Telethon: get Telegram user ID (quick guide)

Telethon uses the Telegram MTProto API. Here is how to get user_id and chat_id.

From a message event

from telethon import events

@client.on(events.NewMessage)
async def handler(event):
    chat_id = event.chat_id
    user_id = event.sender_id
    await event.respond(f"Chat ID: {chat_id}, User ID: {user_id}")

event.chat_id — chat_id (private, group, supergroup, or channel)
event.sender_id — sender’s Telegram user ID

From event.chat and event.sender

@client.on(events.NewMessage)
async def handler(event):
    chat = await event.get_chat()
    sender = await event.get_sender()
    chat_id = event.chat_id  # or chat.id if you have the entity
    user_id = sender.id if sender else None
    await event.respond(f"Chat ID: {chat_id}, User ID: {user_id}")

Get your own user ID

me = await client.get_me()
my_user_id = me.id

Debugging with @print_id_bot

Telethon uses MTProto; @print_id_bot uses the Bot API. ID formats match. Use the bot to verify:

/json — Message as JSON. Compare IDs with your Telethon event.
/dump — Full update (private chat only). Use to confirm structure.

Forward a message to @print_id_bot and send /dump to see the equivalent Bot API update.

FAQ

Is Telethon ID format same as Bot API?

Yes. User IDs and chat_ids use the same numeric format across MTProto and Bot API.

How do I get chat_id for a channel I joined?

Use event.chat_id when you receive a message from the channel. Or use client.get_dialogs() and read dialog.entity.id for channels you have access to.

What if event.sender_id is None?

For channel posts, the sender may be the channel. Use event.chat_id for the channel ID. For anonymous group admins, sender might be None.

Can I use Telethon with a bot account?

Telethon is for user accounts (MTProto). For bots, use python-telegram-bot or Aiogram. ID formats are the same.

Where is the update structure?

Telethon wraps MTProto types. For Bot API structure, use /dump in @print_id_bot to see the JSON format.

Use @print_id_bot /dump to verify ID structure.

Open @print_id_bot