Telegram Bot Commands, Buttons and Keyboards Explained (2026 Guide)

The difference between a bot people love and one they abandon is usually the interface: clear commands, buttons instead of typing, and a welcome message that gets users to value immediately. Telegram gives bots several ways to do this — commands, two kinds of keyboards, a menu button and inline mode. Here's how each works and when to use it.

1. Bot Commands and the Commands List

Commands start with a slash, like /start, /help or /order. When you register them, Telegram shows them in the menu and suggests them as users type "/".

Set them with BotFather: send /setcommands, choose your bot, then send one per line:

start - Start the bot
catalog - Browse products
orders - Your orders
help - Get help

Developers can use the setMyCommands API method instead, with different command lists for private chats, groups, admins or languages.

Tips: keep commands short and lowercase, keep the list under about 10, and always support /start and /help. In groups, commands may arrive as /help@yourbot, so handle that format.

2. Reply Keyboards

A reply keyboard replaces the user's phone keyboard with large buttons. Pressing a button simply sends its text as a message — "📦 My orders" sends that text to the bot.

• Good for: main menus, yes/no answers, sharing a phone number or location (special buttons can request these with the user's permission).
• Downsides: button presses clutter the chat with messages, and the keyboard stays until you remove it.

3. Inline Keyboards (Inline Buttons)

Inline buttons appear directly under a specific message. They don't send messages to the chat — they either:

• send hidden callback data to the bot (up to 64 bytes), which the bot handles by editing the message or replying;
• open a URL;
• open a Mini App;
• start inline mode in another chat (great for sharing).

Because the bot can edit the same message as the user taps through, inline keyboards create clean, app-like menus — product lists, pagination, settings, checkout steps. They are the default choice for most modern bots.

Reply vs Inline: Which to Use?

4. The Menu Button

The button next to the message field can show your commands list or open a Mini App. If you have a Mini App store or dashboard, set the menu button to open it — users get one-tap access. See Telegram Mini App development.

5. Inline Mode

With inline mode (enable it via /setinline in BotFather), users type @yourbot query in any chat and send a result from your bot into that chat — like @gif or @wiki. Every use shows your bot's name to new people, which makes inline mode a powerful growth feature. See how to grow your Telegram bot.

6. Writing a Great Welcome Message

• One sentence on what the bot does.
• Two or three inline buttons for the most common actions.
• A way to get help or reach a human.
• Set a description with /setdescription so users see what the bot does before pressing Start.

The Bottom Line

Register a short commands list, use inline keyboards for most interactions, keep reply keyboards for main menus and contact sharing, consider a Mini App for rich interfaces, and turn on inline mode if sharing helps your bot. New to bots? Start with how to create a Telegram bot.

Frequently Asked Questions