I have a new phone number, what do I do?
Each phone number is a separate Telegram account, so what to do depends on whether the old number is gone for good or you intend to use both.
If you are done with the old number
Change the number on your existing account rather than starting a new one. Open Settings, tap your phone number just above your username, and choose Change Number. Everything moves with the account: contacts, messages, cloud media and your Secret Chats on every device. Nobody has to re-add you.
If you will use both numbers
Leave the existing account where it is and add the new number as a second account. Telegram supports several accounts signed in at once on the same device, and you switch between them from the menu. This keeps the two identities genuinely separate, which is usually what people want when they hold a work and a personal number.
Before you start
- Check whether a Telegram account already exists on the target number. If one does, a number change will not complete until it is deleted, and deleting it is permanent.
- Confirm two-step verification is enabled, so the account is protected through the transition.
- Make sure both numbers are reachable during the change, particularly when moving country or carrier.
What not to do
Do not create a fresh account on the new number and abandon the old one because it seems simpler. You lose the history, the groups you own, your username and every conversation. The number change exists so none of that is necessary.