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First-time setup · checked 27 October 2026
How do you set a password for your Telegram account?
Go to Settings › Privacy and Security › Two-Step Verification, tap Set Password (Set Additional Password on iPhone), type it twice, add an optional hint and a recovery email, then enter the code Telegram emails you. That password protects logins on new devices. To lock the app on your own phone, also turn on Passcode Lock, and add a passkey if you want to log in without SMS codes.
- Cloud passwordstops a stolen SIM
- Passcodestops a borrowed phone
- Passkeyreplaces the SMS step
Which password does what on Telegram?
Think of a login as a walk through checkpoints. Two of them guard your account in Telegram’s cloud. The third is a lock on one device only. Tap a checkpoint.
New device Your chats
Asked right after the login code on any new phone, tablet or computer, and before a few sensitive actions. Telegram checks it with the SRP protocol, so the app proves you know it without sending the password itself. Forget it and you need your recovery email.
Which protection stops which threat?
Each lock stops different people. Pick who you are worried about and run them through screening.
- Login codePasses
- Cloud passwordStopped
- Passcode LockNot asked
They receive your SMS code on their SIM, but the cloud password stops them. Two-Step Verification is the lock that matters here.
How do you turn on Two-Step Verification?
About two minutes. Have your email inbox open in another app before you start.
- 01 · FROMSettingsTap Settings in the bottom bar.
- 02 · VIAPrivacy and SecurityThen Two-Step Verification.
- 03 · BOARDSet Additional PasswordThen Create Password: type it, then re-enter it.
- 04 · SEATHintOptional. It must be different from the password, and anyone at your login screen can read it.
- 05 · BAGGAGERecovery emailAdd an address you will still own in five years.
- 06 · GATEEmail codeEnter the code Telegram sends. Check spam if it is late.
“This password will be required when you log in on a new device in addition to the code you get in the SMS.”
Tempted to skip the email? Telegram answers: “No, seriously. If you forget your password, you will lose access to your Telegram account.”
Already have a password and want to change it, reset it or turn it off? That is a different trip: change or recover your Two-Step Verification password.
Recovery email or login email: what is the difference?
Telegram can hold two email addresses for you. They point in opposite directions.
- Gets a code to reset a forgotten cloud password
- Set inside Two-Step Verification, confirmed by code
- Never used to log in
- Receives login codes “via email and not SMS”
- Shown as Login Email in Privacy and Security when set
- Does not reset the cloud password
Can both be the same inbox? Yes. Then that inbox is the master key to your account, so give it a long password and its own two-step login. And because the login email takes over from SMS, keep the cloud password on as well.
How do you lock the Telegram app with a passcode?
Passcode Lock never leaves the device. It is for the phone on the kitchen table or the shared office PC. Try the keypad: enter any four digits.
Fine for a phone that stays in your pocket. On a shared tablet, pick 1 min.
- iPhonePrivacy and Security › Passcode & Face ID › Turn Passcode On. Passcode Options: 4-digit, 6-digit or a custom alphanumeric code. Then switch on Unlock with Face ID.
- AndroidPrivacy and Security › Passcode Lock › Enable passcode. A 4-digit PIN, or tap Switch to password. Then Unlock with Fingerprint, and switch off Show Content if you do not want chats visible in the app switcher.
- DesktopSettings › Privacy and Security › Local passcode. Choose Auto-Lock if away or if inactive. A lock icon appears above your chat list.
Forget it on a phone and you must delete and reinstall Telegram, and secret chats on that phone are lost. On Desktop you log out and log in again. Your cloud chats are safe either way.
Should you add a passkey, and how?
Since 12 December 2025 Telegram lets you log in with your face, fingerprint or screen lock instead of an SMS code. It is the fast-track lane, not a way around security.
- 1Settings › Privacy and Security › Passkeys
- 2Tap Create Passkey and confirm with your face, fingerprint or screen lock
- 3Your password manager saves it (iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager or another app that supports passkeys)
- 4Next time, tap log in using passkey on the phone number screen
What we checked: in Telegram for Android’s login code, a passkey sign-in that hits an account with Two-Step Verification goes straight to the password screen. So a passkey replaces the SMS step, not the cloud password. Telegram also asks you to keep an active phone number on the account.
Which setup is right for you?
Answer three questions and get your own boarding order.
What else should you check after setting the password?
Five small trays. Each takes under a minute.
Growing a channel now that it is locked down?
A protected owner account is the base for everything else. When you are ready to grow, Telegram Real Members start at $4 per 1,000 with a 30-day refill, delivered to a public channel or group link. We never ask for your password, passcode or login code, and no order needs admin rights.
Questions about setting a Telegram password
A1Does Telegram have a password?
Not by default. Telegram logs you in with a one-time code (by SMS, in the app on another device, or by email) or with a passkey. You can add your own password in Settings › Privacy and Security › Two-Step Verification, and a separate passcode to lock the app on one device.
A2What is the difference between Two-Step Verification and Passcode Lock?
Two-Step Verification is a cloud password asked when someone logs in to your account on a new device. Passcode Lock is a local code that locks the app on one phone or computer. They protect against different things, so most people should use both.
A3Is a recovery email required for Two-Step Verification?
No, you can skip it, but Telegram warns that if you forget the password without a recovery email you can lose access to your account. Add an email you control and confirm it with the code Telegram sends.
B1Does a passkey replace my Telegram password?
No. A passkey replaces the SMS login code. If Two-Step Verification is on, Telegram still asks for your cloud password after you log in with a passkey.
B2Can I use Face ID or a fingerprint to lock Telegram?
Yes. Set a passcode first in Privacy and Security, then switch on Unlock with Face ID on iPhone or Unlock with Fingerprint on Android. The passcode stays as the fallback.
B3What happens if I forget my Telegram passcode?
On a phone you have to delete and reinstall Telegram, and secret chats on that phone are lost. On Telegram Desktop you log out and log in again. Your cloud chats are not affected.
C1Will setting a password log me out of my other devices?
No. Devices that are already logged in stay logged in. Check Settings › Devices and end any session you do not recognise.
Where to next?
How we checked this guide. On 27 October 2026 we read the Telegram FAQ, Telegram’s passkeys announcement of 12 December 2025 and the two-factor authentication (SRP) docs. We matched every screen name, warning and option to the source code and English texts of Telegram for Android (LoginActivity, PasscodeActivity, SessionsActivity, PasskeysController), Telegram for iOS and Telegram Desktop. Written by the AddTelegramMember team, a Telegram growth service since 2019.