How to Sign Out of Telegram on a Computer

In the desktop client: open menu → Settings and find Log Out — in current versions it sits in the three-dot menu inside the settings window. In the web version, the option lives in the same place, under profile settings. Once confirmed, the client returns to the phone-number screen and the account's local data on that computer is wiped.

A separate situation is forgetting to log out with no access to the computer anymore. That's solved from your phone, and it's covered below.

Logging out of Telegram Desktop

Click the three lines in the top-left corner and choose Settings.
Open the additional menu (three dots) in the settings window.
Select Log Out and confirm.

The option's placement varies slightly between versions: some builds show it as its own row at the bottom of the settings list, others tuck it into the menu. If you can't find it, update the client.

Logging out of the web version

Open profile settings in browser Telegram and choose to log out. On someone else's computer, add one more step: clear the site data in the browser, since the web client keeps session information locally.

Working in an incognito window needs no extra action — the session doesn't survive closing it. That said, the session on Telegram's servers may still be listed as active, so check the devices section from your phone.

Logging out on macOS

The Mac version follows the same order: app settings, log out, confirm. Note that a system can have two different clients installed — the official Telegram Desktop and the App Store version. They're independent apps with independent sessions: logging out of one doesn't touch the other.

What gets erased and what stays

Wiped from the computer:

the local message database and cache for that account;
secret chats created on that device — they aren't stored in the cloud and can't be recovered;
notification and appearance settings for that profile.

Left behind:

the cloud conversation itself — chats, channels and files return at the next login;
files you downloaded through Telegram — they sit in your downloads folder and aren't affected;
the installed client and its autostart settings.

Several accounts: log out or switch

Telegram Desktop lets you keep several profiles at once. The log out button affects only the active account — the rest stay in the app.

If all you need is to move to another profile, don't log out: use the account switcher in the side menu. Logging out there is a wasted step that wipes local data and forces the history to download again.

Closing the app isn't the same as logging out

On Windows, clicking the X usually minimizes Telegram to the system tray: the account stays signed in and notifications keep arriving.

To close it fully: right-click the tray icon → quit the app.
Disable minimizing to tray in the client's settings, under the system options.
Autostart is switched off in the same place — otherwise Telegram launches with the system.

On a shared computer this matters: a minimized client with an active account is available to anyone who sits down at that desk.

If you can't reach the computer anymore

A forgotten session on a work or borrowed PC is ended remotely, from your phone:

Open Settings → Devices.
Find the session — it shows the app, platform, approximate location and time of last activity.
Tap it and terminate. Or use the terminate-all-other-sessions button if you're not sure which one is the stray.

The same section offers auto-termination of inactive sessions, with intervals from a week to six months. Sensible insurance if you regularly sign in from different computers.

A passcode instead of logging out

When the computer is yours but someone else uses it, a full logout is inconvenient: the history has to download all over again. The alternative is a local lock — set a passcode in privacy settings, and the app locks on a timeout or a hotkey.

The account stays active and notifications keep coming, but the conversations can't be opened without the code. For a home or office computer that's usually the better answer.

Work computers and shared access

If Telegram on an office PC is used for clients and tasks, logging in and out becomes a daily chore — and keeping personal conversations on a work machine isn't appealing anyway. It's more practical to split them: the personal account lives on your phone, and only the work profile is signed in on the office computer.

That profile is set up on a second number, an anonymous +888, or on ready-made Telegram accounts when it's meant for one line of work. A session left open at the office then becomes a convenience question rather than a risk to your private chats. Either way, the work account should have both a cloud password and an app passcode enabled.

Common mistakes

Clicking the X instead of logging out. The client minimizes to the tray and the account stays open.
Uninstalling the program as a way to sign out. The session remains active on Telegram's servers and has to be terminated separately.
Deleting a portable version's folder. Local data disappears, but the session stays listed as active until it's ended from the account.
Logging out with several profiles open. It's easy to sign out of the wrong account and lose that device's secret chats.
Changing your number to force a logout. It doesn't close active sessions.

FAQ

Will I lose my conversations after logging out on a computer?

No. Cloud chats, channels and files are preserved and reload at the next login. Only that device's secret chats disappear.

Does it sign me out on my phone too?

No, sessions are independent. To disconnect everything at once, use terminate all other sessions under Devices.

Is a password required to log out?

An ordinary logout needs none. The cloud password comes into play at your next login, if it's enabled.

What happens to notifications after logging out?

They stop on that computer but keep working on your other devices.

How do I confirm the session really ended?

Open Devices on your phone: a terminated session disappears from the list.

Do downloaded files stay after logging out?

Yes, anything saved to disk sits in your downloads folder and isn't affected.

Can I log out with no access to any device holding the account?

No. Session management works only from inside the account, so you first have to log in somewhere with your number and a code.

In short

Signing out on a computer is an option in the client's settings; it wipes the account's local data while the cloud conversation stays intact. Closing the window doesn't count — Telegram keeps running in the tray. If the computer is out of reach, end the session remotely under Devices, and for a home PC a passcode is almost always more convenient than logging out at all.