Where Does Telegram Desktop Store Session Data?
Telegram Desktop tdata session folder on Windows, macOS and Linux for login transfer and backup.
Last updated
This covers Telegram login sessions, not downloads (separate post). Desktop sessions live in a tdata folder: key files plus per account subfolders.
Copying tdata to a matching install transfers the login without SMS codes in most cases. New logins from odd IPs can still trigger verification, so keep the phone handy.
Where Telegram stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Telegram Desktop\tdata
Portable builds keep tdata next to the exe instead. Quit Telegram fully before copying; the session locks while running.
~/Library/Application Support/Telegram Desktop/tdata
Standalone build path. Mac App Store builds sandbox elsewhere, so check the Containers tree if this folder is absent.
~/.local/share/TelegramDesktop/tdata
Same role. Snap and Flatpak builds redirect under their own data dirs; check those when migrating.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move Telegram login to a new PC without a code?
Copy the tdata folder into the same spot on the new install with Telegram closed on both ends. Matching app versions work best.
What is the difference between tdata and downloads?
tdata holds sessions and caches; downloaded files live in Telegram Desktop folder under Downloads. See the downloads post for those paths.
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