Published
07/14/2026, 10:13Telegram short links in the t.me format have stopped working in standard browsers worldwide. This is due to the domain being disabled at the .me domain registry level. This has been reported by international media outlets.
According to Whois data, on 13 July the t.me domain was assigned ‘serverHold’ status. This means that the domain zone operator has removed it from the DNS system — in effect, browsers can no longer resolve the address and are unable to open the links.
The ‘serverHold’ status is not set by the website owner or a standard registrar, but directly by the domain zone administration. According to ICANN rules, when a domain has this status, it ceases to participate in the global domain name resolution system.
The issue specifically affects Telegram’s short links. Addresses of the form t.me/channel_name may fail to open in a browser and may not redirect users to the app. However, the messaging app itself continues to function, and links within Telegram’s mobile and desktop apps are processed correctly.
The reasons for the domain being taken offline have not yet been officially disclosed. Neither Telegram nor the operator of the .me domain have provided any explanation for the restrictions. The domain, however, remains registered to Telegram.
As a temporary alternative, users are advised to use links with the telegram.me domain, which continue to work.
