Will clearing Telegram's cache log me out?

No. Telegram's FAQ says Settings > Data and Storage > Storage Usage > Clear cache frees space on your device without logging out.

Do I lose my photos and videos when I clear Telegram's cache?

Not for cloud chats. Telegram's FAQ says you can keep all your media in the cloud, so it loads again when you open the chat. Secret chats aren't stored in the cloud, so their media may exist only on your Mac.

How much space does Telegram need?

Telegram's FAQ says it needs less than 100 MB on your device, and that with cloud storage and cache management it can take up nearly zero space.

Mac cache folders

How to clear the Telegram cache on a Mac

By Vishva Variya · Updated November 2, 2026 · 3 min read

Short answer

In Telegram, open Settings › Data and Storage › Storage Usage and click Clear cache. Telegram says this frees space without logging you out, and media from cloud chats downloads again when you open it. Secret-chat media isn’t in the cloud, so clearing it can lose it for good.

Where is the Telegram cache on a Mac?

~/Library/Caches/ru.keepcoder.Telegram
~/Library/Group Containers/6N38VWS5BX.ru.keepcoder.Telegram/account-*/postbox/media

Safe to clear. Temporary files stored by Telegram including media previews. Safe to delete and Telegram will reload them as needed.

How do I clear the cache in Telegram?

1Open Telegram and go to Settings.
2Choose Data and Storage.
3Choose Storage Usage.
4Click Clear cache.

How do I delete the Telegram cache by hand?

1Quit Telegram (Command-Q).
2In Finder choose Go > Go to Folder, enter ~/Library/Caches/ru.keepcoder.Telegram and move its contents to the Trash.
3For downloaded media, Peekaboo also looks in ~/Library/Group Containers/6N38VWS5BX.ru.keepcoder.Telegram/account-<id>/postbox/media. Empty only that media folder, never the postbox database next to it, and only if you have no secret chats whose media you want to keep.
4Reopen Telegram; media downloads again from the cloud when you open it.

What happens when you clear it?

Telegram's FAQ says clearing the cache frees space on your device without logging you out, and that you can keep all your media in the cloud. Cloud chat media can be loaded again; Peekaboo's catalog flags that secret-chat media may exist only on this Mac, which is why the media folder is checkFirst.

Clearing it with Peekaboo

Peekaboo’s App Caches page lists “Telegram” with its size and the note above, alongside every other cache it finds. It won’t offer a folder the app is still running from, and the cleanup goes to the Trash, so ⌥⌘Z puts it back.

1Open App Caches.⇧⌘E
2Find Telegram, check its size, and move it to the Trash.

Questions

Will clearing Telegram's cache log me out?: No. Telegram's FAQ says Settings > Data and Storage > Storage Usage > Clear cache frees space on your device without logging out.
Do I lose my photos and videos when I clear Telegram's cache?: Not for cloud chats. Telegram's FAQ says you can keep all your media in the cloud, so it loads again when you open the chat. Secret chats aren't stored in the cloud, so their media may exist only on your Mac.
How much space does Telegram need?: Telegram's FAQ says it needs less than 100 MB on your device, and that with cloud storage and cache management it can take up nearly zero space.

Sources

Telegram FAQ