a circle |
| Minimum size | 160x160 px (cited by secondary sources and matching the smallest server-stored crop; Telegram publishes no official minimum) |
| File size limit | Not officially documented for profile photos; secondary sources cite about 5 MB, and the app recompresses every upload to a 640x640 JPEG anyway (Bot API photo uploads cap at 10 MB) |
| Formats | JPEG, PNG, and WebP for static photos (converted to JPEG server-side); square MP4 (MPEG-4) for video avatars; stickers and animated emoji via the built-in Profile Photo Maker |
Upload limits are from Telegram's own documentation (checked July 2026). Display sizes are observed in the app and can change.
The export is fixed at 640 x 640, the largest static crop Telegram's servers keep. Uploading anything bigger gains no extra sharpness after processing, and the 160 pixel chat list thumbnail comes from that same copy.
Background removal runs locally in the browser tab. No file leaves your machine, no account is required, and there is no server side copy of your face sitting somewhere afterwards.
Built for the 160 pixel chat list. Removing the background leaves a flat, high contrast field behind your face, which is the kind of composition that holds up when Telegram recompresses the photo to JPEG.
Upload a square image at 640x640 px or larger. Telegram stores your photo at a maximum of 640x640 px for the profile view plus a 160x160 px thumbnail for chat lists, so 640x640 is the largest size that actually survives processing. A 512x512 or 1024x1024 upload also works fine since the server crops and scales it for you.
Telegram recompresses every upload to JPEG and scales it down to 640x640 px, then shows a 160x160 px thumbnail in chat lists. Detail loss is most visible in photos with fine text or busy backgrounds. Start from a sharp square source at 640 px or larger, avoid re-saving an already compressed screenshot, and use simple, high-contrast imagery.
Yes. Any user can record or upload a profile video, which Telegram accepts as a square MP4 up to 1080x1080 px (800x800 px is the recommended resolution). You choose one frame to act as your static picture in chats. If you subscribe to Telegram Premium, your video avatar animates for everyone throughout the app, including the chat list.
Yes. Telegram displays avatars as circles in chat lists, in chats, and on profile headers, which trims all four corners of your square upload. The uncropped square only appears when someone taps your photo to view it full size, so keep the important content centered.
Not directly. Telegram's animated avatars use the MP4 video format, so convert your GIF to a square MP4 first and upload it as a profile video. Alternatively, use the built-in Profile Photo Maker to set an animated sticker or animated emoji on a colored background as your picture, which works even without Premium.
Open your profile, tap your profile picture, open the menu, and choose Delete. Telegram keeps your previous profile photos in a gallery, and you can restore an older one at any time by opening it and tapping Set as Main.
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