How to delete your Telegram account and data

Before you delete

• Export chats or media you need before deleting. Telegram's desktop app includes an export tool.
• Tell important contacts if they need a copy of shared information; deletion cannot remove copies already saved by other people.
• If you only need to clear a chat, media, or contact, use Telegram's Privacy & Security and Data Settings controls instead.

Delete your Telegram account

1. Open Telegram's account-deactivation page and sign in with your phone number.
2. Enter the confirmation code Telegram sends in the app.
3. Choose Delete Account and review the irreversible warning.
4. Confirm the deletion and remove Telegram from your devices if you no longer need it.

What happens next

Telegram says deleting the account flushes messages, media, contacts, and other cloud data. Groups and channels you created can remain without an account owner, and contacts may retain their copy of messages.

Telegram also has an inactivity self-destruct setting. That is different from deleting the account now, so use the deactivation page when you want immediate deletion.

Check the official instructions

Menus and timelines can change. Confirm the current process in the Telegram account deactivation. If you want a copy first, use the service's export tool.

Cleaning up more than Telegram?

Download Breakup for iPhone to find forgotten services connected to Gmail. Breakup scans metadata on your iPhone; you review every service and approve every deletion or closure request before it is sent.