If you use WhatsApp and Telegram daily, you've probably thought something like, "I wish I could..." more than once. send things to myself "To always have them at hand." Whether it's a photo of your ID, an important screenshot, a link you want to read later, or even a quick note, turning your chats into a kind of personal notebook is a real lifesaver, especially if you sync it between your phone and computer.
The good news is that both WhatsApp and Telegram allow you to do this in several ways, some well-known and others a bit more hidden. In this article you'll see All the practical ways to send messages to yourself In each app, how to take advantage of those personal chats as a notes area, reminders or quick storage, and some extra tricks to get the most out of them without getting bogged down in strange settings.
Why is it useful to send messages to yourself?
Turning WhatsApp and Telegram into your own digital notebook has more advantages than it seems. For starters, it's a quick way to save important information without leaving the appYou don't need to open another notes app, or send yourself an email, or anything like that: just send it to your own chat and you're done.
It also helps a lot to stay organized. Instead of leaving links, photos, or loose notes in conversations with other people, you can centralize everything in a personal chatso that you can find what you're looking for without having to search through hundreds of messages from groups and contacts.
Furthermore, this “chat with yourself” can be used as a kind of temporary or permanent storageThings you need for a few minutes, things you want to keep for months or even years, ideas for later... and, if you use cloud backup or multi-device mode, you'll have it available on several devices at once.
Finally, sending messages to yourself is a very simple way to transfer files between devicesFrom your mobile to your PC, from a tablet to your main phone, etc. You upload the file as if you were sending it to a friend, but the friend is you; then you download it on the other device and that's it.
How to send messages to yourself on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp has gradually simplified the possibility of talk to yourself in the appFor years you had to resort to tricks, but now there is an official system, although it is also worth knowing some useful alternatives that still work.
Use the official chat-with-yourself function
For some time now, WhatsApp has natively included the option to create a chat with yourself directlyNo complicated workarounds. This feature is available on both Android and iOS and is integrated directly into the contact list.
To use it, open WhatsApp and go to the screen where all your chats are displayed. Tap the button to start a new conversation (On Android, it's usually a floating icon with a message, and on iOS, the button to compose a new chat). Within the contact list that appears, you'll see your own number with your name or labeled "You" or something similar.
Simply select the contact that corresponds to your user account. Doing so will open a conversation screen just like with any other person, but in this case The messages are only directed to yourselfFrom there you can write text, send voice notes, send photos, videos, documents, contacts, locations and any other content that WhatsApp allows.
This chat with yourself is saved in the main conversation list, so you can pin it to the top if you want to keep it handy. always handy for storing quick itemsAdditionally, if you use WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp on your desktop, you'll also see it there and be able to view or send content from your computer.
Create a group with just you
Before the official option arrived, one of the most used methods for sending messages to yourself on WhatsApp It used to be a way to create a group and empty it of participants until only you remained. This method is still valid and has some advantages, such as being able to create different topic groups just for yourself.
To do this, open WhatsApp and tap the button to create a new group. Choose at least one contact from your address book to proceed, as the app doesn't allow you to create an empty group from scratch. Give the group a name, for example, "Personal Notes" or "Reminders," and confirm its creation.
Once the group exists, access the chat information by tapping on the name at the top. Find the list of participants and removes all other members of the groupleaving only your number. At that point, the group will remain active but only you will be part of it, effectively making it a private space.
From then on, you can use that group to write whatever you want, just like a normal conversation. If you're interested, you can create several one-person groups To help you get organized: one group for tasks, another for travel ideas, another for work, etc. You can even change the group photo to quickly identify what each one is about.
Sending you messages using a direct link
Another way to communicate with yourself on WhatsApp is to take advantage of the feature of direct link to a phone numberWhatsApp allows you to open a chat with any number without having it saved in your contacts by using a special URL like wa.me.
To use this method, open your mobile or computer browser and type an address like this: https://wa.me/ followed by your phone number with the country code, but without any special characters or spaces. For example, if your number is Spanish, it would be something like https://wa.me/34XXXXXXXXX, where you replace the Xs with your actual number.
When you access that page, the system will show you the option to open a WhatsApp chat with that numberSince the number is yours, you'll start a conversation with yourself. This conversation works just like the others and is saved in your chat list.
This trick is very useful if you change phones or if you use WhatsApp on multiple devices and want quickly set up a personal space without relying on the app displaying your contact with the "You" label. It also allows you to forward information from your PC browser to WhatsApp on your mobile device.
Use WhatsApp as a personal notepad and storage device
Once you've created your personal chat, you can use it for many things. The most common is to save your messages. links, to-do lists, or important textFor example, if you're on your computer and find an article you want to read later on your mobile phone, you copy the URL and send it to yourself.
You can also use it to save photos of documents, screenshots, QR codes you might need to show later, transport tickets, or anything else you can think of. WhatsApp lets you mark messages with a star, so that the Starred messages act as favorites within that chatand you can easily filter them when you're looking for something specific.
If you have WhatsApp installed on multiple devices with the multi-device feature, everything you send to yourself is synchronized, making it perfect for move files between mobile and computer No cables or extra services required. However, keep in mind that everything goes through WhatsApp's servers, so it's wise to use common sense when storing particularly sensitive data.
How to send messages to yourself on Telegram?
Telegram was one of the first applications to clearly integrate a space designed for save messages for yourselfIn this case, the function is called "Saved Messages" and it is so versatile that many people use it as if it were a quick personal cloud.
Use the “Saved Messages” chat
As soon as you install Telegram and start using it, you'll see a chat called [chat name] in your conversation list. “Saved Messages” or something very similar, depending on the app's language. That chat is created by default and only you have access to it.
To access, open Telegram and go to the chats screen. Look for the item titled “Saved Messages” and tap it. A conversation will open where you can write text, send files, photos, videos, voice notesStickers, links, and basically anything that can be shared on Telegram.
The great advantage is that this chat automatically syncs with all devices where you have your Telegram account open: mobile, tablet, computer, web version… This makes it a perfect tool for send things from one device to another in seconds, without relying on cables or external memory.
Additionally, in “Saved Messages” you can pin messages, search by keywords, use folders to organize your chats, and take advantage of Telegram’s powerful search system, which is usually more advanced than other messaging appsespecially when you accumulate a lot of information.
Forwarding you content from other chats
Another common way to use Telegram to message yourself is to forward things from other conversations to your "Saved Messages" chat. If someone sends you a document, photo, or link that you want to save, simply tap and hold on the message and choose the option to forward to the Saved Messages chat.
This system is great for keeping a personal copy of things sent to you in groups or channels without having to save them to your phone's memory or an external app. Plus, since they're stored in your private space, you can Add comments on top, organize it by date or combine it with other messages you have been sending yourself.
You can even use this feature to create themed threads within your saved messages. For example, you could forward news from a channel that interests you and add your own notes on top of it. remember why they seemed important to you or what ideas came to you while reading them.
Create groups or channels just for yourself
Similar to WhatsApp, Telegram offers an interesting alternative: Create a group or channel where you are the only active participantThis is useful if you want to have different spaces organized by theme, beyond the single "Saved Messages" chat.
To create a personal group, start a new group in Telegram and add at least one contact to get started. Give it a name that makes sense for its purpose, such as “Work Ideas” or “Draft Texts.” Then, go to the participant settings and expel everyone but yourselfso that the group is left with only you inside.
In the case of channels, you can also create them as private and be the only administrator who posts. Although Telegram is designed to broadcast messages to many people, a private channel where only you post can become a kind of personal journal or link repository It's very convenient, as the messages are displayed in an orderly fashion and without interruptions from other users.
The advantage of groups and personal channels over "Saved Messages" is that you can separate by topic and change names, photos, and descriptions to better identify them, which is very useful if you use Telegram for many different things.
Configure Telegram as a lightweight personal cloud
Telegram stands out because it saves your history and files in the cloud, so your "Saved Messages" act almost like a small storage service. You can upload videos, large documents, original quality photos, and other files that you can later access. Download from any device where you have your account.
While it doesn't completely replace a professional cloud service, in practice many people manage very well using Telegram to keep templates, PDFs, work images, or content they need to consult frequently readily available. Furthermore, you can use the chat folder system to... Place "Saved Messages" and your personal groups in a specific sectionmaking daily access even easier.
Practical ideas for using these chats with yourself
Once you've mastered messaging yourself on WhatsApp and Telegram, it's time to make the most of it. Beyond simply sharing a link or a photo, you can transform these chats into very powerful productivity tools if you give them a little structure.
A very useful application is creating quick to-do lists. Instead of opening a specific to-do app, you write a series of items in your personal chat with what you need to do during the day. As you finish something, you can delete messages, forward them to another chat, or use a watermark. to distinguish what is pending from what has been resolved.
It's also perfect for storing information you need frequently, such as your bank account number, insurance policy number, shipment tracking codes, or login details that aren't particularly sensitive. That way, when someone asks for them in a conversation, you just have to... Copy and paste from your own chat without looking elsewhere.
Another interesting idea is to use these chats as a drafts area. If you're going to write a long message in a group or to an important contact, you can Write it down first in your conversation with yourself.Review how it looks and then forward or copy it to the appropriate place. This helps avoid silly mistakes and organizes your ideas before you launch them.
Regarding file sharing between devices, you can turn your chat with yourself into your personal "gateway": send a photo from your phone and then download it to your PC, or vice versa. It's a convenient, fast system that doesn't require cables or configuring additional services, since It takes advantage of the built-in features of WhatsApp and Telegram..
Final considerations
Finally, if you organize yourself well with tags, stars, folders, or group names, these spaces can partially replace other lightweight note-taking tools. It's not the perfect solution for everyone, but For everyday use it's usually more than enough And, above all, it integrates with an app you already use constantly.
After discovering all these options in WhatsApp (official chats with yourself, groups with only your number, direct links) and in Telegram (saved messages, groups, and personal channels), it's easy to understand why so many people also use these apps as a digital notebook and mini cloud storage: with just a couple of taps you can Save anything and have it available on all your devices Without complications, keeping your content organized and accessible whenever you need it.