Telegram for Windows 10 now supports auto-deleting messages

Telegram Auto Delete
Telegram Auto Delete (Image credit: Windows Central)

Telegram Android App

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Telegram now supports automatically deleting messages in all chats.
  • Previously, Telegram only supported automatically deleting messages within Secret Chats.
  • The same update also brings several other features, including inviting people to groups with QR codes.

Telegram rolled an update this week that brings support for automatically deleting messages. You can now set an auto-delete timer for all Telegram chats, which you can have delete your messages after 24 hours or seven days. The same update also brings several other features, including improvements to inviting people to groups.

The ability to auto-delete messages is the highlight of this update. Previously, you could only set Telegram to automatically delete messages in Secret Chats. Now, you can have the app auto-delete messages in any chat. When you set a message to auto-delete in a non-secret chat, the countdown starts from when it's sent, not when it's read.

The blog post announcing the update doesn't specifically mention the Windows version of Telegram, but the ability to auto-delete messages is in the Windows app.

To set up auto-delete:

  1. Select the "..." menu within a message.
  2. Select Clear history.
  3. Select Enable Auto-Delete.
  4. Select a duration for auto-deletion.
  5. Select SAVE.

It's also easier to invite people to groups with support for converting invite links to scannable QR codes. These are useful for larger groups that are public-facing and can be placed on billboards and other forms of advertisement.

On the topic of large groups, Telegram supports groups up to 200,000 members. If that isn't enough, you can convert a group into a Broadcast Group, which allows unlimited members. In Broadcast Groups, only admins can send messages, but anyone can send voice chats.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.