How to Block or Restrict Someone on Telegram

To block someone on Telegram, open their profile or your chat with them, open the menu and choose the block option; they can no longer message or call you, and Telegram does not tell them. If you want something softer than a block, you can mute or archive the chat, hide your details from that one person through privacy exceptions, or, if you are a group admin, restrict what they can do in the group. This guide covers each option on every device and explains exactly what the other person will and will not notice.

Telegram's menus change from version to version, so the wording on your screen may differ slightly from the descriptions here. The options themselves have been stable for a long time.

Before you start: choose the right tool

Telegram has several ways to limit contact, and they do very different things. Pick the one that matches your situation:

• Block stops a specific person from messaging or calling you privately. Use it for harassment, spam, scams or anyone you never want to hear from.
• Mute silences notifications from a chat but leaves everything else as it is. Use it when the person is fine but the volume is not.
• Archive moves a chat out of your main list. Use it to tidy up without cutting anyone off.
• Privacy exceptions hide specific details, such as your last seen time or profile photo, from specific people, without blocking them.
• Group restrictions limit what a member can do inside a group you administer, from removing their ability to send media to banning them entirely.
• Report tells Telegram's moderators about spam, scams, abuse or illegal content. It can be combined with blocking.

If someone is threatening you, scamming you or harassing you, save evidence first, then report and block. If someone is merely annoying, muting or archiving may be enough and avoids any awkwardness.

How to block someone

On Android

1. Open the chat with the person, or find them through search or your contacts.
2. Tap their name at the top of the chat to open their profile.
3. Tap the menu button, usually three dots in the top corner.
4. Choose the option to block the user.
5. Confirm. Telegram may also offer to delete the chat at the same time.

On iPhone and iPad

1. Open the chat with the person.
2. Tap their name or photo at the top to open their profile.
3. Tap the more button, usually shown as three dots.
4. Choose the block option.
5. Confirm when asked.

On Telegram Desktop

1. Open the chat with the person.
2. Click their name at the top to open their profile, or open the menu in the top corner of the chat.
3. Choose the block option from the menu.
4. Confirm.

On Telegram Web

1. Open the chat.
2. Click the person's name at the top to open their profile panel.
3. Open the menu and choose the block option.
4. Confirm.

From your privacy settings

You can also block someone without opening their chat:

1. Open Telegram's settings and go to the privacy and security section.
2. Open the list of blocked users.
3. Choose the option to block a user, and pick the person from your chats or contacts.

This list is also where you see everyone you have blocked and where you unblock people later.

When a stranger messages you first

When someone who is not in your contacts sends you a first message, Telegram usually shows a bar at the top of the chat with options such as reporting spam, blocking the user or adding them as a contact. Using that bar is the quickest way to deal with unwanted first contact, and reporting from there helps Telegram spot spam accounts.

What blocking actually does

This is where most confusion comes from, so here is exactly what changes.

What the blocked person can no longer do

• Send you private messages. Their messages do not reach you. On their side, a message usually stays with a single tick, meaning it was sent but never delivered. Our guide on one tick and two ticks explains the ticks.
• Call you. Voice and video calls from them do not go through.
• See your last seen and online status. They see a vague status instead of your real activity.
• See updates to your profile. In most cases they will no longer see your current profile photo and similar details.
• See your stories. Blocked users cannot view stories you post.

What blocking does not change

• Shared groups. If you are both in the same group, you can still see each other's messages there, and they can still reply to or mention you in the group. Blocking only covers private contact.
• Public channels. If you run a public channel, a blocked person can still read it, like anyone else, because channels are public by design. Channel admins can remove and ban subscribers separately, as explained below.
• Old messages. Your chat history stays on both sides unless you delete it. If you want it gone, delete the chat and choose to delete it for the other person as well, where that option is offered.
• Their account. Blocking does not report them to Telegram or limit their account in any way. Use the report option for that.

Does the person know they were blocked?

Telegram does not send a notification. However, they may work it out from the signs above: messages stuck on one tick, calls that never connect, a status that no longer updates and a missing profile photo. Each of those signs can also have other causes, such as privacy settings or the person not using Telegram, so nobody can be completely sure. Our guide on what "last seen recently" means explains why statuses can be vague for many reasons.

Can you message someone you blocked?

While someone is blocked, Telegram expects you to unblock them before you can message them privately again. If you try to write to them, the app will usually offer to unblock first.

Blocking someone who is in your contacts

Blocking and contacts are separate lists. If you block someone who is saved in your contacts, they stay in your contacts unless you remove them, and they may still have your phone number saved on their side.

If you want a clean break:

1. Block the person.
2. Open their profile and delete them from your Telegram contacts.
3. If your phone syncs contacts to Telegram, also delete them from your phone's address book, or they may be added back on the next sync.
4. Check your phone number privacy setting. If it is set to show your number to contacts, a person who still has your number saved can see it is linked to your Telegram account. Setting the number to "nobody" and limiting who can find you by number reduces this.

When blocking does not seem to work

Sometimes people block someone and still hear from them. Each cause below has its own fix.

They still appear in a group

How to recognise it. You see their messages or mentions in a group you share.

Fix.

1. Remember that blocking does not cover groups.
2. Leave the group, or ask its admins to restrict or remove the person.
3. If you stay, mute the group so their mentions do not notify you.

If it continues. If they use the group to target you, report the messages to the group's admins and to Telegram.

They contact you from a new account

How to recognise it. A new account with a different name writes to you in the same style or about the same subject.

Fix.

1. Report and block the new account too.
2. Change the setting that controls who can find you by phone number, and hide your number from everyone.
3. Turn on the option to archive and mute chats from non-contacts, or restrict who can message you, if available on your account.
4. If they find you through your username, consider changing it. See how to change your Telegram username.

If it continues. Repeated contact after being blocked can be harassment. Save every account's details and report to the police if it frightens you.

Calls still ring

How to recognise it. You get calls from an account you thought was blocked.

Fix. Check the caller's username. It is almost always a different account. Block it, and set the calls privacy setting to contacts only.

The block seems to have disappeared

How to recognise it. The person is not in your blocked list on another device.

Fix. The blocked list belongs to your account and should match on every device after a refresh. Close and reopen Telegram, check your connection, and look again. If the person is genuinely missing from the list, block them again. If you use more than one Telegram account, make sure you blocked them from the right one. See using multiple Telegram accounts.

They can still read your posts

How to recognise it. They react to or quote your channel posts.

Fix. If the channel is public, its posts are visible to anyone, including through its web preview. Remove and ban them as a subscriber to stop them receiving posts in Telegram, and consider whether a private channel suits you better.

How to unblock someone

1. Open settings, then the privacy and security section.
2. Open the list of blocked users.
3. Find the person and choose to unblock them. On some devices you swipe or long-press the name; on others you open it and choose unblock.

You can also open the person's profile directly and choose the unblock option from there. Messages they sent while blocked are not delivered afterwards; they are simply lost.

Deleting the conversation as well

Blocking leaves the history in place. If you also want the conversation gone, delete it separately, and think about evidence first.

1. Decide whether you might need the messages later, for a report, a dispute or the police. If so, save screenshots or export the chat before deleting. Our guide on exporting Telegram chat history shows how on desktop.
2. Open the chat list, press and hold the chat (or right-click on desktop), and choose to delete it.
3. If Telegram offers to delete it for the other person as well, tick that option to remove it from both sides.
4. Confirm.

Keep realistic expectations. Deleting removes the messages from Telegram, but the other person may already have saved media, taken screenshots or forwarded messages elsewhere, and nothing on Telegram can undo that. Secret chats are deleted on both devices when either side deletes them, but they too can have been captured before.

Blocking bots and channels

Bots

A bot can only message you after you have started it, but some bots send unwanted updates. To stop one, open the bot's chat, open its profile or menu and choose the option to stop and block the bot. The bot can no longer message you. If the bot was added to a group, removing it from the group is a separate step for the group's admins. Blocking a bot also does not erase anything you already sent it. If you shared personal details with a bot, the service behind it may still hold them, so contact its operator through its own support if you want them removed.

Channels

You cannot block a channel in the same way as a person, but you can leave it, which stops new posts reaching you. If a channel added you somewhere without your permission, see the section on group invites below. If a channel is spreading scams or illegal content, report it. Our guide on how to report on Telegram covers reporting people, groups, channels and individual messages.

Gentler options: restricting without blocking

Sometimes you do not want to cut someone off completely. Maybe it is a relative who sends too many forwards, a colleague who messages late at night, or an ex you still co-parent with. Telegram has no single "restrict" button for one-to-one chats, but combining a few tools gets you something similar.

Mute the chat

Muting stops notifications from that chat, for a set time or until you turn them back on. The person is not told. You still get their messages whenever you open the chat.

1. Open the chat.
2. Open the chat's profile or menu.
3. Choose to mute notifications and pick a duration.

Archive the chat

Archiving moves the chat into a separate Archive folder. Muted archived chats stay there even when new messages arrive. This keeps your main list clear without blocking anyone. Our guide to pinning, muting and archiving chats covers this in more detail.

Hide your details from that person only

Most of Telegram's privacy settings let you add exceptions. You can, for example, show your last seen time to everyone except one person, or show your profile photo to your contacts except one. The person is not told.

1. Open settings, then privacy and security.
2. Open the setting you want to change, such as last seen and online, profile photos, phone number or bio.
3. Find the exceptions section and add the person to the "never share with" list.
4. Repeat for each setting you want to hide from them.

Note that some settings work both ways. If you hide your last seen time from someone, you generally cannot see theirs either, unless Telegram's current rules for Premium users say otherwise. Check the explanation shown in the setting.

Stop them calling you

In privacy settings, the calls section lets you choose who can call you. You can allow everyone or your contacts and add the person to a "never allow" exception. They can still message you but cannot call.

Stop them adding you to groups

In privacy settings, the groups and channels invite section controls who can add you to groups and channels. Set it to your contacts and add exceptions if needed. People outside the allowed list can only send you an invite link, which you can ignore.

Hide your stories from them

When you post a story, Telegram lets you choose who sees it, and you can keep a list of people who are excluded from your stories. That hides your stories from someone without blocking them.

Limit messages from strangers

Telegram has added options over time to control who can start a private conversation with you, such as automatically archiving and muting new chats from people who are not your contacts, and, depending on your account and version, restricting who can message you at all. Look in the privacy and security section for settings related to messages and new chats. These help if you are getting many unwanted messages from people you do not know.

Restricting someone in a group you manage

If you are an admin of a group, you have much stronger tools. These affect what the person can do inside your group, not their private chats.

Restrict a member

Restricting takes away some or all of a member's permissions while leaving them in the group. You can, for example, stop them sending media, links, stickers or polls, or stop them sending messages entirely. Restrictions can be permanent or last until a date and time you choose.

1. Open the group and find the member, either from a message they sent or from the member list.
2. Open their options and choose to restrict them.
3. Untick the permissions you want to remove.
4. Choose how long the restriction lasts.
5. Save.

A temporary restriction is a good middle step for someone who broke a rule but has been a decent member otherwise. Our guide on slow mode and member restrictions covers the group-wide versions of these settings.

Remove or ban a member

• Removing takes the member out of the group. In some cases they can rejoin through an invite link.
• Banning removes them and stops them coming back through links, until an admin lifts the ban.

To ban someone, open their options in the group and choose to remove and ban them, or use the banned users list in the group's settings. Admins can also delete all recent messages from that member at the same time, which is useful after a spam attack.

Report and ban spam accounts

When a spam account posts in your group, deleting the message and banning the account in one step is usually offered from the message's menu. Reporting it as spam helps Telegram find similar accounts. For ongoing spam problems, see our guide on how to stop spam bots in Telegram groups.

Removing someone from a channel

Channel admins can see the list of subscribers for their channel and remove or ban individual subscribers. A banned subscriber cannot rejoin through the channel's link. For a public channel, keep in mind that anyone can still read the public web preview of a public channel without being a subscriber.

Worked scenarios

These examples show how to combine the tools. They are illustrations, not the only correct answers.

Example: a stranger keeps sending links

Example. Someone you do not know sends you a link to an investment site, then follows up every day. Use the bar at the top of the chat to report it as spam and block the user. Then turn on the setting that archives and mutes new chats from non-contacts, if it is available to you, and set your phone number to be visible only to contacts. This is the typical pattern for scam outreach, which our guide on how to spot Telegram scams describes in detail.

Example: a relative who forwards too much

Example. Your uncle forwards a dozen videos a day. Blocking him would hurt his feelings and is not necessary. Mute the chat permanently and archive it. You can open it when you want to catch up, and he will not know anything changed.

Example: an ex who checks when you are online

Example. You still need to talk occasionally with an ex about practical things, but you do not want them watching your activity. Add them to the "never share with" exceptions for last seen, profile photos and stories. They can still message you, but see much less of your life.

Example: a group member who is rude

Example. A member of your hobby group keeps posting insults. As an admin, you delete the messages and restrict the member from sending messages for a few days, with a short note in the group about the rule they broke. If it happens again after the restriction ends, you ban them.

Example: someone harassing you

Example. A person sends threatening messages. Before blocking, you take screenshots showing their username, the messages and the dates. You report the account to Telegram, block it, and tighten your privacy settings so strangers cannot see your phone number or add you to groups. Because the messages are threats, you also report them to the police in your country.

If you are being harassed

Blocking is a good first step, but harassment can continue through new accounts or shared groups. If that happens:

1. Save evidence before blocking or deleting. Screenshots should show the username, the message and the date. Note any links to the person's profile.
2. Report every account they use. Repeated reports of the same behaviour help Telegram act.
3. Leave shared groups where they can still reach you, or ask the admins to remove them.
4. Lock down your privacy settings so new accounts cannot see your number, photos or last seen, cannot add you to groups and cannot call you. Our Telegram privacy settings checklist goes through each setting.
5. Consider hiding your phone number completely and, if needed, changing your username so new accounts cannot find you by it.
6. Contact the police if there are threats, stalking, blackmail or intimate images involved. Many countries treat these as crimes.
7. Tell someone you trust. Harassment is stressful, and you do not need to handle it alone.

What to do next

• Open your blocked users list and check that it contains who you expect, and nobody you meant to unblock.
• Review who can call you, add you to groups and see your phone number. Contacts-only is a sensible default for most people.
• If you manage a group, set default permissions for new members and decide in advance when you restrict and when you ban, so decisions are fair and quick.
• If you are dealing with a scam or harassment, keep your evidence somewhere outside Telegram.

Common mistakes

• Deleting the chat before saving evidence. If you might need to report it, take screenshots first.
• Assuming blocking removes someone from your groups. It only stops private contact. Use group admin tools or leave the group.
• Expecting a blocked person to vanish from your public channel. Public channels are readable by anyone. Remove and ban them as a subscriber if you need to, and remember the public preview.
• Blocking when muting would do. Blocking a friend or relative over notifications can cause hurt that a quiet mute would avoid.
• Forgetting the reciprocity of privacy settings. Hiding your last seen time from someone usually hides theirs from you too.
• Using block instead of report for scams. Block protects you; reporting helps protect everyone else. Do both.
• Leaving privacy settings open after a bad experience. A determined person can create a new account. Tighten settings so new accounts reach you less easily.

FAQ

Will someone know if I block them on Telegram?

Telegram does not notify them. They might guess from signs like messages that stay on one tick and a status that no longer updates, but those signs can have other causes too.

Can a blocked person see my messages in a group?

Yes. Blocking only affects private messages and calls. In a group you both belong to, they can still see what you write. Leave the group or ask an admin to remove them if that is a problem.

Does blocking someone delete our chat?

No, not on its own. Telegram often offers to delete the chat when you block. If you want the history removed for both sides, choose that option when deleting, where it is available.

Can I block someone without opening their chat?

Yes. Use the blocked users list in your privacy and security settings and add them from there.

Is there a "restrict" option like on other apps?

Not as a single button for private chats. You can get a similar result by muting and archiving the chat and adding the person to privacy exceptions for your last seen time, profile photos and stories. In groups, admins have a real restrict option for members.

What happens to messages a blocked person sent me?

Messages sent while they were blocked are not delivered to you, and they are not delivered later if you unblock them.

Summary

Blocking on Telegram is done from the person's profile or from the blocked users list in privacy settings, and it works the same way on Android, iPhone, desktop and web. It stops private messages and calls, hides your last seen time, profile updates and stories from that person, and does not notify them, but it does not remove them from shared groups or stop them reading a public channel. For a softer approach, mute and archive the chat and use privacy exceptions. If you manage a group, restrict, remove or ban members with the admin tools. For scams and harassment, save evidence, report, block and tighten your privacy settings.