How to Set Up a Telegram MTProto Proxy (Step by Step)
Telegram blocked on your network, or crawling on restricted Wi-Fi? An MTProto proxy gets you back in — usually in under a minute — and it only touches your Telegram traffic, nothing else on your phone. Here's the whole setup for Android, iPhone, and desktop.
What is an MTProto proxy, actually?
MTProto is Telegram's own communication protocol — the language its apps speak to its servers. An MTProto proxy is a relay that speaks that language natively. Your app talks to the proxy, the proxy talks to Telegram, and to anyone watching the network, your Telegram traffic is disguised so it doesn't look like Telegram traffic at all.
That last part is the whole point. Telegram built these proxies specifically to resist censorship and blocking — you can read their own announcement on the official Telegram blog. Unlike a generic SOCKS5 proxy, an MTProto proxy works only with Telegram and nothing else. That's not a limitation; it's the design. If all you need is Telegram working again, this is the simplest tool for the job. (New to proxies in general? Start with our beginner's guide.)
Where do you get a free MTProto proxy?
Right here, obviously. Our Telegram proxy page keeps a live list of free MTProto proxies with real connection data. Pick one and note down three things: the server (an IP address), the port, and the secret. You'll paste all three into Telegram in about thirty seconds.
Don't overthink which one to pick — free MTProto proxies die fast (more on that below), so just grab one near the top of the list and move on.
Set it up on Android
- Open Telegram and tap the hamburger menu (top left), then Settings.
- Go to Data and Storage, scroll all the way down, and tap Proxy Settings.
- Turn on Use Proxy.
- Tap Add Proxy and choose MTProto.
- Enter the Server, Port, and Secret from the proxy you picked, then tap the checkmark to save.
That's it. Telegram will try the connection immediately — give it a few seconds.
Set it up on iPhone
- Open Telegram and tap the Settings tab (bottom right).
- Go to Data and Storage, scroll down, and tap Proxy.
- Turn on Use Proxy.
- Tap Add Proxy, select MTProto, and fill in Server, Port, and Secret.
- Tap Done.
Same deal as Android — Telegram connects within seconds if the proxy is alive.
Set it up on desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux)
- Open Telegram Desktop, click the hamburger menu, and go to Settings.
- Open Advanced, then under Connection type click Connection type again.
- Choose Use custom proxy, then Add proxy.
- Select MTProto, enter the Server, Port, and Secret, and hit Save.
What is the "secret", anyway?
The secret is a long hexadecimal string that does two jobs: it authenticates you to the proxy server, and it camouflages your traffic so network filters can't easily fingerprint it as Telegram. Think of it as a password that math chose for you — you will never memorize it, and you're not supposed to. Just copy the whole thing, paste it carefully, and don't try to type it by hand unless you enjoy suffering.
How do you know it's working?
Two signs. First, Telegram shows a small proxy indicator once one is active — on mobile it appears near the top of the chat list area. Second, the boring but decisive test: send a message. If it goes through on a network where Telegram was blocked before, you're connected. You can also reopen Proxy Settings and check the connection status listed under your proxy — Telegram labels each one as connected or not.
Troubleshooting: when it doesn't "just work"
It won't always work on the first try. Here's the shortlist of what usually went wrong:
- Nothing connects at all. The proxy is probably dead. This is the #1 cause, by a mile. Free MTProto proxies get hammered by thousands of users and die constantly. Don't debug — just pick another one from the list.
- "Invalid secret" or it refuses to save. You copied the secret wrong. It's a long hex string; one missing character kills it. Copy it again, the whole thing, and paste — don't retype.
- It connects, then drops every few minutes. The proxy is overloaded or flaky. Annoying, but normal for free relays. Try a different one, preferably one with recent activity.
- Telegram is still blocked even with the proxy on. Double-check that the Use Proxy toggle is actually on, and that you added an MTProto proxy — not SOCKS5. Telegram treats them as separate entries, and a SOCKS5 proxy won't disguise traffic the same way.
- Everything else on your phone works, only Telegram is proxied. That's correct behavior, not a bug. MTProto proxies only carry Telegram traffic. If you want your whole phone routed, that's what the regular proxy list (HTTP/SOCKS) is for.
The honest part about free MTProto proxies
Let's not pretend: free MTProto proxies are disposable. They work today, they're gone tomorrow — sometimes gone in an hour. That's the nature of a free relay that thousands of people share. Our checker re-tests the Telegram list around the clock and clears out the dead ones, but between checks you'll still hit corpses. When one dies, shrug and grab the next. It takes thirty seconds, and now you know how.
One more honest note: a proxy operator can see that you're using Telegram (that's the point of the service), so don't treat a random free proxy like a vault. For everyday chats it's fine; for anything genuinely sensitive, secret chats with end-to-end encryption are the safer bet. More on the general safety question in our FAQ.
Go get connected
You know what MTProto is, where to find a free one, how to punch it into all three platforms, and what to do when it misbehaves. The list is right here — pick a proxy and go chat.