Altan Khan (1507-1582), whose given name was Anda, was the de facto ruler of the Right Wing of the Mongols and exercised his power over whole Mongolia.

He was the second son of the Bars Bolud Jinong and a grandson of Dayan Khan, who had re-unified the Mongolian nobility in an attempt to regain the glory of Yuan Dynasty. Altan Khan ruled the Tümed and belonged to the Right Wing of the Mongols along with his elder brother Gün Bilig , who ruled the Ordus . After Gün Bilig's death in 1542, Altan became the de facto leader of the Right Wing and was given the title "Tösheetü Sechen Khan."

When Bodi Alagh Khan , the legitimate ruler of the Mongols from the Chakhar, died in 1547, Altan forced Bodi Alagh's successor Darayisung Küdeng Khan to flee eastward. In 1551 Darayisung made a compromise with Altan in exchange for giving the title "Gegeen Khan" to him.

Altan Khan is known for re-establishing ties between Mongolia and the religious leaders of Tibet, inviting the 3rd Dalai Lama to Mongolia on two occasions (1569, 1578) and embracing the Tibetan Buddhist faith during the lama's second visit. It was the Altan Khan who created and bestowed the title of Dalai Lama ("Ocean of Wisdom") on the Gelugpa lineage, a title which was applied retrospectively to the first two Dalai Lamas.

Altan Khan used his military strength to threaten Ming Dynasty China, laying siege to Beijing in 1550. The Chinese emperor was forced to grant special trading rights to the khanate which further strengthened it economically.

Altan Khan also founded the city of Hohhot (Köke Khota), the capital of Inner Mongolia.

After his death he was succeeded as Khan by Sengge Düüreng .

Altan Khan of the Khalkha refers to a later set of Mongolian rulers who ruled smaller khanates about a century later.