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Telegram auto-delete messages: how the timer works and how to turn it off
Auto-delete is a per-chat timer: once it is set, every new message in that chat is deleted for everyone after the chosen time — for example a day, a week or a month after it was sent. In a private chat either person can set it, and it applies to both sides.
It affects only messages sent after the timer was switched on; older messages stay. And it is not the same as the “self-destruct after reading” timer, which exists only in secret chats.
How to turn auto-delete on or off
- For one chat: open the chat, tap the name at the top, then the menu (⋯ or ⋮) → Auto-Delete, and pick a period or switch it off.
- For all new chats: Settings → Privacy and Security → Auto-Delete Messages. This sets a default timer for chats you start from now on; existing chats keep their own setting.
- In groups and channels: only admins with the right permission can set the timer, and it applies to all members.
When someone changes the timer, Telegram adds a service message to the chat, such as “[Name] set messages to auto-delete in 1 week”. So auto-delete is never secret — both sides see that it was turned on.
Auto-delete vs self-destruct in secret chats
| Auto-delete timer | Self-destruct (secret chats) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Regular private chats, groups, channels | Only secret chats |
| Countdown starts | When the message is sent | When the recipient opens it |
| Typical use | Keeping a chat tidy | Messages that shouldn't outlive reading |
So “auto delete after read” is the secret-chat timer. In a regular chat, a message with a one-day timer disappears a day after it was sent, whether it was read or not.
Why auto-delete “doesn't work”
- Old messages stay. The timer applies only to messages sent after it was set.
- The global setting didn't touch your chats. It only covers new chats; set the timer inside existing chats one by one.
- In a group you're not an admin. Members can't set the group's timer.
- The other person turned it off. In a private chat either side can change or disable it — check the service messages in the chat.
Copies outside the chat survive the timer. Auto-delete removes messages from the chat, not screenshots, forwards, photos already saved to the gallery or exports. If you need to keep something from a chat with a timer, save it before the timer runs out.
If the other person turns on auto-delete
You will see the service message, and from then on the chat will empty itself. If those conversations matter to you — agreements, addresses, dates — keep a copy as they arrive. One way is a bot connected through Telegram's chatbot section (in your profile: “Edit” → “Chatbots”; Premium not needed): it stores the messages of the private chats you choose at the moment they arrive, independently of what later happens in the chat.
Common questions
How do I turn on auto-delete in Telegram?
Open the chat, tap its name, open the menu and choose Auto-Delete, then pick a period. For all new chats: Settings → Privacy and Security → Auto-Delete Messages.
Does Telegram auto-delete work for both sides?
Yes. In a private chat the timer applies to both participants, and either of them can set or change it. Telegram shows a service message when it changes.
Why are old messages not auto-deleted?
The timer only applies to messages sent after it was switched on. Earlier messages stay until someone deletes them.
Can Telegram delete messages after they are read?
Only in secret chats, with the self-destruct timer, which starts when the recipient opens the message. The regular auto-delete timer counts from the moment of sending.
Next
Telegram Clear History — clearing a chat by hand, for you or for both.
Does Telegram notify deletions? — what the other side sees.
3 ways to save a Telegram conversation — and the limit of each.