The quickest way to change your Facebook photo

Open Facebook on your computer or phone and click your profile picture in the top left corner. Select Profile from the menu that appears. Hover over your current profile picture (on computer) or tap it (on phone), then click or tap the camera icon that shows up. Choose Upload Photo to pick a picture from your device, or Take a Photo to use your camera right now. Select the image you want, adjust the frame if needed, and click Save.

The whole process takes about one minute. Your new photo appears when ready across Facebook — in your profile, next to your posts, and in comments you make. Anyone who visits your profile will see it right away.

Key Takeaways

  • You reach your profile picture by clicking your current photo in the top left corner of Facebook, then selecting Profile from the dropdown menu.
  • The camera icon appears when you hover over (computer) or tap (phone) your existing profile picture, and it opens the upload menu.
  • You can upload a photo from your device or take a new one with your camera in the same step.
  • Facebook lets you crop and position the photo before you save it, so you can frame your face the way you want it to appear.
  • Your new profile picture shows up everywhere on Facebook within seconds — in your profile, next to your name in posts, and in your comment history.

Changing your photo on a computer

Start by going to Facebook.com and logging in if you are not already signed in. Look at the top left corner of the page. You will see a small circle with your current profile picture inside it. Click that circle.

A dropdown menu appears with several options. Click the word Profile. This takes you to your profile page, where you see your cover photo at the top and your profile picture below it on the left side.

Move your mouse over your profile picture. A camera icon appears in the center of the photo. Click that camera icon. A menu pops up with two choices: Upload Photo and Take a Photo. If you want to use a picture already on your computer, click Upload Photo. A file browser window opens — find the photo on your device and double-click it to select it.

Facebook then shows you the photo and lets you move it around inside a square frame. Drag the image until your face is positioned the way you want it. When you are happy with how it looks, click the Save button at the bottom right. Your new profile picture is now live.

Changing your photo on a phone or tablet

Open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (called a menu icon) in the bottom right corner. Scroll down and tap Profile. You will see your profile picture near the top of the screen.

Tap your profile picture directly. A menu appears with options including Upload Photo and Take a Photo. If you choose Upload Photo, your phone opens your photo library so you can pick an existing picture. If you choose Take a Photo, your phone's camera opens when ready.

Once you have selected or taken a photo, Facebook shows it to you with a square frame overlay. You can pinch to zoom in and out, and drag the photo to reposition it inside the frame. When the photo looks right, tap Save at the bottom of the screen. The change happens when ready.

What happens after you change your photo

Your new profile picture replaces your old one everywhere on Facebook within seconds. It appears next to your name when you post something, when you comment on someone else's post, when you send a message, and when someone visits your profile. Friends see the new photo in their news feed if they happen to be looking at your profile at that moment.

Facebook keeps your old profile pictures in a folder called Profile Pictures that only you can see. If you ever want to go back to an old photo, you can click the camera icon again, select Upload Photo, and then click See All at the bottom of the upload menu. This shows your history of profile pictures, and you can choose any of them to make current again.

Choosing a photo that works well

The best profile pictures show your face clearly and are well-lit enough that people can recognize you. A photo taken in natural light (near a window or outside) usually looks better than one taken in dim indoor lighting. Make sure your face takes up most of the frame — a photo of you standing far away in a landscape will be too small to see clearly when it appears next to your posts.

Avoid photos with other people in them if you want the picture to be clearly about you. If someone else is in the photo, Facebook may have trouble recognizing which person is you, and the photo will be harder to see at small sizes. A straightforward background (a wall, a blurred background, or the sky) works better than a busy or cluttered background.

Remember that your profile picture is public by default — anyone on Facebook can see it, even people who are not your friends. Choose a photo you are comfortable with other people seeing.

Controlling who can see your profile picture

Your profile picture is visible to everyone on Facebook by default, but you can change this. Go to your profile and click the camera icon on your profile picture. Select Edit instead of uploading a new photo. A menu appears with privacy options. Click the audience selector (it usually shows Public or a similar label) and choose who can see your photo: Public, Friends, Friends Except, or Only Me.

Keep in mind that even if you set your profile picture to Only Me, Facebook still uses it internally — it appears next to your posts and comments for other people to see. The privacy setting only controls whether people can view your full profile picture when they visit your profile page. For most people, leaving it on Public is simpler and causes no problems.

Troubleshooting common problems

If the camera icon does not appear when you hover over your profile picture on a computer, try refreshing the page by pressing F5 or clicking the refresh button in your browser. If you are using an older browser, update it to the latest version — Facebook works best on current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

On a phone, if the upload menu does not appear when you tap your profile picture, close the Facebook app completely and open it again. If the photo you selected does not upload, check that you have a working internet connection and that your phone has enough storage space. Photos that are very large (over 10 megabytes) sometimes fail to upload — if this happens, try a different photo or use a photo editing app to make the file smaller before uploading.

If your new profile picture does not appear after you click Save, wait a few seconds and refresh the page. Facebook sometimes takes a moment to update across all its servers. If it still does not appear after a minute, try the upload process again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a photo that is not of my face?

Yes. Your profile picture can be anything — a pet, a landscape, a logo, or an abstract image. Facebook does not require it to be a photo of you. However, people who know you will recognize you more easily if your profile picture shows your face, so a photo of yourself is usually the most useful choice.

What if I want to delete my profile picture entirely?

You cannot remove your profile picture completely — Facebook requires every account to have one. If you do not upload one, Facebook uses a default silhouette. If you want to hide your face, you can upload a photo of something else instead, like a pet or an object.

Does changing my profile picture notify my friends?

No. Your friends do not receive a notification when you change your profile picture. However, if they visit your profile or look at your activity, they will see the new photo. Some people notice profile picture changes because they see the new photo next to your posts in their news feed.

Can I change my profile picture back to an old one?

Yes. Click the camera icon on your profile picture, select Upload Photo, and then click See All at the bottom of the menu. This shows all your previous profile pictures, and you can choose any of them to make current again. Facebook keeps your history for as long as your account exists.

Why does my profile picture look blurry or pixelated?

This usually happens when the original photo file is very small or low-resolution. Try uploading a larger, higher-quality version of the same photo. Photos taken with a modern phone camera are almost always large enough. If you are uploading an old photo from a digital camera or a scanned image, make sure it is at least 400 pixels wide.