Can you make a Telegram account without a phone number?

No. Telegram has no email or username-only sign-up. Its privacy policy says "You provide your mobile number and basic account data ... to create a Telegram account," and its FAQ adds that landlines are not supported. What Telegram does offer is a way to keep that number hidden from almost everyone you talk to, using a username and one privacy setting.

Everything below is taken from Telegram's own FAQ, privacy policy and blog, checked on November 1, 2026.

What Telegram says about phone numbers at sign-up

Three lines from Telegram settle the question.

A number is required. The privacy policy, section 3.1: "You provide your mobile number and basic account data (which may include profile name, profile picture and about information) to create a Telegram account."
It has to be a mobile number. The FAQ troubleshooting section: "Telegram accounts can only be connected to a mobile number. We currently don't support landline numbers."
The number is the account. Also from the FAQ: "the phone number is the only way for us to identify a Telegram user at the moment. We don't collect additional information about you, so whoever has the number, has the account."

The same applies on every app. Telegram's FAQ says to "use your main mobile phone number to log in everywhere," whether that is the iPhone app, Android, the macOS app, the desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, or Telegram Web.

Why Telegram asks for a number

In its own words, from section 3.4 of the privacy policy: "Telegram uses phone numbers as unique identifiers so that it is easy for you to switch from SMS and other messaging apps and retain your social graph." In plain terms, the number lets your contacts who already use Telegram show up automatically, and lets Telegram tell you when one of them joins.

It is also the backstop for getting back in. Even the newer login options sit on top of the number rather than replacing it, as the sections below show.

How to sign up for Telegram

Install Telegram on your phone, or open the desktop app or Telegram Web.
Enter your mobile number in international format. The FAQ asks for "+(country code)(city or carrier code)(your number)."
Enter the login code. It usually arrives by SMS. If you are already logged in on another device, Telegram "may send the login code via Telegram instead of SMS," in a chat from the verified "Telegram" account. Codes by phone call "may be unavailable for particular carriers or require two-step verification enabled."
Pick a name. It can be any name you like. It does not have to match the number.
Before you chat with anyone, set the privacy options below. This is the step that actually decides who sees your number.

If you get stuck on step 3, Telegram's FAQ points you to its registration support form.

How to hide your number from other Telegram users

This is what most people searching "Telegram without a phone number" are really after: being on Telegram without strangers seeing the number. Telegram's FAQ is clear that this is possible. "On Telegram, you can send messages in private chats and groups without making your phone number visible."

Telegram separates two things that are easy to mix up:

Question	Where you set it	What Telegram says
Who can see my number?	Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number	"By default, your number is only visible to people who you've added to your address book as contacts."
Who can find me by my number?	Your phone number privacy settings	Telegram's 2022 announcement says users control "whether others are allowed to find them by their phone number"
Can people reach me without my number?	Set a username in Settings	Others "can use Global Search and find you by your username"

One limit Telegram states plainly: "people will always see your number if they know it already and saved it in their address book." The setting hides your number from people who don't have it. It cannot hide it from people who do.

Set a username so people never need the number

A username gives people a way to reach you without your number. Telegram's FAQ: "You can share username links with friends, write them on business cards or put them up on your website. This way people can contact you on Telegram without knowing your phone number." Your link is t.me/yourname or yourname.t.me. Usernames can use a to z, 0 to 9 and underscores.

Does a reply give your number away? Telegram's FAQ answers that directly. If someone finds you by username and you reply, "Neither party will see another's phone number (unless this is permitted by your privacy settings)."

The trade-off, again in Telegram's words: a username makes it possible "for people to find you in global search and send you messages even if they don't have your number. If you are not comfortable with this, we advise against setting up a username." To remove one, save an empty username in Settings.

A number link such as t.me/+123456789 also exists, but Telegram notes "it will only work if your privacy settings let others find you by your phone number." If you have turned that off, give out your username instead.

Logging in without an SMS code: passkeys

Telegram added passkeys on December 12, 2025. Once you are logged in on a device, you can create one and then log in "with a PIN or biometric data like Face ID and fingerprints" instead of an SMS code. The FAQ says passkeys work "even if you are traveling or don't have SMS service," and can be managed in Settings > Privacy and Security > Passkeys.

That is a way around SMS codes, not around the number. The same announcement says: "Even with a passkey enabled, make sure that your account is registered to an active phone number you control." The FAQ repeats it: "With a passkey, you can still request an SMS code in order to log in."

What Telegram says about Fragment anonymous numbers

On December 6, 2022, in a post titled "No-SIM Signup," Telegram announced: "You can have a Telegram account without a SIM card and log in using blockchain-powered anonymous numbers available on the Fragment platform." Telegram's FAQ separately describes Fragment as a third-party platform where collectible usernames can be bought and sold.

Two things follow from Telegram's own text. First, this is still a number. The account is tied to it in exactly the same way as to a SIM number, and "whoever has the number, has the account." Second, Telegram's warnings about keeping "an active phone number you control" apply to it as much as to any other. We don't cover how to get one, and this is not a recommendation either way. If you consider it, read Telegram's and Fragment's own terms first.

Keep the account if you lose the number

Because the number is the account, losing it is the main way people lose Telegram. Telegram's FAQ suggests:

Turn on 2-Step Verification in Settings > Privacy and Security. "Once enabled, you will need both an SMS code and a password to log in." You can add a recovery email for the password, and Telegram asks that you protect that inbox with "a strong password and 2-Step Verification when possible."
Change the number in the app when you change SIMs for good: Settings, tap your number, then Change Number. You keep your chats, contacts and media.
Don't let a new number lapse. Getting codes inside Telegram "should not be considered an alternative to using an up-to-date phone number," Telegram warns. Without that, "you risk losing access to your account forever."
Stay active. Telegram says that if you "don't come online for at least 18 months, your account will be deleted."

For the rest of Telegram's privacy picture, including which chats are end-to-end encrypted, read is Telegram safe.

What not to do

Don't register with a public SMS number or anyone else's. Telegram's rule cuts both ways: whoever controls the number can request a login code. A shared or borrowed number is someone else's key to your chats.
Don't share login codes. The FAQ says Telegram's own login codes "should never be shared with anyone, including other services."
Don't delete the account to "start fresh" with a different identity on the same number. Deletion "is irreversible," and people who have your number saved "will be notified" when you sign up again.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create a Telegram account with just an email?

No. Telegram's privacy policy says you provide a mobile number to create an account. An email address can be added later as a recovery email for your 2-Step Verification password, but it cannot replace the number.

Can I use a landline number for Telegram?

No. Telegram's FAQ says accounts "can only be connected to a mobile number. We currently don't support landline numbers."

If I join a Telegram group, can members see my number?

Not by default. Telegram says you can message in groups "without making your phone number visible," and by default only your saved contacts see it. Check Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number to confirm.

Can I remove my phone number from Telegram?

No, but you can change it. Go to Settings, tap your number and choose Change Number. If the new number already has a Telegram account, Telegram says you'll need to delete that account first.

Can I have two Telegram accounts?

Yes, with two numbers. Telegram's FAQ says "each phone number is a separate account," and you can log in to one Telegram app with several accounts and switch between them.

The other half: the email you sign up with

Telegram is one of the services that will not budge on a phone number. Most of your other accounts sign up with an email address, and that address does not have to be tied to a number either. Big providers often ask for one; we cover what Gmail and Outlook require, and our page on email without a phone number covers the rest.

Secria Mail's sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password: no phone number and no card. You save a 12-word recovery phrase instead of a recovery phone. The free plan has 1 GB and 2 email aliases, so a site or app can get its own address while your main one stays private.

Telegram needs your number. Your email doesn't: create a free Secria address without one.