How to Move Telegram to a New Phone Without Losing Chats

Install Telegram on the new phone and log in with the same phone number: your normal chats, groups, channels, contacts and media come back automatically because they are stored in Telegram's cloud. The exceptions are secret chats, which exist only on the old device, and settings that are kept per device. Before you switch, make sure you can receive the login code and know your two-step verification password.

This guide covers what moves and what does not, a checklist for the old phone, step-by-step instructions for each situation (old phone working, old phone lost, new number, Android to iPhone), and what to set up afterwards.

How Telegram stores your chats

Most messaging apps keep your history on the phone and ask you to back it up and restore it. Telegram works differently. Normal Telegram chats, called cloud chats, are stored on Telegram's servers and synced to every device where you are logged in. Your phone holds a cache, a local copy for speed, but the cloud holds the real thing.

This is why moving to a new phone is usually painless. Logging in on a new device simply downloads your chat list again. Nothing needs to be exported, transferred by cable or restored from a backup.

It is also why a few things do not move. Anything that never lived in the cloud, such as secret chats, cannot be fetched from it.

What moves automatically

When you log in on the new phone with the same account, these return without any action from you:

• All cloud chats: private chats, groups and channels, with their full history.
• Photos, videos, files and voice messages in those chats. They stay in the cloud and download when you open them, unless the sender or an admin deleted them.
• Saved Messages, your private cloud notebook. See our Saved Messages guide.
• Your Telegram contacts, the people you added inside Telegram.
• Chat folders, so your organised chat list looks the same.
• Your profile: name, username, photo, bio.
• Privacy settings, such as who can see your number or last seen, because they are stored on the account.
• Installed sticker packs, saved GIFs and custom emoji.
• Scheduled messages, which are stored on Telegram's servers until they are sent.
• Admin rights and ownership of channels and groups.
• Bots you have chatted with, and their chat history.
• Drafts you typed but did not send, in most cases.
• Telegram Premium, if your subscription is tied to your account. If you pay through an app store, check that the store account is the same on the new phone.

What does not move

• Secret chats. These are end-to-end encrypted and stored only on the two devices in the conversation. They are not in the cloud, so they cannot be restored. Once you log out of the old phone, or the old phone is gone, those chats and their media are gone too. Our guide to Telegram secret chats explains why.
• The app passcode. The local lock is set per device. Set it again on the new phone.
• Device-level settings. Notification sounds, auto-download rules, storage limits, data saving, some appearance options and the list of proxies are usually set per device.
• Files you saved to the old phone's gallery or file storage. If you saved media from Telegram into your gallery, that copy belongs to the phone, not to Telegram. Move it with your normal phone migration.
• Media nobody can download any more. If a sender deleted a message or a channel deleted a post, the cloud no longer has it. A copy you had cached on the old phone may still be visible there, but it will not appear on the new phone.

Before you start: checklist on the old phone

Do these while the old phone still works. Most problems people have when switching phones come from skipping one of these steps.

1. Check you can receive codes on your number. The SIM or eSIM with your Telegram number should be active. If you are also changing number, read the section on changing number first.
2. Know your two-step verification password. If you have one and have forgotten it, change it now while you are still logged in. Go to privacy and security settings, open two-step verification and set a new password. Our guide to two-step verification covers this.
3. Add or confirm a recovery email in the same two-step verification settings, and make sure you can open that mailbox.
4. Deal with secret chats. Read through any secret chats with content you need. Secret chats cannot be forwarded or exported, so write down anything essential, or ask the other person to send it again in a normal chat if that is acceptable to both of you.
5. Consider a backup export. If you want an offline copy of important chats, Telegram Desktop can export chat history to your computer. See how to export Telegram chat history. This is optional, because cloud chats come back anyway, but it is useful for records or if you ever plan to delete the account.
6. Copy media you want in your new phone's gallery. If you saved photos from Telegram to the old gallery, they move with your phone transfer, not with Telegram.
7. Note special settings. Screenshot your notification settings, data and storage settings and any proxy details, so you can set them up again quickly.
8. Do not log out yet. Keep the old phone logged in until the new one is working. The old phone is often where the login code arrives.

Situation 1: old phone works, same number

This is the easiest case and covers most phone upgrades.

1. Install Telegram on the new phone from the official app store, or from Telegram's own website for Android.
2. Open it and tap the button to start messaging.
3. Enter your phone number with the right country code.
4. Look at your old phone. Because you are logged in there, Telegram usually sends the login code as a message inside Telegram, from Telegram's own account, rather than by SMS.
5. Enter the code on the new phone.
6. If you have two-step verification, enter your password.
7. Wait while your chat list loads. Large accounts can take a little while on the first sync.
8. Check a few important chats and channels. Open a recent photo to confirm media downloads.
9. Once you are happy, go to the new phone's Settings, then Devices, to see all logged-in sessions. You can end the old phone's session from here, or log out on the old phone itself.
10. Before selling or giving away the old phone, make sure Telegram is logged out on it and then reset the phone.

If the code goes to the old phone and you cannot find it

Open the chat from Telegram (marked as an official account) in your chat list on the old phone. The code is in the latest message. If you do not want to wait, the login screen usually offers to send the code by SMS after a short time.

Never send this code to anyone, even someone claiming to help you move. Our guide on why you should never share a Telegram login code explains how this exact moment is used by scammers.

Situation 2: old phone lost, broken or wiped, same number

If the old phone is gone but you still have the SIM, or a replacement SIM with the same number, you can still log in.

1. Put the SIM in the new phone, or activate the eSIM.
2. Install Telegram and enter your number.
3. If you are still logged in on another device, such as a computer or tablet, the code goes there first. Look for it in Telegram on that device.
4. If there is no other logged-in device, the code arrives by SMS or a phone call. If it does not arrive, see Telegram not sending the login code.
5. Enter your two-step verification password if you have one.
6. Once in, open Settings then Devices and end the session for the lost phone. This logs it out remotely, which matters if it was stolen.

If you lost the phone and the SIM

Ask your mobile carrier for a replacement SIM with your number. Carriers do this routinely, usually after checking your identity. Until then, if you are logged in to Telegram on a computer, you can keep using Telegram there and end the lost phone's session from the computer's settings.

If you think someone else has your phone

End its session as soon as you can, from any logged-in device. If you suspect someone has already got into your account, follow our guide on recovering a hacked Telegram account.

Situation 3: new phone and a new number

If you are changing number at the same time, the order matters. The account is tied to the old number until you change it.

The safe order

1. While still logged in on the old phone, get the new SIM and make sure it can receive SMS. Many phones can hold both SIMs for a day.
2. On the old phone, open Settings, tap your profile or phone number, and choose the option to change your number.
3. Enter the new number and the code sent to it.
4. Your account, with all chats, now uses the new number.
5. Now log in on the new phone with the new number, following Situation 1.

Telegram can notify contacts about the change, depending on the options you choose. Check those options before confirming if you would rather not tell everyone.

If the old number is already gone

If you are still logged in somewhere, such as on Telegram Desktop or the web, change the number from that session. Changing the number only needs the new number's code, not the old one.

If you are not logged in anywhere and no longer have the old number, logging in is very difficult. The code goes to the old number, which you no longer control. This is the one case where moving can really cost you the account, which is why the safe order above matters.

Situation 4: Android to iPhone, or iPhone to Android

There is no special process. Telegram's cloud is the same whatever the device. Follow Situation 1 or 2. Everything in the cloud appears on the new platform. Secret chats do not, as on any switch.

A few practical differences:

• App passcode and Face ID or fingerprint unlock must be set again on the new platform.
• Notification behaviour differs between systems. On a new iPhone, allow notifications when asked. On a new Android phone, check that battery optimisation is not stopping Telegram from running in the background; some phone makers are aggressive about this. Our guide to Telegram notifications not working has platform-specific fixes.
• Saving to the gallery has separate permissions on each system. Grant photo access if you want Telegram to save media.

Situation 5: moving to a tablet or a second phone, keeping the old one

You do not have to move at all. Telegram lets one account be logged in on several devices at once. Log in on the new device as in Situation 1 and keep the old one. Messages sync to both. This is useful for a work phone and a personal phone using the same account, or a phone plus a tablet.

Secret chats remain tied to the device where they were started; they will not appear on the second device.

A safety net: log in on a computer before you switch

The single most useful precaution costs two minutes. Before moving phones, log in to Telegram Desktop or Telegram Web on a computer.

1. Install Telegram Desktop, or open Telegram Web in a browser.
2. Choose the QR code login.
3. On your old phone, open Settings, then Devices, and use the option to link a desktop device. Scan the QR code.

Now your account is active on a device that does not depend on your phone or SIM. That gives you three advantages during the move:

• The login code for the new phone can arrive on the computer, even if the SIM is in transit, the old phone breaks or SMS is slow.
• You can change your number from the computer if the old number is lost before you have changed it.
• You can end a lost phone's session from the computer, straight away.

Keep the desktop session afterwards if you use a computer regularly. It is a long-term backup route into your account. Our guide to Telegram on desktop and web covers the setup in more detail.

Special cases

A phone that will be Wi-Fi only

A new phone does not need a SIM to run Telegram. Log in with your number; the code arrives in Telegram on another logged-in device, or by SMS to whatever phone holds your SIM. After that, the Wi-Fi-only phone works normally.

A work-managed phone

Company phones sometimes restrict app installs, block certain permissions or wipe data when you leave. If you move your personal account to a work phone, keep another logged-in device as backup, and be aware that your employer's device management may be able to see which apps are installed. When you leave, log out of Telegram before handing the phone back.

Dual SIM phones

If your new phone holds two SIMs, make sure the one with your Telegram number can receive SMS. Telegram does not care which slot it is in. If you use two Telegram accounts with two numbers, add the second account after the first is working.

A long gap between phones

If you will be without any logged-in device for a while, for example between a broken phone and a replacement, remember that Telegram deletes accounts after a period of inactivity that you choose in privacy settings. The shortest options are short enough to matter. If you plan a gap, check that setting beforehand and choose a longer period.

How long the first sync takes, and data use

The first time you open Telegram on a new phone, it downloads your chat list and the latest messages in each chat. It does not download all your history and media at once. Older messages and files load when you scroll to them or open them.

So the initial sync is usually quick, even for large accounts. What can use a lot of data later is media: opening many photo-heavy chats or videos on mobile data. To keep control:

1. Do the first sync on Wi-Fi.
2. In data and storage settings, decide what downloads automatically on mobile data. Turning off automatic video downloads on mobile data saves the most.
3. Set a cache size limit if your new phone has little free space.

After the move: set up the new phone

Once logged in, run through these to make the new phone feel like the old one and stay secure.

1. Check active sessions. Settings, then Devices. End anything you do not recognise and the old phone if you no longer use it.
2. Set the app passcode again in privacy and security settings, if you used one.
3. Set notification preferences. Sounds, previews and which chats are muted are partly per device.
4. Set auto-download and storage rules. Decide whether media downloads on mobile data, and how much space Telegram's cache may use. Telegram's storage settings show how much space the cache uses and let you clear it.
5. Set up a proxy again if you used one. Proxy lists are generally stored per device.
6. Restart secret chats you need, with the people involved. Old secret chats cannot be recovered.
7. Allow the permissions you need: notifications, photos, microphone and camera, contacts if you sync them.
8. Check privacy settings quickly, even though they move with the account, to confirm nothing surprised you.
9. Re-pin chats or add widgets on your home screen if your platform supports them.
10. Reset and recycle the old phone only after Telegram is logged out on it.

What if chats look empty or are missing after the move?

Usually they are still loading, or the app is showing a filtered view.

1. Wait a few minutes on Wi-Fi. The first sync of a large account can take time, especially on a slow connection.
2. Check folders. If your chat list shows only one folder, swipe to "All chats" or tap the folder bar.
3. Check the archive. Archived chats sit in a separate list at the top of the chat list. Pull down if it is hidden.
4. Check you logged in to the right account. If you have several numbers, make sure you used the one with your chats. Our guide on using multiple accounts explains how accounts are separated.
5. Remember secret chats. If what is missing was a secret chat, it cannot come back.
6. Remember deletions. Messages deleted for everyone, chats you left and posts deleted by channels do not return.

If a specific chat really seems to have vanished, our guide on Telegram messages that disappeared goes through the causes one by one.

Your contacts list looks empty

Telegram contacts are stored on your account, but the app may also show phone contacts it matched from your address book. On a new phone, Telegram needs permission to read contacts before it can match them again. Grant contacts permission if you want that, or add people by username. Your existing chats are unaffected either way, because chats do not depend on the contacts list.

Forgotten two-step verification password

This is the most common blocker. You enter the code correctly, then Telegram asks for a password you set years ago.

1. Try the hint. Telegram shows the password hint you set, if any.
2. Use the recovery email. Choose the option for a forgotten password. If you set a recovery email, Telegram sends a code there. Enter it and you can set a new password.
3. If you have no recovery email, Telegram may offer to reset the password after a waiting period. During that time the account stays protected. Read the on-screen message carefully, because it explains what happens and how long it takes.
4. Do not keep guessing quickly. Too many wrong attempts can lead to temporary limits.

The best fix is prevention: change or reset your password while still logged in on the old phone, as in the checklist.

Extra checks if you run channels or groups

Ownership moves with your account, but an owner has more to lose if something goes wrong mid-move. A few extra steps make it safe:

1. Make sure a second admin you trust exists, ideally with rights to add admins. If your account were locked out during the move, the channel would not be stranded. Our guide to adding admins to a Telegram channel explains the permissions.
2. Check scheduled posts after logging in on the new phone. They are stored on the server and will still go out, but confirm they are there.
3. Check bots connected to your channel. Bots are tied to the channel, not the phone, so they keep working. Any bot you manage through @BotFather stays with your account.
4. Test posting with a short message in a test channel or your Saved Messages before posting to a large audience from the new phone, so formatting surprises happen in private.
5. Re-enable notifications for admin chats. Per-device notification settings may have reset, and missing a join request or a report for a day can matter.

Example: a smooth switch in practice

This is an illustration of the steps above working together.

On Saturday, Tom gets a new phone. Before touching it, he opens Telegram on his old phone, confirms his two-step password works by changing it to a new one, and checks his recovery email. He reads the one secret chat he has, notes an address from it, and asks his friend to resend a shared document in their normal chat.

He moves his SIM to the new phone, installs Telegram and enters his number. The code arrives in Telegram on his laptop, where he is also logged in. He enters it and his password. His chats load within a few minutes on Wi-Fi.

He sets his passcode, notification sounds and auto-download rules, ends the old phone's session from the new phone's Devices screen, then factory-resets the old phone to sell it. Nothing was lost except the secret chat, which he had already dealt with.

What to do next

• Keep a desktop or web session active as a permanent backup route into your account.
• Review your privacy settings and active sessions every few months, not only when you change phones.
• If you rely on Telegram for important records, make an occasional export from Telegram Desktop and store it somewhere safe.

Common mistakes

• Logging out of the old phone first. If you are not logged in anywhere else, the code may only come by SMS, and any problem with the SIM leaves you locked out.
• Not knowing the two-step password. Change it while logged in, before the move.
• Changing number in the wrong order. Change the account's number before giving up the old SIM.
• Expecting secret chats to transfer. They never do.
• Sharing the login code with a "helper". No one legitimate needs it.
• Selling the old phone while still logged in. Log out, check Devices on the new phone, then reset the old one.
• Panicking at an empty chat list. Check folders, the archive and the account you logged in to before assuming anything is gone.
• Assuming media saved to the gallery comes with Telegram. Gallery copies move with your phone transfer, not with your Telegram account.

FAQ

Do I need to back up Telegram before changing phones?

Not for normal chats. They are stored in the cloud and come back when you log in. A backup export from Telegram Desktop is useful only if you want an offline copy. Secret chats cannot be backed up.

Will my contacts know I changed phones?

No. Logging in on a new device is not announced to your contacts. Changing your phone number can notify contacts, depending on the options you choose.

Why didn't the login code come by SMS?

Because you are logged in on another device. Telegram usually sends the code there first, inside the app. If you have no other device, the SMS or call option appears after a short wait.

Can I recover secret chats from my old phone?

No. Secret chats are stored only on the devices in the conversation and are not in Telegram's cloud. When the old device is logged out or wiped, they are gone.

Can I use Telegram on both the old and the new phone?

Yes. One account can be logged in on several devices at the same time. Normal chats sync between them. Secret chats stay on the device where they started.

What happens to my channels when I change phones?

Nothing changes. Ownership and admin rights belong to your account, not your device, so you remain owner or admin on the new phone.

Summary

Because Telegram keeps normal chats in its cloud, moving to a new phone is mostly a matter of logging in with the same number. Before you switch, confirm you can receive the code, know or reset your two-step password and add a recovery email, and deal with any secret chats, which never transfer. Keep the old phone logged in until the new one works, then end its session and reset it. If you are changing number too, change it on the account first. Afterwards, set the passcode, notifications, storage and proxy settings again on the new phone.