Where to find the profile picture option
Your profile picture on Facebook lives in the top left corner of your profile page. To change it, go to your profile by clicking your name or the profile icon in the top right corner of Facebook. Once you are on your profile page, look for your current profile picture — it appears as a circular image in the upper left area of your cover photo.
Hover your mouse over the profile picture or tap it on a phone. A camera icon will appear in the bottom right corner of the image. Click or tap that camera icon to open the upload menu.
Key Takeaways
- Your profile picture is the circular image in the top left of your profile page, and you can change it by clicking the camera icon that appears when you hover over it.
- Facebook lets you upload a new photo from your device, choose an existing photo from your account, or take a photo using your device's camera.
- You can make your profile picture visible to everyone, friends only, or a custom list of people by adjusting privacy settings after upload.
- Facebook stores old profile pictures in a dedicated album, so you can revert to a previous picture without re-uploading it.
- The profile picture you choose appears next to your name on comments, posts, and messages across Facebook.
Uploading a photo from your device
When you click the camera icon, a menu appears with several options. Select "Upload Photo" to choose an image from your computer or phone. A file browser will open showing your photos and folders. Navigate to the image you want to use and click "Open" on a computer or tap the photo on a phone.
Facebook will then show you a preview of how the photo will look as your profile picture. You can drag the image around to reposition it or use the zoom slider to make it larger or smaller within the circular frame. Once you are satisfied with how it looks, click "Save" or "Confirm" to set it as your new profile picture.
Using photos already on your Facebook account
Instead of uploading a new photo, you can choose from pictures you have already posted to Facebook. When you click the camera icon, select "Choose from Photos." This opens a gallery of your existing photos organized by album.
Browse through your albums or use the search bar to find the photo you want. Click or tap the image to select it. Facebook will show you a preview with positioning options, just as it does with newly uploaded photos. Adjust the crop and zoom as needed, then save your choice.
Taking a photo with your device's camera
If you are on a phone or tablet, you can take a new photo directly from the camera icon menu. Select "Take a Photo" from the options that appear. Your device's camera app will open, and you can take a picture right then. Once you capture the image, you can retake it or confirm it.
After confirming, Facebook shows you the preview screen where you can position and zoom the photo within the circular profile picture frame. Make your adjustments and tap "Save" to explore it to your profile.
Controlling who can see your profile picture
By default, your profile picture is visible to everyone on Facebook. If you want to limit who sees it, you can change the privacy setting. After you save your new profile picture, look for a small privacy icon (usually a globe or lock symbol) near the image. Click or tap it to open privacy options.
You can set the picture to be visible to "Public" (everyone), "Friends" (only people you are connected with), or "Custom" (a specific list of people). Choose the setting that matches what you want, then confirm. This privacy setting applies only to the profile picture itself — your other profile information may have different visibility rules.
Finding and restoring old profile pictures
Facebook automatically saves every profile picture you have ever used in a dedicated album called "Profile Pictures." To view this album, go to your profile and click "Photos" in the left menu. Look for the "Profile Pictures" album in the list. Open it to see all your previous profile pictures in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top.
If you want to use an old profile picture again, open the "Profile Pictures" album, find the photo you want, and click the three dots menu on that photo. Select "Make Profile Picture" to restore it without having to re-upload. This is faster than uploading the same image twice.
What happens after you change your profile picture
Your new profile picture appears when ready on your profile page. It also shows up next to your name on any comments you make, posts you publish, and messages you send. Friends will see the updated picture on your profile and in their news feed if they visit your page.
The old profile picture does not disappear from Facebook — it moves to your "Profile Pictures" album where it stays unless you delete it. You can remove old profile pictures from that album if you want, but keeping them there does not affect your current profile picture or your privacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my profile picture on the Facebook app instead of the website?
Yes. Open the Facebook app on your phone, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines), scroll to your name, and tap it to go to your profile. Tap your profile picture, then tap the camera icon. The upload process is the same as on the website — you can upload a new photo, choose from existing photos, or take a new one.
What image size works best for a Facebook profile picture?
Facebook recommends uploading an image that is at least 400 by 400 pixels for the clearest result. The platform will automatically resize your image to fit the circular profile picture frame, so you do not need to crop it to a circle yourself. Larger images generally look sharper than very small ones.
Why does my profile picture look blurry or pixelated?
This usually happens when the original image is too small or low resolution. If you are uploading a photo, try using a larger version of the same image if you have one. If you are choosing from existing Facebook photos, the image quality depends on how it was originally uploaded to your account.
Can I hide my profile picture from certain people?
You can control the overall visibility of your profile picture using the privacy settings described above, but you cannot hide it from specific individuals while keeping it visible to others. Your options are public, friends only, or a custom list — not individual exclusions.
What if I accidentally deleted a profile picture I wanted to keep?
If you deleted it from your "Profile Pictures" album, it is permanently removed from Facebook. However, if you still have the original image file on your computer or phone, you can re-upload it as your profile picture or to your account again. Facebook does not recover deleted photos.