Transfer Telegram to a New Account: What Moves and What Doesn’t

Am I moving devices, numbers, or accounts?

People say “transfer my Telegram” about three very different things. Getting this right first saves a lot of unnecessary work.

How do I move Telegram to a new phone?

1. Install Telegram on the new phone and sign in with the same number. You can receive the code in the Telegram app on the old phone.
2. Wait for your chats to sync. Media downloads again as you open it.
3. Before wiping the old phone, save anything you need from Secret Chats, because they won’t move. Then end its session under Settings › Devices.

How do I change my Telegram phone number without losing chats?

Telegram’s FAQ (opens in a new tab) says Change Number lets you “keep everything, including all your contacts, messages, and media from the Telegram cloud, as well as all your Secret Chats on all devices.”

1. 1

   Step 1: Do it while you still have the old number

   Telegram warns that losing access to the connected number risks losing the account. Make the change before you cancel the old SIM.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check the new number has no Telegram account

   If it already has one, you need to delete that account first. Make sure it’s yours and empty before you do.

3. 3

   Step 3: Change it

   Go to Settings, tap your phone number, choose Change Number, and confirm with the code sent to the new number.

4. 4

   Step 4: Tell people who know you by number

   Contacts who saved your old number may not see the change in their phone book. Your username still works for everyone.

Can I move chats to a different Telegram account?

Not as a transfer. Each account’s history belongs to it, and Telegram offers no account-to-account migration. Telegram can import chat history from WhatsApp, Line and KakaoTalk (announcement (opens in a new tab)), but not from a Telegram export. What you can do is rebuild the parts that matter:

Messages you want to keep

Forward important messages from the old account to the new one, or to a private channel both accounts can read. Forwarded messages show they were forwarded and don’t recreate the original conversations.

Contacts

Contacts saved in your phone’s address book appear automatically once you sync contacts. Telegram-only contacts you found by username need to be added again. Share them from the old account to the new one.

Public groups and channels

Join them again by name or link. Their history is visible to members, so nothing is lost.

Private groups and channels

You need an invite link or an admin who adds the new account. If you administer them, add the new account as an admin before you leave.

Folders

Recreate them by hand. Telegram can also share a chat folder as an invite link. The link only covers chats you’re allowed to invite people to, but it brings those back in one step.

Your username

Remove a basic username from the old account, then claim it on the new one straight away. Collectible usernames are transferred through their marketplace instead.

How do I hand over groups and channels I own?

Add the new account as an administrator first, then use the owner transfer option in the group or channel’s admin settings. Telegram applies security conditions to ownership transfers, such as requiring two-step verification, so set that up on the old account in advance. If you delete an account without transferring, Telegram says groups and channels you created are left without a creator, though existing admins keep their rights.

What order should I do a migration in?

1. Export the old account with Telegram Desktop so you have a readable record.
2. Create the new account and set up two-step verification on it.
3. Sign in to both in the same app. Telegram supports several accounts side by side, which makes forwarding and sharing much easier.
4. Promote the new account in groups and channels you manage, then transfer ownership.
5. Collect invite links for private chats, and ask admins to add you where needed.
6. Rejoin public chats, recreate folders, move your username, and tell close contacts.
7. Keep the old account until you’re sure nothing is missing. Deleting it is irreversible.

Can a tool do this for me?

Only partly, and only within what Telegram permits. TGBackup, the tool we recommend for this, describes its restore in its own terms (opens in a new tab): it re-adds saved contacts by username, rejoins public groups and channels, and recreates folders in the new account. It can’t rejoin private chats for you. Instead it shows which admins to ask. It doesn’t copy messages or phone numbers, and its terms say Telegram’s rate limits can make a large restore take hours and that not every contact or chat is guaranteed to come back.