If you’ve been using Telegram with a VPN and it’s not working, don’t panic. There’s several fixes you can try to resolve the issue.
There are many reasons your VPN might have stopped working with Telegram. It’s most likely that your VPN isn’t secure enough to get around VPN blocks performed by certain internet service providers (ISP), or your VPN doesn’t have measures in place to reliably work with the messaging app.
If this is the case, it can be frustrating, especially if you’re reliant on Telegram for communicating with family, friends or even work.
To fix Telegram not working with VPN, try the fixes below.
See also:
- Omegle not working with VPN? Here’s how to FIX that!
- Crunchyroll not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes!
- TikTok not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes!
Telegram not working with VPN: Fixes
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Clear cache
Clearing the Telegram cache is a good place to start when trying to fix Telegram not working with VPN.
The Telegram cache is a temporary storage area that allows you to access your data quickly. It’s used to store files, messages and often photos/videos.
Often files inside the cache can become problematic and bugged, which will cause problems when using the app. It can also quickly run out of storage space, slowing the app down.
To ensure Telegram is running at its best, it’s best to clear the cache. This will remove any problematic files that might be causing Telegram to not work with your VPN.
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Make sure you have the latest version of Telegram
Apps like Telegram often release fixes to issues or bugs that may arise.
Updating Telegram will ensure you have the latest version of the software. And this update may come with fixes that will resolve Telegram not working with VPN.
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Reinstall your VPN
If your VPN suddenly stops working with Telegram, you may have inadvertently downloaded an error, interrupting the software.
A good way to eliminate these issues is to reinstall your VPN.
This ensures you have the latest VPN version, including any bug-fixing updates. It also means you’ll have a fresh installation of the software, so any errors or bugs you may have picked up will be erased.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
Often when Telegram doesn’t work with a VPN, it’s not Telegram blocking the VPN; rather it’s the internet service provider that’s blocking the VPN.
Telegram is banned in numerous countries like China, Bahrain, Thailand and Iran.
Because a VPN allows you to use Telegram anywhere in the world, ISPs often block VPNs entirely or block VPN connections from accessing the messaging service.
This is most likely what has happened with your VPN. Your VPN has stopped working with Telegram because it isn’t fast or secure enough to get around ISP blocks.
To fix this, you need to upgrade to a VPN that can reliably get around ISP blocks. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) works well with Telegram, and I’ve been using it to connect to the messaging service reliably all over the world.
Does Telegram block VPNs?
Telegram does not block VPNs. The messaging app is designed to be secure, and there’s no better way to secure your connection than with a VPN.
The problem is to do with the countries where Telegram is banned. Because Telegram isn’t available in certain countries, using a VPN to access the messaging app is also frowned upon. And often VPNs are blocked because of this.
If you’re using a VPN to access Telegram in a country where it is banned or unavailable, its most likely the ISP is blocking your VPN.
To get around this you need to use a VPN that doesn’t get blocked by ISPs.
What VPNs work with Telegram?
To ensure you can use Telegram with a VPN, you need a VPN that can get around ISP blocks.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) have an excellent track record of getting around ISP-based blocks.
Both of these VPNs are fast and secure, with servers all over the world. Also, although unlikely, if ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) do have one of their IP addresses blocked by an ISP, they’ll close that IP address and open a new one to ensure you can consistently use Telegram with a VPN.
Where is Telegram banned?
Telegram is banned in a number of countries for varying reasons. See a list below:
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- China
- Cuba
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Pakistan
- Thailand
The best VPNs for Telegram
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
Special Offer – Save 83%
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
Is using Telegram with a VPN legal?
Yes, using Telegram with a VPN is perfectly legal, so long as you’re in a country where VPNs aren’t restricted or prohibited.
The good news is there’s only a handful of countries that restrict VPNs, China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
If you aren’t in one of these countries, using Telegram with a VPN is legal.
If we take a look at Telegram’s terms of service, there is nothing in here to suggest that using a VPN with the messaging app is illegal or banned.
This means you’re legally allowed to use a VPN with Telegram, and you won’t get your account banned for doing so.
