How to Permanently Delete Your Telegram Account
This was a frustration point for me at first—trying to figure out how to actually get rid of my Telegram account for good. It’s not as simple as just tapping “Delete” in the app, which honestly caught me off guard. Turns out, the process is a bit hidden, buried in the web portal, and definitely not straightforward. So, here’s what finally worked after some trial and error. Spoiler: it’s a bit annoying, but it’s do-able.
How I Managed to Delete My Telegram Account
- First thing, make sure you really close the Telegram app. Not just minimize it or switch to another chat — actually close it out completely. On Android, I hit the Recent apps button (or Overview screen) and swiped Telegram away. On my iPhone, I double-tapped the Home button or swiped up from the bottom, then swiped the app off the screen. If I left it open, I found the verification code wouldn’t come through or it caused weird glitches later on.
- Next, I opened up a fresh browser session—Chrome, Firefox, Edge—it doesn’t matter. Just make sure it’s fully closed beforehand to avoid logged-in clutter or weird automatic sign-ins.
- Head over to my.telegram.org—the official site for managing your account. If you prefer not to remember the URL, just google “Telegram delete account” and it’ll lead you there. Sometimes I’ve noticed it doesn’t show up right away, so searching is faster.
- Once you’re there, log in using your phone number, *including* the country code, like +1XXXXXXXXXX. After entering your number, Telegram won’t email you a code—nope, it’s sent directly via the Telegram app itself, even if you’re doing this to delete your account. So, you gotta make sure the app is open and logged in on your phone. When the notification arrives, copy it quickly because it’s often fleeting. That part threw me off at first—kind of a sneaky step.
After you get the code, pop back into the browser, input it in the verification prompt, and hit “Sign In.” It’s mostly about confirming your identity, but honestly, it feels like a detour. Once verified, you finally get access to your account settings on the web portal.
Getting to the “Delete Account” Button
Now, this is the weird part—once logged in, you have to find the “Delete Account” link. It’s not in the obvious “Settings” menu, at least not directly. Sometimes it’s hidden under Privacy & Security or a similar section. Just dig around because it’s not always labeled clearly. For me, it was buried in the deeper menus, and I had to click through a few links before I saw it.
Click on that, and it’ll bring up a warning explaining that your chats, media, and entire profile data will be wiped out. It’s all gone once you hit delete—no recovery options unless you’ve backed stuff up. So, make sure you really want to do this, especially if there’s important info or memories stored in your chats.
Finally, scroll down to find the “Delete My Account” button. Usually it’s at the bottom of the page. Clicking it prompts a last confirmation step—because apparently they want you to think twice. After confirming, your account is supposed to be gone. I tested it myself, and honestly, once you confirm, it’s surprisingly quick. No extra fuss or waiting time, just… done.
Why Is This So Hidden?
It’s annoying because, in the app, there’s no straightforward way to delete your account—only options to deactivate or erase certain info. The real delete option is tucked away on the web portal, probably to make sure people know what they’re doing. I originally looked in the app’s settings under Privacy & Security and only saw deactivate options, which aren’t the same. If you’re in a rush, good luck finding the delete option unless you know it’s on that web page. And be aware—if you’re on a flaky network or VPN, the verification code might not arrive instantly, causing further confusion.
Pro tip: make sure your phone can receive SMS or Telegram notifications reliably, and disable any VPNs temporarily if the code doesn’t come through the first time. It took me a couple tries before everything clicked into place.
Final Tips and Things to Double-Check
To sum it all up: shut down the Telegram app completely—don’t just minimize or background it. Visit my.telegram.org, log in with your phone number with country code, wait for the verification code (the thing arrives in your Telegram app, so keep it open!), enter it, then look for “Delete Account.” Confirm like crazy. Easy in theory, tougher when you’re trying to find the right menu—trust me, I spent too long messing around before I finally deleted mine.
Just remember—if your account was tied to a username, specific chats, or certain linked services, those are wiped too. There’s no way to get stuff back unless you’ve saved it somewhere else first. Also, once you delete, there’s no undo, so be completely sure.
Hope this helped — it took way too much trial and error to figure it out for myself. Hopefully, this saves someone else a bit of time (or a lot of frustration). Good luck, and take control of your privacy if that’s your thing. Cheers!