Telegram already handles multiple accounts well: its mobile and desktop apps let you add several accounts and switch between them without logging out. Each account needs its own phone number.
The built-in switcher shows one account at a time. If you'd rather keep a personal and a work account open side by side in separate windows, or group a community account with the other tools you use for it, WebCatalog Desktop is a good fit. This guide covers both.
Use Telegram's built-in account switching
Telegram's FAQ says each phone number is a separate account and that you can log in to one Telegram app with several accounts at once. You can then switch between accounts without logging out.
To add an account, use Add Account in the app's settings or main menu, enter the other account's phone number, and confirm with the code Telegram sends. To switch, tap the account in the same menu.
There is a limit: Telegram apps hold up to three accounts, and Telegram Premium lets you add a fourth account to any Telegram app.
This works the same in Telegram Desktop for Windows, macOS, and Linux. For most people who just check a second account now and then, the built-in switcher is all they need.
Keep Telegram accounts open side by side with WebCatalog Desktop
WebCatalog Desktop turns Telegram Web into a desktop app with its own window and Dock or taskbar icon. With profiles, each copy of Telegram keeps its own cookies and session, so every account stays signed in and you can see them at the same time.
- Install WebCatalog Desktop and add Telegram from its app catalog.
- Open Profiles, choose Add profile, and name it after the account, such as "Personal".
- Open Telegram with that profile and sign in, either by scanning the QR code from the Telegram app on your phone or with the account's phone number and the login code.
- Repeat with a second profile, such as "Work" or "Community", and sign in to the other account.
For example, a community manager might keep a Personal profile for friends and family, a Work profile for colleagues, and a Community profile for the groups and channels they moderate. One profile can be reused across apps, so the Work profile can also hold your work email and calendar. The profiles help article covers renaming and deleting them; deleting a profile removes its local data, not your Telegram account.
To keep things tidy, put each account in a space with the apps that go with it, such as a Community space with Telegram, a scheduling tool, and your docs. Spaces open in their own window; profiles are what keep the logins apart.
WebCatalog Desktop doesn't create phone numbers or raise Telegram's limits. Each account still needs its own number.
FAQ
Do I need the Telegram app on my phone to sign in on desktop?
Not necessarily. Telegram can send the login code to your other active Telegram sessions or by SMS, and you can also scan a QR code from a logged-in phone. Keep access to each account's phone number for recovery.
Can I see which devices are signed in to each account?
Yes. Each account has its own list of signed-in devices in Telegram's settings, where you can end sessions you no longer use. Check it for each account separately, since a WebCatalog Desktop profile shows up there as a Telegram Web session.
Conclusion
Telegram's own switcher covers occasional use of a second account. If you want several accounts open at once in their own windows, download WebCatalog Desktop and give each account a profile.
