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How to delete your Telegram account
Telegram is a versatile and useful chat app, but you can delete your Telegram account if you no longer wish to use it or it doesn’t suit your needs anymore. Telegram lets you do this in two ways on desktop and mobile.
Read more: What is Telegram, and why should I use it?
QUICK ANSWER
You can delete your Telegram account in the Settings menu of the mobile app under Privacy and Security > Delete My Account. Tapping If away for brings up a menu where you can choose to delete your account if you've been inactive after one, three, six months, or one year.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
How to delete your account in the Telegram mobile app
The Telegram mobile app lets you delete your account, but not right away. Still, it’s not too complicated overall. First, open the mobile app. After that, the steps will take you deep into some menus.
- Tap on the menu icon near the upper left-hand corner of the Telegram app.
- Select Settings.
- Tap Privacy and Security.
- Scroll down to Delete my account and tap If away for.
A menu will then pop up that reads Account self-destructs with options to delete your account if you don’t use the Telegram app for a certain period of time. These include one, three, or six months (the default) and one year. If you don’t log in at any time after selecting one of these options, your account will automatically delete itself. That includes your message history and your contacts too.
How to delete your account on the Telegram web portal
If you don’t want to wait for at least a month to delete your account, you have to use the Telegram web portal. You can do this on a mobile or desktop browser. The steps are the same in either case.
- Enter the phone number you used to create your Telegram account and click Next.
- A notification with a confirmation code will arrive via the Telegram app (not by text message).
- Enter that confirmation code in the Confirmation code field on the website.
- Click the Delete account link on the next page.
- You can enter a reason for leaving in the box on the following page, then click the Delete My Account button.
- Select Yes, Delete My Account when prompted.
Be sure never to share the confirmation code you’re sent with anyone. It could be used to delete your Telegram account without you being aware. The above process is irreversible, so make sure you truly want to do it before doing so. You will lose all your messages and contacts, but any groups you’ve created will continue to exist.
FAQs
Can I just disable my Telegram account?
No, Telegram does not let you disable your account and then reactivate it later. You can stop using Telegram, but, as mentioned, doing so for a set period of time will mean your account self-destructs.
Can I remake my Telegram account after deleting my old one?
Yes, but you might have to wait a little bit after deleting your old one. After that, you can go ahead and use the same name for a new account if desired.
How do I delete Telegram Premium?
If you subscribe to Telegram Premium, you can delete your account in the same way; there shouldn’t be any major differences when you have a paid account.