How To Delete Your Telegram Account

In case you have made a decision to give up Telegram in favor of a better messenger app or you are simply concerned about your private data, deleting your Telegram account might be a good idea. If you have failed to find the deactivation button within the Telegram app - look no further. Use this step-by-step guide to remove your Telegram account.

Unlike similar messenger apps, which allow you to deactivate accounts directly through their apps, Telegram’s account deactivation requires a little bit more effort. In order to deactivate your Telegram account, you will need to login via a web browser. However, there are a couple of things you should consider before deleting your Telegram account for good.

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A Few Things To Consider

Please note that leaving your Telegram account is a one-way street. Here are a few things to consider before you make the final decision:

• Deactivation of your Telegram account cannot be undone.

• By deactivating your account you will remove all of your contacts, groups, channels, and private messages.

• In case you sign up for Telegram later, any of your private messages, contacts, and channels will not be restored.

Why You Might Want To Delete Your Telegram Account

With so many messenger apps available, there is a chance Telegram might not be the best option for you. Telegram considered to be quite a private and secure messenger app, however, there are a few reasons why you could consider deleting your account:

• Telegram messenger was involved in a few security scandals in the past. Telegram users were affected by hacker attacks, leaks, and data breaches. To be precise, in 2017, hackers spread malware to Windows computers via Telegram. In addition to it, Telegram sometimes leaks metadata.

• The app has been deemed unsafe by some serious organizations, including Committee to Protect Journalists and Stiftung Warentest.

• Telegram chat members are able to delete not only their own messages but also the messages of other participants without any notification. As a result, this gives less control over your own conversations.

• Telegram uses a proprietary messaging security protocol called MTProto, which is a pretty rare messaging security protocol. In fact, its security and reliability have not been fully proven. Many cryptographists relate to it as not being secure enough.

• There is also a possibility you might not be comfortable with Telegram’s open policies and a wide range of communities. Numerous reports claim that Telegram is full of pirated content and channels where Telegram users can download digital content for free.

Two Ways To Deactivate Your Telegram Account

As you might have noticed, Telegram does not provide the opportunity to instantly deactivate your account through the app. The deactivation process involves both visiting a web page and taking a few steps in the app. In fact, there are two different ways you can apply in order to delete your Telegram account: the method of self-destruction and manual deactivation. So here are step-by-step guides explaining both processes.

Delete Telegram Account By Adjusting Self-Destruction Settings

As a part of its security features, Telegram accounts are set for self-destruction after a certain period of inactivity. A default self-destruction period is set to 6 months, which means that if you don’t log into your account within this period of time, it will be deleted. This feature can’t be disabled, however, you can change it by choosing a different period of time, ranging from 1 to 12 months.

One of the ways to delete your Telegram account is to set it to self-destruct after a 1-month period. Please note that you shouldn’t log into your account within this time period. You can apply this method by following these steps:

Step 1: Open the Telegram app and select “Settings”

Open the Telegram app on your device, log in if necessary, select “Settings”.

Step 2: Choose “Privacy and Security”

Choose the “Privacy and Security” tab.

Step 3: Tap “Delete my account if away for”

Scroll down to find the “Advanced” section. Tap the “Delete my account if away for” option.

Step 4: Set the self-destruction period to 1 month

Set the self-destruction period to 1 month and you are done.

If you refrain from logging into your Telegram account for 1 month, your account will automatically be deleted, along with your messages and chats. Adjusting the self-destruction method gives you the opportunity to change your mind within the period of inactivity.

If you don’t want to wait by leaving your account to self-destruct, read on to delete your Telegram account immediately.

Delete Your Telegram Account Manually

As we’ve discussed earlier, Telegram does not allow its users to delete their accounts through the app. If you wish to delete your account, it has to be done through a web browser either on your desktop or mobile device. Follow these steps to delete your Telegram account immediately:

Step 1: Go to the Telegram Deactivation Page

Go to the Telegram Deactivation Page from a desktop or mobile browser.

Step 2: Enter your phone number and click “Next”

Enter the phone number associated with your Telegram account and click on the “Next” button. Make sure to enter your phone number in the international format.

Step 3: Enter your confirmation code and click “Sign In”

Once you have entered your phone number, you will receive a confirmation code in your Telegram app. Enter your confirmation code and click the “Sign In”.

Step 4: Click “Delete My Account”

Enter a reason for leaving if you’d like and click on the “Delete My Account” button.

Step 5: Click “Yes, delete my account”

After having pressed “Delete My Account”, you will see a pop up asking if you are sure about your decision. Click “Yes, delete my account”.
That’s it! Your Telegram account has been successfully deleted. Keep in mind that you will not be able to create a new account for several days after deactivation.

Downloading Telegram Data

Before deleting your Telegram account for good, you might want to download your data, including photos, chats, and more. You will need to use the latest version of the Telegram Desktop in order to export your data in HTML or JSON formats. To download your data follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Telegram on your desktop and go to “Settings”.
Step 2: Choose “Export Telegram Data”.
Step 3: Click “Export Chat History”, then select the type of data you want to export.