Collection

Collection and coverage

01 · CONNECT AND CAPTURE · All guides · Get help

On this page

• Select the scope
• Check capture with a controlled conversation
• Understand the record
• Pause, lock and restart

Observation records updates available to the connected account. TgWitness cannot read chats the account cannot access or reconstruct content that disappeared before it was observed.

Select the scope

Scope	Appropriate starting point
Chosen chats	A small, explicit source list
Telegram folder	Follow the supported chat types in a selected folder
Whole account	A dedicated investigation account, including new matching chats

Open Sources and choose the scope. Review chat types, exclusions and whether to collect the account's own outgoing messages. Broad scopes can include private conversations and bots; confirm that these belong to your intended collection.

Select event categories separately: messages, edits, deletion notices, reactions and membership activity. Configure attachments by type and size. Press the relevant Save buttons, then Start observation.

Check capture with a controlled conversation

1. From another account you control, send a distinct test message into a selected chat.
2. Wait until it is visible in Chats and Journal.
3. Edit it and confirm a separate captured version.
4. Delete it and inspect the deletion notice and previously captured text.
5. If testing attachments, wait for a completed media receipt; queued is not saved.
6. Export and verify the result.

Keep this controlled test separate from real case material.

Understand the record

Record	Meaning
New message / edit	A version the account observed
Deletion notice	Telegram delivered a deletion update; the earlier content may be unknown
Missing at recheck	A later query did not return a message; this is not the same as a deletion notice
History snapshot	The history currently visible to the account
Coverage gap	A recorded interruption or uncertainty

Rechecks recover some missed current messages and changes. They cannot guarantee all intermediate edits or deletions. Priority and ordinary chats have different recheck schedules; see Parameters and the collection reference.

Pause, lock and restart

Pause observation stops collection. Lock and closing the browser leave the collector running. Stopping the application creates an interval without collection. After restarting, check account identity, observation state, gaps and attachment queues.

Next: Investigations · Exports · Collection reference

Load older messages

On current main, Sources → Load full history reads enabled sources into the workspace. It supports pause/resume and a signed progress report. Attachments finish separately. See history acquisition.