The quickest way to change your cover photo
Open Facebook on your computer or phone, go to your profile, and click or tap the camera icon that appears in the bottom right corner of your current cover photo. Select Upload Photo to choose an image from your device, or Choose from Photos to pick one you have already posted. Once you select the image, you can drag it to reposition it, then click Save. The new cover photo appears on your profile when ready.
On a phone, the process is identical—the camera icon sits in the same spot, and the menu options are the same. Facebook does not require you to crop or resize the image beforehand; the platform handles that automatically based on the dimensions of your device.
Key Takeaways
- The camera icon in the bottom right corner of your cover photo is the fastest way to upload a new one on both computer and phone.
- You can upload a photo from your device or choose one you have already posted to Facebook.
- After selecting an image, you can drag it up or down to change which part shows in the cover area before you save.
- Your new cover photo appears on your profile right away, and you can change it again at any time with no limit on how often you do so.
Uploading a photo from your computer or phone
Click the camera icon in the bottom right corner of your cover photo. A menu will appear with two options: Upload Photo and Choose from Photos. If you want to use a new image that is not yet on Facebook, select Upload Photo. Your device will open a file browser where you can navigate to the image and select it.
If the photo you want is already posted somewhere on your Facebook account—in an album, on your timeline, or in a message—select Choose from Photos instead. Facebook will show you a grid of your recent photos. Scroll through and tap or click the one you want to use as your cover.
Positioning your cover photo so the right part shows
After you choose an image, Facebook displays it in the cover photo area and shows you how it will look. If the photo is larger than the cover space, you will see a preview with a blue border showing which section will actually appear on your profile. You can drag the image up, down, left, or right to move it within that border and show a different part of the photo.
This is useful if your image has a subject (a person, a landmark, text) that you want centered or positioned in a specific way. Drag until the part you want is inside the blue border, then proceed to save. If you do not reposition the image, Facebook will center it automatically.
Saving and publishing your new cover photo
Once you are happy with how the image looks in the preview, click or tap the Save button. Facebook will process the image and update your profile cover photo within a few seconds. The change is visible to anyone who visits your profile, and it appears in your profile picture area right away.
You do not need to post anything or notify anyone—the cover photo update happens silently on your profile. If you change your mind, you can replace it with a different image using the same camera icon at any time.
Changing your cover photo on the Facebook app
The steps on the Facebook mobile app are the same as on a computer. Open the app, tap your profile icon at the bottom of the screen, and navigate to your profile. Tap the camera icon in the bottom right corner of your cover photo. The same menu appears with Upload Photo and Choose from Photos options.
Select the image, reposition it if needed by dragging, and tap Save. The app will update your cover photo and return you to your profile. The process takes about 30 seconds from start to finish on most phones.
What image size and format works best
Facebook accepts most common image formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP. The platform does not require you to resize your image beforehand—it will automatically adjust any photo to fit the cover photo dimensions. However, Facebook recommends using an image that is at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall to avoid blurriness on larger screens.
If you are uploading a photo from your phone's camera, the image is almost certainly large enough. If you are using an older or compressed image, it may appear pixelated or stretched. In that case, try a different photo or use a higher-resolution version if you have one saved.
Removing or resetting your cover photo
If you want to remove your cover photo entirely and return to Facebook's default blue background, click the camera icon and look for a Delete or Remove option in the menu. Not all accounts show this option—some versions of Facebook only allow you to replace the cover, not delete it. If you do not see a delete option, you can straightforward upload a solid-color image or a blank image instead.
Facebook does not penalize you for changing or removing your cover photo frequently. You can update it as often as you want with no restrictions or cooldown period between changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can other people see when I change my cover photo?
Your cover photo change does not appear in your friends' news feeds or activity log. Only people who visit your profile directly will see the new cover photo. If you want to announce a cover photo change, you would need to post about it separately.
What if the camera icon does not appear on my cover photo?
The camera icon only shows when you are viewing your own profile while logged in. If you are looking at someone else's profile, you will not see the icon. Make sure you are on your own profile by clicking your name or profile picture at the top of Facebook. If the icon still does not appear, try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache.
Can I use a video as my cover photo?
No, Facebook cover photos must be still images. You cannot upload a video to use as a cover photo. However, you can upload a screenshot or a single frame from a video and use that as your cover instead.
Will my cover photo look the same on mobile and desktop?
The cover photo will appear on both mobile and desktop, but the visible area may differ slightly because phone screens are narrower. What you see in the preview on your device is what will display on that device type. If you want to make sure it looks good on both, test it by viewing your profile on both a computer and a phone after uploading.
How large can my cover photo file be?
Facebook does not publish a strict file size limit for cover photos, but images larger than 10 MB may take longer to upload. Most photos from a phone camera or a standard digital camera are well under this limit. If your upload is taking a very long time, try compressing the image using free online tools before uploading again.