Telegram offers granular privacy controls that most users never configure. Here's how to lock down your account and control exactly what others can see.
Accessing Privacy Settings
Go to Settings > Privacy and Security. You'll see controls for each privacy category.
Phone Number Privacy
By default, people who have your number in their contacts can find you. You can change this:
- Who can see my phone number: Set to "Nobody" to hide it completely
- Who can find me by my number: Set to "My Contacts" to prevent strangers from looking you up
Last Seen & Online Status
Control who sees when you were last online:
- Everybody — anyone can see
- My Contacts — only people in your contacts
- Nobody — hidden from everyone
Note: If you hide your status from someone, you won't see theirs either.
Profile Photo Privacy
You can restrict who sees your profile photo: Everybody, My Contacts, or Nobody. You can also set exceptions for specific users.
Forwarded Messages
When someone forwards your message, by default it links back to your profile. Set "Who can add a link to my account when forwarding" to Nobody to prevent this.
Group & Channel Invites
Control who can add you to groups: Everybody, My Contacts, or Nobody. This prevents spam groups from adding you without consent.
Two-Factor Authentication
Enable 2FA in Privacy and Security > Two-Step Verification. This adds a password on top of the SMS code, protecting against SIM-swap attacks.
Active Sessions
Check Settings > Devices to see all active sessions. Terminate any you don't recognize. You can also enable auto-termination for inactive sessions.
For end-to-end encrypted conversations, learn about Telegram Secret Chats. For a broader security overview, read Is Telegram Safe?