About Telegram usernames and how to set them

Published in

Kirobo.io

3 min readOct 14, 2021

Telegram is among the most popular apps on Android. It’s a cloud-based, mostly decentralized messaging service that prioritizes security and speed.

Unlike mainstream messaging apps that share and access your data, Telegram values its privacy policies. Messages are end-to-end encrypted, and no one can access them. But that is not everything; it has more features that make it stand out. Text messages, voice messages, phone and video calls through Telegram are free regardless of how many messages you send and receive daily, or if the communications are for personal or business purposes. Furthermore, you also enjoy unlimited space — files of up to 2GB can be shared on the platform.

During the recent Facebook shutdown, Telegram picked up a lot of the slack. In this instructional article, we will guide you through the process of setting up a Telegram username, which you’ll need to do to effectively participate in the Kirobo community chat.

Usernames and Telegram

You can set up a public username on Telegram. It then becomes possible for other users to find you by that username — you will appear in contacts search under ‘global results’. Please note that people who find you will be able to send you messages, even if they don’t know your number. If you are not comfortable with this, we advise against setting a username.

How does a Telegram user name work?

Once you’ve set up a username, you can give people a t.me/username link. Opening that link on their phone will automatically fire up their Telegram app and open a chat with you. They are useful for easy sharing — you can even put them business cards and websites.

What can I use as my username?

Usernames must be at least five characters long and can contain a-z, 0–9, and underscores. Usernames are case-insensitive, but Telegram will store your capitalization preferences (e.g. Telegram and TeleGram is considered the same user). The username must be at least five characters long.

Do I need a username?

You don’t have to get one if you don’t feel comfortable- remember that they are public. However, they makes it possible for people to find you with the search function if they don’t have your number.

If someone finds me by username, message and I reply — will they know my number?

No. Neither party will see the other’s phone number (unless you change your privacy settings). Similarly, numbers won’t appear when you message a person who you’ve met in a Telegram group.

Creating a Telegram username

Open the Telegram app on your smartphone.
Tap the menu icon in the top left corner of the screen.
Tap “Settings”.

4. If you don’t have your username set, one of the listed options will show “None”. Select this.

5. The next screen allows you to define your public username

How do I delete my username?

Go to settings and save an empty username. This will remove your username; people will no longer be able to find you via search. This will not affect existing conversations.

What do I do if my username is taken?

Telegram usernames are distributed on a first come — first served basis. If your username is taken, Telegram will help you acquire a similar one with our bot — @Username_bot. A single account can register usernames, so Telegram can recall them if it wishes.