This step-by-step guide will show you how to permanently delete your Telegram account. We will begin by exporting all your data from Telegram and then review step-by-step how to manually delete your Telegram account or use the self-deletion automatic mode. 

Table Of Contents. 

1. Reasons for leaving your Telegram account? 
2. How to export all your data from Telegram?
3. Steps to Delete Your Telegram Account
4. Frequently Asked Questions on Telegram

Reasons for leaving your Telegram account? 

Telegram is one of the most popular messaging apps today, with more than 500 million active users as of March 2022. But of course, being famous doesn’t make it perfect. 

• Lack of End-to-end Encryption. Telegram does encrypt data-in-transit between you and your recipient, but it does not encrypt data at rest, on Telegram’s servers. To ensure full end-to-end encryption, you must enable Telegram’s “Secret Chat” feature.
• Telegram collects data from your phone. What many people also don’t know is that Telegram collects data about the contacts on your phone. Telegram uses this data to notify you when your phone contact signs up for Telegram. For many people, this is an invasion of privacy— for Telegram, a way to improve user experience.
• Security vulnerabilities. There have been some security vulnerabilities involved with Telegram, For instance, back in 2017, a security mishap happened when hackers exploited a software bug within the app that allowed them to install remote control cryptocurrency miners and Malware on Windows PCs. Telegram quickly took control and patched all the apps. 

So, either because of a negative reputation regarding privacy and security, or simply because you want to try other instant messaging apps, or your friends are leaving Telegram for other apps, you decided you had enough and want to delete your Telegram account permanently. 

In the following sections, we will cover several ways to delete your Telegram data, so you leave no trace behind.

How to export all your data from Telegram?

Before you learn how to delete your Telegram account, you may also need to know how to export all your data from Telegram in case you want to save your data, including photos, chat history, or other media for future reference. 

Note: You CAN’T save your data directly from (or on) your mobile device. 

To export your Telegram data, follow the below steps for this: 

1. Download and install the Telegram Desktop app first (you’ll also need it to delete Telegram.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Go to the Export Telegram Data option.
4. Select Export Chat History.

You can now view your Telegram Data offline.

Steps to Delete Your Telegram Account

Now let’s permanently delete your Telegram account.

1. Download the Telegram Desktop app.

2. Now go to Telegram Deactivation Page, where you’ll be asked for your phone number. Keep your phone close by because Telegram will send a confirmation code to your Telegram mobile app and NOT through SMS.

3. In the following screen, you’ll be asked again to put your phone number and then provide a reason for leaving the Telegram app.

4. Click on the button Done. 
5. A final pop-up message will ask you for an account deletion confirmation.
6. Click Yes, delete my account.
7. Now, you successfully deleted your Telegram account! 

Self Deletion Mode to Automatically Delete Your Telegram Account

Telegram has a mode to protect your privacy due to inactivity but also to save some storage for themselves. The self-deletion mode is another way you can delete your Telegram account. However, this method is not a manual (like the previous one) but an automatic (self-destruction or self-deletion) way to remove your account. The self-deletion mode works on the Android and the iPhone Telegram app. 

The app permanently deletes your Telegram account automatically if you keep your account idle for a set period of time. To set the period for “automatic” self-deletion, follow the below steps:

1. Open Telegram, and go to Settings > Privacy and Security. 
2. Find the option “Delete My Account if I’m away for”

3. Click on it and then set the time period for auto-deletion.

So let’s say you selected one month, then if you’re not using Telegram for one month, your account will be permanently deleted along with your chats and contacts. If you want to keep your account running, make sure you open and use your Telegram before the set time ends.

Telegram: Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some interesting FAQs on Telegram.

Who uses Telegram the most?

Telegram is Russia’s most popular IM(Instant Messaging) app with a 36% market share. In addition, the app’s unique installations were also highest in Russia, with 5.6 million downloads between January-March 2021.

How does Telegram make money?

Telegram is currently a free app that runs on donations from its founder Pavel Durov. They claim that profit-making will never be an end goal, and they’ll try to keep Telegram free and secure for everybody. In the future, they may introduce non-essential paid options to support their infrastructure, developer salaries, and other expenses that the company needs to keep running. 

How is Telegram different from WhatsApp?

WhatsApp has a larger user base than Telegram and has features such as group video calls, which is currently missing on Telegram. Additionally, WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption by default, unlike Telegram, where you have to manually enable it. An advantage of Telegram is that it has better file sharing and cloud storage options compared to WhatsApp.

Is Telegram popular in the USA?

Yes, Telegram is popular in the USA but not as much as the Facebook messenger and Snapchat, which are the two most popular IM apps Americans use. As of September 2019, FB Messenger has 106.4 million unique users, and Snapchat has around 45.98 million users. Compared to these, Telegram stands at 3.47 million MAUs (Monthly active users).

What are the drawbacks of Telegram?

The most infamous drawback of Telegram is that its end-to-end encryption is disabled by default— you will have to manually enable it. 

What are some good alternatives to Telegram? 

Although Telegram is rich in features, the lack of default end-to-end encryption scares many of its users. A good alternative to Telegram is Signal which is known to be a more secure IM option compared to Telegram and WhatsApp.