Creating a Telegram account takes about five minutes and requires only a phone number

Telegram is a messaging app that works on phones, tablets, and computers. To use it, you read the app, enter your phone number, confirm a code sent to you by text, and choose a username. That's the entire setup. You don't need an email address, a password, or a credit card. Telegram stores your account to your phone number, not to a username, so people find you by your number unless you choose to share a username instead.

The process is the same whether you use an iPhone, Android phone, or a computer. The app itself is free. Telegram makes money from business features and advertising, not from selling user data or charging for the basic service.

Key Takeaways

  • read Telegram from the App Store, Google Play, or telegram.org, then open it and enter your phone number.
  • Telegram sends a six-digit code by text message to confirm you own that number — enter it in the app to verify.
  • You can set a username so people can find you without knowing your phone number, but this is optional.
  • Your account is tied to your phone number, so if you change phones, you can log in on the new phone with the same number and keep your chats and contacts.

Step-by-step: downloading and installing Telegram

Go to your phone's app store. On iPhone, open the App Store. On Android, open Google Play. Search for "Telegram" — the official app is made by Telegram FZ-LLC and has a blue paper airplane icon. Tap "Get" or "Install" and wait for the read to finish. The app is about 50 to 100 megabytes, so it takes a minute or two on a normal internet connection.

Once installed, open the app. You'll see a screen that says "Welcome to Telegram" with a phone number field. If you're on a computer, go to telegram.org, click "read," and follow the same process — you'll read a small program and run it, then enter your phone number in the app that opens.

Entering your phone number and receiving the verification code

Type your phone number into the field, including the country code. If you're in the United States, that's +1. If you're in Canada, it's also +1. If you're in the United Kingdom, it's +44. The app usually detects your country and fills in the code automatically, but you can change it if needed. Tap "Next."

Telegram sends a six-digit code by text message to the number you entered. This happens within a few seconds. Open the text message and read the code — it looks like "123456" or similar. Go back to the Telegram app and type the code into the field that appears. If you don't receive the code within a minute, tap "Didn't get the code?" and Telegram will call you and read the code aloud instead.

Once you enter the correct code, Telegram confirms your number and moves to the next screen. You've now verified that you own the phone number.

Setting your name and choosing whether to create a username

Telegram asks for your first name and last name. These are what other people see when you message them or when they search for you by phone number. You can use your real name, a nickname, or anything else — Telegram doesn't check. Type what you want and tap "Next."

The app then asks if you want to create a username. A username is optional. If you create one, other people can find you by typing that username into Telegram's search, without knowing your phone number. Usernames are public — anyone can see it. If you skip this step, people can still message you, but only if they have your phone number or if you share a link to your Telegram profile with them.

To create a username, tap the username field and type something between 5 and 32 characters long. It can include letters, numbers, and underscores. Telegram checks in real time whether the username is available — if it's taken, you'll see a red X. If it's free, you'll see a green checkmark. You can change your username later, so you don't have to decide now.

What happens after you finish setup

Once you complete these steps, your account is created and you're inside the Telegram app. You'll see a list of your contacts — Telegram reads your phone's contact list and shows you which of those people already use Telegram. You can tap any contact to start a chat. You can also search for people by phone number or username, or ask them to share a link to their Telegram profile.

Your account is now active on that phone. If you log out or uninstall the app, you can reinstall it later, enter your phone number again, and get back into the same account — Telegram remembers it. If you get a new phone, you can install Telegram on the new phone, enter the same phone number, and your account, chats, and contacts will be there.

Using Telegram on multiple devices at the same time

You can use Telegram on your phone and on a computer at the same time. Install the app on your computer the same way you did on your phone. When you open it, it asks for your phone number. Enter the same number. Telegram sends a code to your phone — open the Telegram app on your phone and you'll see a notification asking you to confirm that you want to log in on a computer. Tap "Confirm" and the computer app logs in.

Now you can send and receive messages on both devices. Your chats stay in sync — if you read a message on your phone, it shows as read on your computer too. You can have Telegram open on as many devices as you want using the same phone number.

Protecting your account with a password

By default, anyone who has access to your phone can open Telegram and read your messages. If you want to add a layer of protection, you can set a password that locks Telegram even if someone unlocks your phone. Open Telegram, tap the menu (three horizontal lines in the bottom right on Android, or your profile picture in the top left on iPhone), go to "Settings," then "Privacy and Security," then "Passcode." You can set a four-digit PIN, a longer password, or use your phone's fingerprint or face recognition to unlock Telegram.

This password is separate from your phone's lock screen password. It only protects Telegram. If you forget it, you'll have to delete and reinstall the app, which means you'll lose your local message history — but your account will still exist and you can log back in with your phone number.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an email address to create a Telegram account?

No. Telegram only needs your phone number. You don't enter an email address during setup. If you want to add an email later for account recovery, you can do that in Settings, but it's optional.

What if I don't want to use my real phone number?

Telegram requires a real, working phone number that can receive text messages. You can't use a fake number or a number that doesn't belong to you. If you have a second phone line or a Google Voice number that receives texts, you can use that instead of your main number.

Can someone message me if they only know my username?

Yes. If you create a username, anyone can search for it and start a conversation with you. You don't have to accept the message or do anything — it appears in your chat list. If you don't want strangers to message you, don't create a username, or go to Settings and turn on "Restrict who can message you."

What happens to my account if I change my phone number?

If you change your phone number in real life, your Telegram account is tied to your old number. You can't transfer it to a new number. You would need to create a new Telegram account with the new number. Your old chats and contacts would stay on the old account.

Is Telegram safe to use?

Telegram encrypts messages between you and Telegram's servers, so the company can't read them. For extra security, you can use "Secret Chats," which encrypt messages end-to-end so that only you and the other person can read them. Regular chats are encrypted in transit but stored on Telegram's servers, which means Telegram could theoretically be forced to hand over old messages to a government.