Protect and recover encrypted chats

What encryption covers

Messages and photos in direct chats are end-to-end encrypted. Your devices use protected keys to open them.

Club and support conversations are not end-to-end encrypted. Message metadata and server-fetched link previews are also outside direct-message content encryption.

Save a recovery method

A new code is not active if you close before saving it. Replacing a code makes the confirmed replacement your recovery code.

Chat passkeys and recovery codes unlock encrypted history. They are not a replacement for your account sign-in method.

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Encrypted chats.
2. Add an available passkey or choose Create beside Recovery code.
3. If you create a recovery code, save it somewhere you can access without this device and confirm that you saved it.

Open chats on another device

Sign in, then use an available passkey or your recovery code to unlock chats. You can also approve a request from another device where the chats already open.

For device approval, start the request yourself and compare all six digits on both devices. Approve only a device you control. Approval gives it access to your encrypted chats and history.

If recovery is unavailable

10k cannot recover encrypted history if you lose every working device and recovery method. Resetting encrypted chats starts fresh and makes the old encrypted history unavailable to you.

Removing a recovery method does not lock devices where chats are already open. A reset does. Add another method before removing your last one.