Delete your profile picture in three steps
To remove your profile picture from Facebook, open your profile, click the camera icon on your current photo, and select Delete. The photo stays in your Facebook archive but no longer appears as your profile picture. Your profile will show a blank silhouette until you upload a new one.
The process works the same on desktop and mobile. If you want to remove the photo entirely from Facebook — not just as your profile picture — you'll need a separate step after deleting it from your profile.
Key Takeaways
- Deleting your profile picture removes it from view but keeps it in your Facebook archive unless you permanently delete the photo itself.
- You can delete your profile picture from either desktop or mobile by clicking the camera icon and selecting Delete.
- If someone else uploaded a photo of you as their profile picture, you cannot delete it — only they can.
- A blank profile picture does not affect your privacy settings or who can see your other posts and information.
Delete on desktop
Go to your profile by clicking your name in the top left corner of Facebook. Look at your current profile picture in the upper left area of your cover photo. Hover your mouse over the picture until a camera icon appears in the bottom right corner of the photo.
Click the camera icon. A menu will pop up with options including Upload Photo, Edit, and Delete. Click Delete. Facebook will ask you to confirm — click Delete again. Your profile picture is now removed, and your profile shows a blank silhouette.
Delete on mobile
Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right corner. Tap your name to go to your profile. Tap your current profile picture at the top of your profile.
A full-screen view of your photo will open. Tap the three dots in the bottom right corner of the screen. Tap Delete from the menu that appears. Confirm the deletion by tapping Delete again. Your profile picture is now removed.
The difference between deleting and archiving
When you delete your profile picture, Facebook moves it to your archive — a private collection of your photos that only you can see. The photo is no longer visible to anyone on your profile or in their feed, but it remains in your account.
If you want to permanently remove the photo from Facebook entirely, you need to take an extra step. Go to your profile, tap the menu (three dots), select Photos, find the archived photo, tap the three dots next to it, and select Delete. This removes it from your archive as well. Once deleted this way, the photo cannot be recovered.
What happens to photos you're tagged in
Deleting your profile picture does not affect photos where you are tagged by other people. Those photos remain on their profiles and in their albums. You can untag yourself from a photo by opening it, tapping the three dots, and selecting Remove tag, but this only removes the tag — the photo itself stays on their profile.
If someone else has uploaded a photo of you as their profile picture, you cannot delete it. Only the person whose profile it is can remove it. You can message them and ask them to change it, or you can report the photo to Facebook if it violates their policies.
Changing your profile picture instead of deleting it
If you want to replace your profile picture rather than leave it blank, click the camera icon on your current photo and select Upload Photo. You can choose a new photo from your device, take a new one with your camera, or select from photos already on Facebook.
You can also upload a photo and set it as your profile picture without going through your profile. When you upload a photo to Facebook, an option appears to Make Profile Picture. This is faster if you're uploading a new photo anyway.
Profile picture privacy and who can see it
Your profile picture is visible to everyone on Facebook by default, regardless of your other privacy settings. Even if you set your profile to private, your profile picture and name remain visible to all users. This is how Facebook allows people to find and recognize you.
If you want to limit who sees your profile information beyond your picture, adjust your privacy settings by going to Settings, then Privacy. You can control who sees your posts, your friend list, and other details — but your profile picture and name will always be visible to other users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete my profile picture without deleting the photo from Facebook?
Yes. When you delete your profile picture, the photo moves to your archive where only you can see it. The photo remains on Facebook but is no longer visible on your profile or in anyone's feed. You can restore it as your profile picture later if you change your mind.
What does my profile look like if I don't have a profile picture?
Your profile shows a blank silhouette — a generic gray outline of a person's head and shoulders. This appears on your profile, in comments you make, and anywhere your name shows up on Facebook. You can add a new profile picture at any time to replace it.
If I delete my profile picture, can other people still see old photos of me on Facebook?
Yes. Deleting your profile picture only removes that specific photo from your profile. Photos you've posted to your timeline, photos in albums, and photos you're tagged in all remain visible according to your privacy settings for those individual posts and photos.
Can I recover a profile picture after I delete it?
If you deleted it as your profile picture only, the photo is in your archive and you can restore it. Go to your profile, click the menu, select Photos, find the photo in your archive, and set it as your profile picture again. If you permanently deleted it from your archive, it cannot be recovered.
Why would I want to delete my profile picture?
People delete profile pictures for privacy reasons, to take a break from social media visibility, during a profile refresh, or because they no longer like the photo. A blank profile picture does not hide your account or change your privacy settings — it straightforward removes the visual from your profile.