How to delete a Telegram account from your phone and PC
In this instruction, we will explain in detail how to delete your Telegram account from both your smartphone and personal computer. Please note that when we refer to mobile devices, we mean both Android smartphones and iOS devices.
How to delete your Telegram account
Functionally, Telegram is the same on personal computers, Android smartphones, and iOS devices. The design of the applications differs only in minor elements. Therefore, the instructions below will be universal.
To delete your Telegram account, you need to:
- Launch the application on your phone or computer. Click on the hamburger menu icon in the top left corner, select "Settings", and then the "Telegram FAQ" option at the bottom.
- A new page will open in your default browser. From the displayed list, find the "Delete your Telegram account" option in the "Your Account" subsection. On the new page, you will find instructions with a "deactivation page" link that you need to follow.
- A deactivation page will open. Enter your phone number (including the country code), click "Next". After that, you will receive a verification code in the application, enter it in the field and confirm the deletion.
Note that the code is sent to the application itself, not to the specified phone number. If the delete is being performed from a computer, you can copy the deactivation page address from our article "https://my.telegram.org/auth?to=deactivate" and paste it into your browser.
Self-destructing accounts in Telegram
The feature of automatic account deletion exists in many services and programs that require authorization. Telegram has such a feature as well. Its operation is based on a simple condition - if a user does not access the account for a specified period of time, the account will be automatically deleted from Telegram.
To configure automatic account deletion in Telegram, you need to:
- Open the application on your computer or smartphone.
- Go to "Settings" through the hamburger menu.
- Select the "Privacy" section.
- Scroll down and find the "Account deletion" section.
- Click on "After a period of inactivity..." and choose your preferred condition: 1, 3, 6 months, or 1 year.
How to recover your Telegram account
Currently, Telegram does not have such a feature. When you delete your account, all data, including conversations and sent files, will be completely cleared. However, if you decide to register again in the future, you can do so using the same phone number. After the initial deletion, it will be unblocked for re-registration.
How to delete chats in Telegram
To delete a chat, open the chat with the user from which you want to delete the conversation. In the chat window, click on the three-dot icon in the top right corner and select "Clear history". A warning window will appear, where you need to click "Delete" in the bottom right corner.
If desired, you can configure automatic deletion of a chat. After clicking "Clear history", click on the "Configure auto-delete" link and choose the time after which the chat will be cleared. The "auto-delete timer" can also be configured through the corresponding link when selecting the time.
