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How to Hide Your Phone Number on Telegram: the Two Settings, What They Don't Cover, and a Username Instead

By The Nadeemi team · Checked on

Part of: Is it encrypted? The app-by-app guide

Checked against Telegram's own settings and privacy guides, 6 November 2026. Menus move; check the date.

Telegram needs a phone number to sign up. What other people can do with that number is up to two settings, and many people only ever change the first one.

Short answer: Open Telegram > Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number. Set "Who can see my phone number" to Nobody, then set "Who can find me by my number" to My Contacts (the strictest option Telegram offers). Give people your @username instead of your number. People who already have your number saved can still find your account, and Telegram itself always knows it.

Setting 1: who can see my phone number

Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number > Who can see my phone number: Everybody, My Contacts or Nobody. With Nobody, your number is hidden on your profile from everyone, including in groups you share with strangers. You can add exceptions ("Always share with") for family.

Setting 2: who can find me by my number

When "Who can see" is Nobody, a second option appears: Who can find me by my number: Everybody or My Contacts. With My Contacts, someone who types your number into Telegram (or syncs a phonebook that contains it) finds you only if you have them saved too. This is the setting that stops strangers who got your number from a group, a leak or a classified ad from looking up your account.

What these settings don't cover (checked 6 Nov 2026)

GapWhy it matters
People who already have your numberIf you saved them as a contact, they can still find and see you
Telegram the companyYour number is your account; Telegram stores it
Old messages and forwardsA number you shared in a chat stays in that chat
Groups and channelsOrdinary Telegram groups and channels are not end-to-end encrypted; the server can read them
Contact syncIf others sync their phonebook, Telegram learns your number is in it

Sources: Privacy International, Telegram account settings, Bitdefender, hide your phone number on Telegram, Telegram FAQ.

Use a username instead of your number

A username (Settings > Username) gives you a link like t.me/yourname. People can message you without your number, and you can change or remove the username later. Combined with the two settings above, strangers in groups see your name and username, not your number.

Two more settings worth a minute in the same menu:

  1. Last Seen & Online: choose who sees when you were last online. Hiding it also hides your read times in private chats.
  2. Groups & Channels: choose who can add you to groups, so your account isn't dropped into spam groups.

When hiding isn't enough

Hiding a number is damage control: the number is still the key to the account. If you would rather not tie your social life to a phone number at all, compare apps that sign up without one in our guide to a Telegram alternative without a phone number.

How Nadeemi does it

Nadeemi is the app we build, so weigh this section accordingly. Nadeemi never asks for a phone number: you sign up with an email and a password, there is no contact-book upload, and people find you by your @handle or an invite link (also as a QR code). There is no number to hide, leak or look up. Private messages and group chats are encrypted on your device with MLS in the beta; we label them "end-to-end encryption coming" until an independent audit is published. Public posts are readable by our servers so they can be shown.

FAQ

Can people see my phone number on Telegram? By default, your contacts can. Set Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number > Who can see my phone number to Nobody to hide it from everyone else.

Can someone find my Telegram account with my phone number? Yes, unless you set "Who can find me by my number" to My Contacts. Then only people you have saved can find you that way.

Does hiding my number hide it from Telegram? No. Telegram uses the number as your account login and stores it.

Can I use Telegram without a phone number? You still need a number to create an account. A username lets you chat without showing it.

Do group members see my number on Telegram? Not if "Who can see my phone number" is set to Nobody and they are not in your contacts.

Sources (checked 6 November 2026)

Names of other apps are trademarks of their owners, used only for comparison. Nadeemi is not affiliated with any of them.

Drafted with AI help and checked by a person on the date above.

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