# sendMessage

> Part of the [Telegram Bot API](/bots/api.md). Canonical location: [sendMessage](/bots/api#sendmessage).

Use this method to send text messages. On success, the sent [Message](/bots/api/types/message.md) is returned.

|Parameter|Type|Required|Description|
|-----------|
|business_connection_id|String|Optional|Unique identifier of the business connection on behalf of which the message will be sent|
|chat_id|Integer or String|Yes|Unique identifier for the target chat or username of the target bot, supergroup or channel in the format `@username`|
|message_thread_id|Integer|Optional|Unique identifier for the target message thread (topic) of a forum; for forum supergroups and private chats of bots with forum topic mode enabled only|
|direct_messages_topic_id|Integer|Optional|Identifier of the direct messages topic to which the message will be sent; required if the message is sent to a direct messages chat|
|ephemeral_message_parameters|[EphemeralMessageParameters](/bots/api/types/ephemeralmessageparameters.md)|Optional|A JSON-serialized object containing the parameters of the ephemeral message to send|
|text|String|Yes|Text of the message to be sent, 1-4096 characters after entities parsing|
|parse_mode|String|Optional|Mode for parsing entities in the message text. See [formatting options](/bots/api/formatting.md) for more details.|
|entities|Array of [MessageEntity](/bots/api/types/messageentity.md)|Optional|A JSON-serialized list of special entities that appear in message text, which can be specified instead of *parse_mode*|
|link_preview_options|[LinkPreviewOptions](/bots/api/types/linkpreviewoptions.md)|Optional|Link preview generation options for the message|
|disable_notification|Boolean|Optional|Sends the message [silently](https://telegram.org/blog/channels-2-0#silent-messages). Users will receive a notification with no sound.|
|protect_content|Boolean|Optional|Protects the contents of the sent message from forwarding and saving|
|allow_paid_broadcast|Boolean|Optional|Pass *True* to allow up to 1000 messages per second, ignoring [broadcasting limits](/bots/faq.md#how-can-i-message-all-of-my-bot-39s-subscribers-at-once) for a fee of 0.1 Telegram Stars per message. The relevant Stars will be withdrawn from the bot's balance.|
|message_effect_id|String|Optional|Unique identifier of the message effect to be added to the message; for private chats only|
|suggested_post_parameters|[SuggestedPostParameters](/bots/api/types/suggestedpostparameters.md)|Optional|A JSON-serialized object containing the parameters of the suggested post to send; for direct messages chats only. If the message is sent as a reply to another suggested post, then that suggested post is automatically declined.|
|reply_parameters|[ReplyParameters](/bots/api/types/replyparameters.md)|Optional|Description of the message to reply to|
|reply_markup|[InlineKeyboardMarkup](/bots/api/types/inlinekeyboardmarkup.md) or [ReplyKeyboardMarkup](/bots/api/types/replykeyboardmarkup.md) or [ReplyKeyboardRemove](/bots/api/types/replykeyboardremove.md) or [ForceReply](/bots/api/types/forcereply.md)|Optional|Additional interface options. A JSON-serialized object for an [inline keyboard](/bots/features.md#inline-keyboards), [custom reply keyboard](/bots/features.md#keyboards), instructions to remove a reply keyboard or to force a reply from the user.|