How to make a quote in Telegram

Quoting in Telegram allows you to reference specific messages, highlight important text, and create visually distinct blocks within your conversations and channel posts. Telegram offers two distinct quoting mechanisms: reply quotes (selecting part of a message to reply to) and block quotes (formatting your own text as a styled quote block), each serving different purposes for content creators and everyday users alike.

Understanding Telegram's Two Quote Types

Telegram provides two fundamentally different ways to create quotes, and confusing them is one of the most common mistakes users make.

Reply Quotes (Quoting Someone Else's Message)

Reply quotes let you select a specific portion of someone else's message and reply to just that part. This feature was introduced in late 2023 and works across all Telegram platforms.

How it works: Instead of replying to an entire message, you highlight the exact text you want to reference. The reply then shows only the selected fragment, making conversations clearer and more focused.

Block Quotes (Formatting Your Own Text)

Block quotes are a text formatting option that creates a visually indented, styled block of text within your own message. This is the formatting tool that channel administrators and content creators use most frequently to emphasize key passages, cite sources, or create visual hierarchy.

How to Create Reply Quotes

On Mobile (iOS and Android)

Step 1: Select the Message

Long-press on the message you want to quote. The message will become highlighted, and a context menu will appear.

Step 2: Select Specific Text

Tap "Quote" from the context menu, or first select the specific text fragment you want to reference. On iOS, you can double-tap a word to start selection, then drag the handles to cover the exact portion you need.

Step 3: Send Your Reply

Once the quoted text appears in the reply bar above your input field, type your response and send it. The message will display only the selected quote, not the entire original message.

On Desktop (Telegram Desktop / macOS)

Step 1: Highlight the Text

Click and drag to select the specific text within a message that you want to quote.

Step 2: Choose Reply

Right-click on the selected text and choose "Reply to Selected Text", or simply click the reply button while text is selected. Telegram will automatically detect your selection.

Step 3: Compose and Send

Your reply will reference only the highlighted portion, appearing as a compact quote above your message.

How to Create Block Quotes (Formatted Quotes)

Block quotes are the tool of choice for channel posts, announcements, and any message where you need visual emphasis.

On Mobile (iOS and Android)

  1. Type or paste the text you want to format as a quote
  2. Select the text by long-pressing and adjusting the selection handles
  3. Tap the formatting menu (the "A" icon or "BIU" option in the context menu)
  4. Choose "Quote" from the formatting options
  5. The text will be reformatted with a vertical bar on the left side and a distinct background

On Telegram Desktop

  1. Type the text you want to quote
  2. Select it with your mouse
  3. Right-click and navigate to "Formatting" → "Quote"
  4. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+M (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+M (macOS)

Using Markdown Syntax

If you have markdown formatting enabled (Settings → Chat Settings → "Markdown" formatting mode), you can create block quotes using the standard markdown syntax:

> This is a block quote
> It can span multiple lines

Each line must begin with > followed by a space. This is especially convenient for power users and bot developers.

Using HTML in Bots and the Telegram API

If you are sending messages through the Telegram Bot API — for example, when publishing content programmatically or syncing posts through a service like tgchannel.space — you can use HTML formatting:

<blockquote>This text will appear as a formatted quote block.</blockquote>

For expandable quotes (collapsible blocks ideal for long citations):

<blockquote expandable>This is a long quote that readers can expand or collapse by tapping on it.</blockquote>

Expandable quotes were introduced in 2024 and are particularly useful for channel posts that include lengthy references or terms and conditions.

Practical Use Cases for Channel Administrators

Highlighting Key Takeaways

When publishing long-form content on a channel like @TechNewsDaily (50K subscribers), you might structure a post with a block quote to call out the main point:

Regular text explaining the context and background...

The new policy takes effect on March 1st and applies to all accounts created after January 2025.

Additional commentary and analysis follows...

Citing External Sources

For news channels, block quotes make it clear which text is original and which is sourced:

"We expect to reach 1 billion monthly active users by mid-2026," said the company spokesperson.

This immediately signals to readers that the text is a direct citation.

Creating Visual Hierarchy in Announcements

A channel announcement for @DesignCommunity might use quotes to separate rules or important notices from the main discussion:

Please note: All portfolio submissions must be original work. AI-generated images must be clearly labeled.

Nested and Multi-Paragraph Quotes

Telegram supports multi-paragraph block quotes. Simply keep the quote formatting applied across paragraph breaks, or in markdown mode, continue each line with >:

> First paragraph of the quote.
>
> Second paragraph continues the same quote block.

Tips & Best Practices

  • Use block quotes sparingly in channel posts. If every other paragraph is a quote, the visual emphasis loses its impact. Reserve quotes for genuinely important information — key facts, citations, or calls to action.
  • Combine quotes with other formatting. You can use bold, italic, and even inline code inside block quotes for additional emphasis. For example: > **Important:** Deadline is Friday.
  • Use expandable quotes for long content. If your quote exceeds 4–5 lines, consider using the expandable blockquote format (available via Bot API and some clients) to keep your post compact.
  • Reply quotes improve group discussions. In active groups with hundreds of messages daily, quoting the specific sentence you are responding to prevents confusion and keeps threads readable.
  • Test formatting before publishing. Use Telegram's Saved Messages (your personal chat with yourself) to preview how block quotes will render before posting to a channel with thousands of subscribers.
  • Consider how quotes appear on the web. If your channel content is mirrored on a web blog — for instance, through tgchannel.space — block quotes translate naturally into HTML <blockquote> elements, maintaining their visual structure for SEO and readability.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using reply quotes instead of block quotes in channel posts
Why it's wrong: Reply quotes reference another message, which may not exist in the channel context or may confuse readers who cannot see the original. Block quotes are self-contained.
How to avoid: For channel posts, always use the formatting-based block quote (> text or the formatting menu), not the reply-to-message function.

Mistake 2: Forgetting the space after > in markdown mode
Why it's wrong: Writing >text without a space may not render as a block quote on all platforms. The correct syntax requires > text with a space.
How to avoid: Always type > followed by a space before your quoted text.

Mistake 3: Over-quoting entire messages in group replies
Why it's wrong: Replying to a 500-word message just to comment on one sentence creates visual clutter. Other group members have to scroll through the entire quoted block.
How to avoid: Select only the relevant sentence or phrase before hitting reply. Telegram's reply quote feature was designed exactly for this purpose.

Mistake 4: Not checking formatting across platforms
Why it's wrong: A block quote created on Telegram Desktop may look slightly different on iOS or Android. Font sizes, indentation, and background colors vary.
How to avoid: Check your post on at least one mobile device before publishing to a large audience. The Saved Messages chat is your best testing ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you quote a message from one chat in another?
Yes. You can forward a message to another chat and then reply-quote a specific part of it. Alternatively, on newer Telegram versions, you can use the "Quote" feature cross-chat by long-pressing a message, selecting text, and choosing to quote it in a different conversation.

Do block quotes work in Telegram bots?
Yes. When sending messages via the Bot API with parse_mode set to HTML, use <blockquote> tags. With Markdown parse mode, use the > prefix. Both methods produce properly formatted quote blocks in the recipient's chat.

Is there a character limit for block quotes?
There is no specific character limit for block quotes beyond Telegram's general message limit of 4096 characters. However, for readability, consider using expandable quotes for anything exceeding 500 characters.

Can you nest quotes inside quotes?
Telegram does not officially support nested block quotes (quotes within quotes). If you attempt >> text, it will typically render as a single-level quote. For multi-level citations, use alternative formatting like indentation with em dashes or separate quote blocks.

Do quotes preserve formatting when copied?
When a reader copies text from a block quote, the > markers or visual indentation are generally stripped, leaving only the plain text. The formatting is visual only and does not embed permanent markers into the copied content.