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Desktop guide, checked 26 October 2026
How do you use multiple Telegram accounts on a PC?
Telegram Desktop holds 3 accounts in one app. Click the menu (☰), click the small arrow next to your name, then Add Account. Every Telegram Premium account you connect raises that cap by one, up to 6. To see two accounts at once, right-click one in the menu and choose Open in new window. Need more than six, or apps that never share anything? Start a second copy of Telegram Desktop with its own data folder.
- 3 to 6 accountsone app, one per phone number
- Side by sideOpen in new window
- More than 6separate data folders
One window. All accounts live in one Telegram Desktop app. Click a name in the menu to switch. Simple, and the right choice for most people.
How many Telegram accounts can one computer run?
It depends on the app. On Telegram Desktop and Web A it also depends on how many of your connected accounts pay for Premium. Pick that number and watch the window stacks.
Telegram Desktop
Windows, macOS, Linux
3 accounts
Three free slots, plus one for every Premium account you connect, never more than six. Telegram’s own source code sets these numbers.
Telegram Web A
3 accounts
Same rule as Desktop. Each account opens at its own web address.
Telegram Web K
3 accounts
Three, or four once any of them has Premium.
Phones, for comparison
3 accounts
iPhone and Android stop at four. Phone steps live in our multiple accounts guide.
Which way of running several accounts fits you?
Five real situations, five setups. Open a folder to see the method, the effort and the catch.
The account switcher in one app
Add up to six accounts to Telegram Desktop and switch from the menu. Settings, cache and notifications stay in one place.
- Nothing to install, every account in one list with unread counts.
- Only one account is on screen at a time in a single window.
How do you add a second account in Telegram Desktop?
Every account needs its own phone number, and that number must be able to receive a login code. Step through the setup for your app.
Open the menu
Click the three lines (☰) at the top left of the chat list.
Shortcut: Settings, then the three dots at the top, also has Add Account.
- MenuClick ☰ at the top left.
- ArrowClick the arrow next to your name to show your accounts.
- Add AccountClick it. It disappears from Settings’ top menu once you reach your cap.
- Log inScan the QR code with the phone already signed in to that account, or enter the number and the code.
- SwitchClick any account in the menu. Ctrl+click opens it in its own window.
Can you see two Telegram accounts at the same time?
Yes, without any tricks. Since version 4.6 (February 2023) Telegram Desktop can open each connected account in its own window. Drag the divider to feel how a split screen works.
Three ways to open the second window
- Right-clickan account in the menu, then Open in new window.
- Ctrl + clickthe account, or click it with the middle mouse button.
- Ctrl + clickAdd Account to log a new account straight into its own window.
Then snap the windows: on Windows press Win + Left in one and Win + Right in the other.
Give each account a keyboard shortcut
Settings, Chat Settings, Keyboard shortcuts lists Account #1 to Account #6 with no keys assigned. Telegram added Ctrl+Shift+1 to 6 as defaults in January 2024 and removed them a week later, because they clashed with typing tools. Pick your own.
- Account #1
- Account #2
- Account #3
Example keys. Check they are free in the tools you use.
How do you run more than six accounts, or fully separate apps?
Telegram Desktop keeps everything in one data folder called tdata. Point a second copy at a different folder and you get a completely separate app: its own accounts, its own 3 to 6 slots, its own cache and settings.
Right-click your Telegram shortcut, open Properties and replace the Target with:
"C:\Users\You\AppData\Roaming\Telegram Desktop\Telegram.exe" -workdir "D:\Telegram\Work"
Or unzip two portable copies (Windows)
Download the Portable version from desktop.telegram.org and extract it into two folders. On Windows, Telegram stores tdata next to its Telegram.exe, so each folder is its own app.
- D:\Telegram-Work
- Telegram.exe
- tdatawork accounts
- D:\Telegram-Shop
- Telegram.exe
- tdatashop accounts
On Linux and macOS builds of Telegram Desktop, data goes to a system folder unless a folder named TelegramForcePortable sits next to the program.
- Start each folder empty. Log in fresh instead of copying a signed-in tdata folder, so every copy gets its own session.
- Updates. A -workdir copy running next to the main one leaves updating to the main copy. Portable copies update themselves.
- The Microsoft Store version keeps its data in its own place. Use the installer or the Portable version for this setup.
- Unofficial “multi-account” clients are not made by Telegram. Keep accounts you care about in the official apps.
Can you use several accounts in Telegram Web?
Yes, and it is the fastest option on a work laptop where you can’t install anything. Click the tabs.
The first account uses the plain address. Every account after it gets its own address, so you can keep each one pinned in its own tab.
How do notifications work with several accounts?
By default Telegram Desktop shows alerts from every connected account, and the menu button shows an unread dot for the accounts you are not looking at.
To hear only the account on screen, open Settings, Notifications and Sounds and turn off All accounts. Separate copies started with -workdir each have their own notification settings.
3 alerts from 3 accounts.
How do you keep several logged-in accounts safe on one PC?
More accounts on one computer means more to lose if someone else sits down at it. Tick what you have done.
Why can’t I add or open another account?
Click a dialog to bring it to the front.
You are at your cap
Desktop allows 3 accounts, plus one for each Premium account you connect, up to 6. Subscribe to Premium on any connected account, log one out, or start a separate copy with its own data folder.
Running a channel from your work account?
A second account keeps admin work apart from your private chats. If that channel is new and quiet, a starting audience helps people trust it. We have offered this since 2019.
Members can leave later. Real Members come with a 30-day refill.
Questions people ask about Telegram accounts on PC
How many Telegram accounts can I have on a PC?
Telegram Desktop allows 3 accounts in one app. Each Premium account you connect adds one more slot, up to 6. Web A follows the same rule, Web K allows 3, or 4 with Premium. Separate copies of Telegram Desktop with their own data folders each get their own slots.
Can I use two Telegram accounts at the same time on my computer?
Yes. In Telegram Desktop, right-click the second account in the menu and choose Open in new window, or Ctrl+click it. Both windows stay live and both receive messages.
Do I need a different phone number for each account?
Yes. Every Telegram account is tied to one phone number, and that number has to receive a login code when you first sign in. Our virtual number guide covers the options and their risks.
Does adding an account on my PC add it to my phone?
No. Accounts are added per app. An account you add in Telegram Desktop appears only in that copy of Telegram Desktop, and it shows up in your sessions list as one more device.
Can other people see that my accounts share a computer?
No. Your contacts see each account on its own. Nothing in a profile shows which other accounts are signed in on the same device.
What does -workdir do in Telegram Desktop?
It tells Telegram Desktop which folder to use for its data. A copy started with a different folder is a separate app with its own accounts, settings and cache, and it can run at the same time as your normal copy.
Is the portable version of Telegram safe?
Yes, when you download it from desktop.telegram.org. It is the same official app that keeps its data next to the program. Never download a “portable Telegram” from file-sharing sites.
What happens to my extra accounts when Premium ends?
They stay connected. If you are now above the cap, switching to an account past it shows Limit Reached until you subscribe again on one connected account or log one out.
Which guides go well with this one?
How we checked this guide. On 26 October 2026 we read the account limit, launcher, data folder, account menu and notification code of Telegram Desktop (version 7.3.3) and its changelog, the account code of Telegram Web A and Telegram Web K, the download options on desktop.telegram.org, and Telegram’s Premium announcement. We did not check the separate Telegram for macOS app’s code. Written by the AddTelegramMember team, a Telegram growth service since 2019.