Telegram is a good messaging service and is pretty reliable. The application is known for its strong encryption and offers a host of interesting features, which is absent in mainstream applications like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more. However, there could some reasons to leave the platform. But it is essential to delete your account permanently. It is always advisable to delete your account from any social media as soon as you decide to leave it.
Deleting an account from telegram is a little complex process. As the platform does not allow you to delete your account directly from the app as soon as you leave it. Follow along with this explainer to understand the process of deleting a Telegram account in an easy and simplest way.
Table of Contents
How to Delete Telegram Account
As we have mentioned earlier, deleting a Telegram account is a bit different process. Telegram does not allow its users to delete accounts from their mobile app. Although, if you leave the app or become inactive for a certain period of time, Telegram deletes the account for you.
Despite that, you can opt to delete the account immediately after making up your mind to leave the app. We have mentioned both processes of deleting an account here. Before proceeding further, remember to take a backup of your account, as once you delete the account, you will not be able to retrieve any of the data back.
Also Read: Telegram Channels: How to Find and Join Telegram Channels on Android, iOS Mobiles and PC
Delete your Telegram Account Instantly on Android and Desktop
To delete the Telegram account instantly, follow these steps. Do note that this process will remain the same on your desktop and smartphone.
- Open the Telegram Authorization page by clicking on the link given from your browser
- Enter your number in the given field
- Select Next
- Now for this step, you will need your Telegram account logged into any of your devices
- Once you receive the confirmation code inside the Telegram app, enter it in the confirmation Code field
- Hit sign-in after entering the code.
- Select Delete account Option on the screen
- It will ask you if your number is correct and the reason you are deleting the account, you can leave that field empty and click “Delete My Account”
- You will be popped up to confirm the process; press “Yes, delete my account”
Telegram will delete all your data from its server, and if you log in again, it will treat your account as new.
Delete your Telegram Account on your iPhone
While the above process works for all devices, users on devices running iOS can delete their account from the Telegram app itself without going through any link. To achieve that, follow the process given below.
- Go to Telegram app on your iPhone and then go to the Settings menu.
- In settings, go to “Privacy and security”.
- Navigate and select “If away for” in Privacy and Security.
- In the pop-up, select “Delete Account Now”.
- Now in the next screen, select “Delete My Account”.
Do note that this method only works with iOS devices. Android device users can use the method above this to delete the account instantly and permanently. This makes it easier for iOS users to delete their Telegram accounts instantly from within the app itself instead of going through the browser and sign-in process.
Delete Account Using Default Timer
If you are not sure if you want to delete the account right away or not, you can use the default timer from the Telegram app itself. This setting is the same for the Telegram app on all the platforms like desktops and smartphones.
These steps will work the same way on any device. You can follow these steps on the Telegram app on any platform. This will give you the time of your convenience if you are planning to change your mind, and it assures that your data will not be deleted from Telegram meanwhile.
- Open the Telegram app on your device
- Go to the settings page and navigate to “Privacy and security”
- Scroll down and click on “If Away For”
- Select the time period you desire to keep your account alive while you stay offline or inactive on Telegram.
Keep in mind that in the set period, every time you log into your Telegram account, it will restart the time counter from day one.
Also Read: Facebook Account Delete: How to Delete FB Account Permanently
How to Export Your Data Before Deleting Your Telegram Account
Now you know that when you permanently delete your Telegram account, you will lose all your messages, files, and more. However, Telegram gives you the option to export most of your data before deleting it forever. Here’s how you can do it:
- Download and install the Telegram application on your PC.
- Sign in to your account. Once done, click on the three bars in the top-right corner.
- Now, go to Settings and scroll down to Export Telegram Data.
- Select the type of data you want to export, like messages, videos, stickers, and more. Once done, click on Export.
- With this, Telegram will export the data, and you can see by simply tapping on Show My Data to view the file.
FAQs
1. What happens after you delete your account?
Telegram will delete all of your chats and media and removes you from channels and groups that you are in or you might have created. You won’t be able to create an account from the same number for several days. Once that period is over, you will be able to create a brand new fresh account from the same number.
2. How to recover deleted Telegram account?
A. To recover your deleted Telegram account, you need to go to the Telegram Support Page and write a request about your deleted account. Enter your Email and Phone number that was associated with your account. After doing so, Telegram soon reaches you on your provided Email ID with steps to proceed further.
3. What happens when I delete Telegram and reinstall it?
Essentially, deleting the telegram app and reinstalling it does nothing to your account. As soon as you reinstall the Telegram app on your device and log into your account, it fetches back all your chats and media from the server.
Unless if you have the timer on, which comes on by default with time set to 6 months out of the box. If you don’t reinstall the Telegram app in the meantime, you will lose all your data, including your chats and backups. It is advisable to set the timer to 1 year before you uninstall the app and plan to reinstall it in the near future.
