The quickest way to change your cover photo

Go to your Facebook profile, hover your mouse over the cover photo at the top, and click the camera icon that appears. Select Upload Photo to choose an image from your computer, or Choose from Photos to pick one you've already uploaded to Facebook. Once you select the image, you can drag it to position it the way you want, then click Save. The whole process takes about a minute.

If you're on a phone or tablet, tap your profile picture to open your profile, then tap the camera icon on the cover photo itself. The steps are the same from there — choose your image, position it, and save.

Facebook stores your old cover photos, so you can swap between them without uploading the same image twice. You can also remove your cover photo entirely by clicking the camera icon and selecting Delete.

Key Takeaways

  • The camera icon appears when you hover over your cover photo on desktop, or when you tap it on mobile.
  • You can upload a new image from your computer or choose one you've already posted to Facebook.
  • Facebook lets you reposition the image before saving so the important part shows in the frame.
  • Your previous cover photos stay in Facebook's system, so you can switch back to an old one without re-uploading.

Uploading a photo from your computer

When you click Upload Photo, your computer's file browser opens. Navigate to the folder where your image is saved, select it, and click Open. Facebook will show you a preview with a positioning grid — the cover photo displays at different sizes on desktop, tablet, and phone, so Facebook shows you how it will look on each one.

Drag the image around in the preview window until the part you want to see is centered. For example, if you're using a landscape photo of mountains, you might drag it so the peak is in the middle rather than cut off at the edge. Once you're happy with the position, click Save.

Choosing a photo you've already posted

If you select Choose from Photos, Facebook shows you all the images in your account — both photos you've posted and ones you've uploaded but never shared. This is faster than uploading if you already have the image you want somewhere on Facebook.

Scroll through the list, click the photo you want, and you'll see the same positioning screen. Adjust it the same way, then save. This method also works if you want to use a photo someone else posted and tagged you in — those appear in the list too.

What size and format works best

Facebook recommends cover photos that are at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall, though larger images look sharper. Most phones and cameras produce images much larger than that, so you don't need to resize anything before uploading. Facebook will handle the sizing automatically.

JPG and PNG files both work fine. If you're using a very large file (over 8 MB), Facebook will compress it, but the difference is usually invisible on a screen. There's no penalty for uploading a big file — Facebook just makes it smaller on its own servers.

Changing your cover photo on mobile

On the Facebook app for iPhone or Android, tap your profile picture at the bottom of the screen to open your profile. At the top, you'll see your cover photo. Tap the camera icon in the corner of it. You'll get two options: Take Photo (to use your phone's camera right now) or Choose from Photos (to pick an existing image from your phone's storage).

If you choose an existing photo, Facebook shows you the positioning screen just like on desktop. Pinch and drag to move the image around until it looks right, then tap Save. The Take Photo option opens your camera app, lets you snap a picture, and then takes you straight to the positioning screen.

Removing or hiding your cover photo

If you want to delete your cover photo entirely, hover over it on desktop and click the camera icon, then select Delete. On mobile, tap the camera icon and look for a delete or remove option. Your profile will show a plain background instead.

You can't hide your cover photo from certain people — it's either visible to everyone who can see your profile, or it's not there. If you want to limit who sees your profile in general, that's a separate privacy setting in your profile settings, not something you control through the cover photo itself.

Troubleshooting common problems

If the camera icon doesn't appear when you hover over your cover photo, make sure you're on your own profile, not someone else's. You can only change your own cover photo. If you're on your profile and still don't see the icon, try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache.

If your image uploads but looks blurry or cut off, the positioning screen is your chance to fix it. Drag the image to center the part you care about, and make sure the image file itself is at least 400 pixels wide. Very small or low-resolution images will look fuzzy no matter what you do — in that case, use a different photo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can other people see when I change my cover photo?

Yes. When you change your cover photo, it shows up in the activity feeds of your friends, similar to when you post something. If you want to change it without notifying people, there's no way to do that — the change is visible to anyone who can see your profile.

What happens to my old cover photos?

Facebook keeps them in a folder you can access by clicking the camera icon and selecting Choose from Photos. You can switch back to any previous cover photo without uploading it again. They stay there until you delete them individually.

Can I use a video as my cover photo?

No. Facebook cover photos must be still images — JPG or PNG files. You can add a video to your profile in other ways, but the cover photo itself has to be a photograph or image file.

Why does my cover photo look different on my phone than on my computer?

Cover photos display at different sizes depending on the device. The positioning screen shows you how it will look on desktop, tablet, and mobile so you can adjust it. If you didn't position it during upload, try changing it again and dragging the image to center the important part for mobile screens.

Is there a size limit for cover photos?

Facebook accepts files up to 8 MB. Most photos from phones or cameras are well under that limit. If you're having trouble uploading, the file size is rarely the problem — it's usually a browser issue, which you can fix by refreshing the page or trying a different browser.