How to Log In to Telegram With a QR Code

To log in with a QR code, open Telegram Desktop or Telegram Web on the new device and leave the QR code on screen. On your phone, where you are already logged in, go to Settings, then Devices, choose the option to link a desktop device, and scan the code with Telegram's in-app scanner. If you use two-step verification, the new device then asks for your password.

The whole thing takes a few seconds and avoids waiting for a login code. Below are the steps for each setup, what to do when the scan fails, and the one rule that keeps QR login safe.

How QR login works

The QR code on your computer screen is a short-lived request that says "a new device wants to log in". When your phone scans it, Telegram on your phone approves that request for your account. Your phone vouches for the new device, so no SMS or login code is needed.

Three things follow from this:

• You need a device that is already logged in. QR login adds a second device; it cannot be your first login. For a brand-new account, see how to create a Telegram account.
• You must scan from inside Telegram. Your phone's ordinary camera app will not approve a login. The scan only works through Telegram's own scanner, which knows which account to approve.
• Whoever scans the code gets the session. This is why QR codes from other people are dangerous; more on that below.

Before you start

1. Have your phone with Telegram logged in. Make sure it is the account you want on the computer.
2. Allow Telegram to use your camera. If you denied camera access before, the scanner will not open. You can change this in your phone's app permissions.
3. Know your two-step verification password, if you set one. The new device will ask for it after the scan. If you have forgotten it, sort that out first; see how to set up two-step verification.
4. Use your own device or one you trust. A logged-in session on a shared computer stays logged in until you end it.

Step by step: Telegram Desktop

1. Install and open Telegram Desktop on your computer.
2. On the welcome screen, choose to start messaging. The app usually shows a QR code by default.
3. If it asks for a phone number instead, look for an option to log in with a QR code and select it.
4. On your phone, open Telegram and go to Settings.
5. Open Devices.
6. Tap the option to link a desktop device or scan a QR code.
7. Point the camera at the code on your computer screen.
8. If the app asks you to confirm, check that you started this login yourself, then confirm.
9. If you use two-step verification, type your password on the computer.

Telegram Desktop opens your chats. They sync from the cloud, so recent messages appear quickly and older ones load as you scroll.

Step by step: Telegram Web

Both web versions of Telegram support QR login.

1. Open Telegram Web in your browser.
2. The login page shows a QR code. If it shows a phone number field, look for the option to log in by QR code.
3. On your phone, go to Settings, then Devices, and choose the scan option.
4. Scan the code on your screen.
5. Enter your two-step verification password if asked.

Bookmark the official Telegram Web address and use the bookmark. Fake login pages that copy Telegram's look are a known trick.

Where the scanner is on each phone

The scanner lives in the Devices section of settings on both Android and iPhone. The label varies slightly by version, but it is usually worded as linking a desktop device or scanning a QR code.

• Android: Settings, then Devices, then the link or scan option at the top.
• iPhone: Settings, then Devices, then the link or scan option at the top.

If you cannot find Devices, use the search in settings if your app has one and type "devices". Update Telegram if the option is missing completely.

Can I log in to a phone with a QR code?

QR login is mainly offered by Telegram Desktop and the web versions, where typing a code is slower and a phone is usually nearby. A second phone normally logs in with your phone number and a code sent to your existing Telegram app. If a code is not arriving, see Telegram not sending login code.

If you want to run two accounts on one phone, that is a different feature, added from the account options in settings rather than by QR code.

What appears on the new device

A QR login gives the new device the same access as any other login. Your ordinary cloud chats, groups, channels, contacts, saved messages and settings all sync, because they are stored on Telegram's servers.

Two things do not come across:

• Secret chats. They are end-to-end encrypted and tied to the device where they were started, so they stay on your phone. See Telegram secret chats explained.
• Local settings. Things like the passcode lock, download folders and notification sounds are set per device. Set them again on the computer if you want them there, including a passcode lock if you use one.

The QR login scam, and the one rule that stops it

QR login is safe when you scan a code that appears on your own screen, in a login you started. It becomes dangerous when someone else hands you a code.

The scam works like this. A stranger, or a hacked friend's account, sends you a QR code with a story: "scan this to verify you are human", "scan to join the giveaway", "scan to receive your payment". The code is actually a login request from the scammer's computer. When you scan it in Telegram, you approve their device, and they get full access to your account.

The rule: only scan a Telegram login QR code that you can see appearing on your own computer, in an app or web page you opened yourself. Never scan a code sent in a message, posted in a group or shown on a website you were sent to.

Telegram shows a warning when you scan a login code, and newer versions add extra checks for unusual logins. Read it. If it describes a device or place you do not recognise, cancel.

If you think you scanned a bad code:

1. Go to Settings, then Devices, right away.
2. End any session you do not recognise, or end all other sessions.
3. Turn on or change your two-step verification password.
4. Follow how to recover a hacked Telegram account if you have lost access.

The same logic applies to login codes. Nobody legitimate will ever ask for one; see never share your Telegram login code.

Worked example: logging in at a new work laptop

This is an illustrative scenario.

Priya gets a new work laptop and wants Telegram on it.

1. She installs Telegram Desktop from the official site and opens it. A QR code appears.
2. On her phone she opens Settings, then Devices, and taps the scan option.
3. She scans the code. Her phone shows the new device's details and she confirms.
4. The laptop asks for her two-step verification password. She types it.
5. Her chats appear.

Two weeks later she returns the laptop's predecessor to IT. Before handing it over, she opens Devices on her phone and ends the old laptop's session, so nobody else can open her chats on it. See how to log out of Telegram on all devices.

Troubleshooting

The scanner does not open, or shows a black screen

Cause: Telegram does not have camera permission.

Fix:

1. Open your phone's settings and find the Telegram app.
2. Allow camera access.
3. Return to Telegram and try the scan again.

If another app is using the camera, such as a video call, close it first.

The camera sees the code but nothing happens

Causes and fixes:

1. The code expired. QR login codes refresh every so often. Wait for the screen to show a fresh code and scan again.
2. Glare or distance. Lower your screen brightness slightly, tilt the phone, and hold it so the code fills most of the frame.
3. You used the normal camera app. Use the scanner inside Telegram's Devices section instead.

The QR code does not load on the computer

Cause: the computer cannot reach Telegram's servers.

Fix: check the internet connection, disable a VPN or proxy briefly to test, and restart the app. If the problem persists, try another network to rule out a block on your current one.

It asks for a password I do not remember

That is your two-step verification password, not your phone's passcode. Use the forgot-password option on the login screen to reset it through your recovery email, if you set one. If you never set a recovery email, your reset options are more limited, so add one as soon as you are back in.

I logged in on the wrong account

Log out on the computer, switch accounts on your phone, and scan again. The account that scans is the account that logs in.

Common mistakes

• Scanning with the phone's normal camera. It must be Telegram's in-app scanner.
• Scanning a code someone sent you. This hands them your account.
• Forgetting to end old sessions. Every QR login creates a session that lasts until you end it.
• Confusing the passcode lock with two-step verification. The new device asks for your two-step password, not a local passcode.

FAQ

Is QR login safer than a login code?

Both are safe when you start the login yourself. QR login avoids typing anything, so there is no code to be tricked out of you, but scanning someone else's QR code is just as dangerous as sharing a code.

Does QR login skip two-step verification?

No. If two-step verification is on, the new device still asks for your password after the scan.

Can I log in with a QR code without my phone?

No. QR login needs a device where you are already logged in to scan the code. Without one, use your phone number and the code Telegram sends.

How do I see which devices I logged in with a QR code?

Open Settings, then Devices. Every active session is listed with its device and approximate location, whatever method was used to log in.

Why does the QR code keep changing?

Each code is short-lived so that an old photo or screenshot of it cannot be used later. A fresh code appears automatically.

Summary

QR login lets a phone that is already signed in approve a new Desktop or Web session in seconds. Open the QR code on the new device, then scan it from Settings, Devices on your phone using Telegram's own scanner, and enter your two-step verification password if asked. Only ever scan a code that appeared on your own screen in a login you started, and review the Devices list regularly to end sessions you no longer use.