In this article, I share several steps to take you through on how to delete Telegram account permanently step by step.
Telegram is a popular messaging app that was launched in 2013 and has gained over 700 million active monthly users. It is also one of the world’s top 10 most downloaded messaging apps.
However, Telegram is no perfect app, it has its imperfections and downsides just like any other app. So, let’s look at some reasons for deleting your Telegram account.
Why you might want to delete Telegram account
As already established, Telegram has its downsides, but there are plenty of other reasons why you may be considering deleting your Telegram account, for example;
- If your friends are shifting
When the people you know are using some other messaging app, it’s obvious you might want to as well; in order to effortlessly keep in touch with them. This is one of the most common reasons for people changing their messaging apps.
- Maybe you simply want to change to another messaging app
One of the simplest reasons could be that you have found another app that best suits your need and interest and you want to switch from Telegram to that app.
- Its privacy policies bother you
Telegram has an open policy, therefore it doesn’t use end-to-end encryption. It also only offers security to secret chats, not all chats.
Also read: Telegram Hacked? Here is how to know and how to get it back
Also worth noting is that there are claims that the Telegram platform is a place for many illegal activities and that it hosts channels that support free and illegal downloads. Whether these claims are true or not, they might bother you enough to want to change your messaging platform.
These are just a few of the common reasons you might think to delete Telegram account. But whatever your reasons are, by the end of this article, you’ll know the different ways you can delete Telegram account.
Unfortunately, Telegram does not offer an easy single-click way to deactivate or delete Telegram account, so in this article, I’m going to share with you a few steps on how to do just that.
Before we begin
Here are a few pointers for you to note before proceeding to delete Telegram account:
- Once you delete your Telegram account, you will no longer be able to access it or any of your chat messages, contact list, groups, secret chats, group channels, media, etc, so make sure you check your chats and account for important information you might need and save it. You might also want to consider informing your contacts that you are deleting your account.
- Deleting your Telegram account is permanent, it can not be undone. Even if you sign up for Telegram again, all your messages, channels and contact lists from your previous account will not be restored.
- If you only uninstall Telegram, the app will be removed from your device, but your account will remain accessible once you reinstall the app.
With these few points noted, if you’re sure you still want to quit Telegram, follow the steps below to permanently delete your Telegram account. You can do this using your mobile phone app or on your PC.
How to Delete Telegram account Automatically (Using the Telegram Self-Destruct Feature on your App)
By default, Telegram has a self-destruct feature that erases your account if it’s inactive for six months. However, they also give you the option to edit this setting and adjust how long Telegram should wait before deleting your profile/account.
To set this up, go to the Telegram Menu button on the top left (☰) then go to Settings > Devices > Automatically terminate old sessions> If inactive for, here you can choose to erase your account after 1 week, 3 months or 1 year of inactivity.
This way, if you leave your account unused or inactive for that set amount of time, it will be automatically deleted from the Telegram servers.
How to Delete Telegram Account Using the Telegram Web Portal
Since Telegram does not provide you with the option to delete your account in real-time, directly from your app, you can only delete your account from the dedicated Telegram web portal, that is; Telegram’s Deactivation page, you can access this using a web browser on your PC or mobile phone.
To do this, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Log into the Telegram Web Portal to delete telegram account
Open up the Telegram web portal https://my.telegram.org/auth.
Here, enter the phone number associated with your Telegram account. Make sure to add the country code before the number and then press Next.
Step 2: Enter your Confirmation Code
After you have entered your phone number, a confirmation (web login) code will be sent to your Telegram inbox, enter that code and click Sign in.
Note: This confirmation code will be sent to you via Telegram, not regular SMS, so to access it you will need to make sure you still have access to your Telegram account and your chats.
Step 3: Delete your telegram account
On the next page you’ll be given 3 options, click the Delete account option
Tip: In the “Why are you leaving box”, you have the option to give your reason for leaving the Telegram service, you can either fill it out or leave it blank, that’s up to you.
Otherwise, go ahead and click the Delete My Account button.
When you do this, a new popup will appear asking you to confirm the deletion of your account. If you happen to change your mind or feel like you still need access to your Telegram account, you can press the green “Nope, I’ll give it another try” button.
But if you’re sure about deleting your account then click the red Delete my account option.
In the next window, you’ll get a confirmation that your Telegram account was successfully deleted, and now you can go ahead and uninstall the app from your device.
Also read: How To Know if Your Twitter is Hacked and How To Fix it
How to Delete Telegram Account Remotely
In a case where you have lost your mobile phone or any other device that you have been using to access your Telegram, and/or maybe you fear that someone else might be accessing your Telegram account, Telegram gives you the option to delete your account remotely, how about that!
To do this;
Go to the Telegram Menu on the top left (☰) > Settings > Devices, under Active sessions/devices, you can see which devices have your Telegram account active on them.
Here, you can either use the Terminate all other sessions option to remove Telegram from any other devices apart from the one you are currently using.
Alternatively, you can also select any active session of your choice and terminate it individually.
Note: Telegram requires the new session to have been active for at least 24 hours on a new device to deactivate any old sessions. So if maybe your device was stolen and you have just installed Telegram on your new device, you would have to wait 24 hours after logging in on your new device, to be able to deactivate or delete your account from the other device(s).
How to Export Telegram Data Before Deleting Account
Before deleting your telegram account, you may want to export your data in case you have built channels and groups.
Channels and groups continue functioning normally even if your account is deleted. If you have an admin, that person will retain control of the groups and channels. But if you were the group or channel admin, then Telegram will assign the admin privilege to a random active member.
Note that you won’t be able to create a new Telegram account with the same number for at least a few days. And of course, you can’t revive the account.
To export all your chats, contacts, and other data before you move forward with the Telegram account deletion, you have to use Telegram Desktop, you can’t do it any other way.
Here’s how you can export your data in a few steps:
Use this link to download the Telegram desktop app: https://desktop.telegram.org/, then follow through the steps to install it.
Launch the app then click the three horizontal lines at the top left corner (☰). Go to Settings > Advanced
Under Advanced settings, scroll down and click on Export Telegram Data, then click the Export button.
After this you’ll receive a confirmation message on your telegram, click Allow, and then all you have to do is wait till Telegram exports all your data. Once this is done, then you are ready to delete the Telegram account.
Before we close
How do you know if one of your contacts deleted their Telegram account?
When someone in your contact list deletes their Telegram account, you simply will not see them in your contact list.
If you had a conversation with them before, The user would be shown in your chat list as “Deleted Account”, but you will still be able to see past conversations (chat history).
Can you recover your data once your Telegram account is deleted?
Unfortunately, no you can not. After deleting your account from Telegram you won’t be able to retrieve any of your Telegram data like chat history, groups, contacts, etc. they will be deleted forever.
If you wish to use Telegram again you have to create a new account with the phone number you were using before.
In Conclusion
I hope this tutorial has been helpful for you if you are looking to get rid of your Telegram account, either permanently or even to just delete it remotely from selected active devices.
Remember, before you delete telegram account, you must have a clear understanding of the consequences or what deleting the account really means, as stated above.
