The fastest way to change your cover photo
Go to your Facebook profile, hover over your current cover photo, and click the camera icon that appears in the bottom right corner. 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 position it the way you want, then click Save. The change takes effect when ready and is visible to anyone who visits your profile.
If you do not see the camera icon, make sure you are logged into your own profile — you can only change your cover photo on your own account, not on someone else's page. The icon appears only when you hover your mouse over the cover area.
Key Takeaways
- The camera icon appears when you hover over your cover photo, and clicking it opens the upload menu in seconds.
- You can upload a new image from your computer or reuse a photo you have already posted to Facebook.
- After selecting an image, you can reposition it by dragging before you save the change.
- Cover photo changes are public by default, but you can adjust who sees your profile in your privacy settings if needed.
Uploading a photo from your device
Click the camera icon over your cover photo and select Upload Photo. Your device's file browser will open. Navigate to the folder where your image is stored, select the file, and click Open. Facebook will display the image and let you position it before you save.
Facebook accepts JPG, PNG, and GIF files. The recommended size is 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall, though Facebook will resize images that do not match this ratio. If your image is much smaller, it may look blurry when enlarged. If it is much larger, Facebook will crop it automatically.
Choosing a photo you have already posted
Click the camera icon and select Choose from Photos. Facebook will show your photo albums and recent uploads. You can scroll through your existing photos or use the search box to find a specific image by typing a keyword or date.
This option is useful if you want to reuse a photo without uploading it again, or if you want to try several images before deciding which one to keep as your cover. Once you select a photo, you can still reposition it before saving.
Positioning your cover photo
After you select an image, Facebook displays it with a preview of how it will look on your profile. If the photo is larger than the cover area, you can click and drag the image to move it left, right, up, or down. This lets you choose which part of the photo is visible in the cover space.
Take a moment to check how the image looks with your profile picture overlaid in the bottom left corner — your profile picture will sit on top of the cover photo, so you may want to position the cover so that important details are not hidden behind it. Once you are satisfied with the position, click Save.
Removing or replacing your cover photo
To remove your cover photo entirely, hover over it and click the camera icon, then select Delete. Facebook will replace it with a blank blue background. You can add a new cover photo at any time by hovering over the blank space and clicking the camera icon again.
To replace your current cover without deleting it first, straightforward hover over it, click the camera icon, and upload or select a new image. The old cover photo will be replaced automatically.
Privacy and who can see your cover photo
Your cover photo is public by default — anyone who visits your profile can see it, whether they are your friend or not. If you want to limit who sees your profile, you can adjust your privacy settings by clicking the three dots in the top right of your cover photo area and selecting Edit Privacy.
From there, you can choose to show your profile to Public, Friends, Friends except (to hide it from specific people), or Only Me. These settings control who can see your entire profile, including your cover photo, profile picture, and posts. Changing this setting does not affect individual posts you have already shared with specific audiences.
Troubleshooting common problems
If the camera icon does not appear when you hover over your cover photo, you may be viewing someone else's profile. You can only change the cover photo on your own account. Make sure you are logged in and viewing your own profile by clicking your name in the top menu.
If your image looks blurry or distorted after you upload it, the file may be too small or in a format Facebook does not support well. Try uploading a larger image (at least 820 pixels wide) in JPG or PNG format. If the image appears cropped in an unexpected way, use the positioning tool to move it before saving.
If you accidentally delete your cover photo and want to restore the previous one, Facebook does not keep a history of deleted cover photos. However, if the photo is still in your albums, you can select it again using the Choose from Photos option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a video as my cover photo?
No, Facebook cover photos must be static images. You cannot upload a video to use as a cover. However, you can post a video to your timeline separately, and some users create animated GIFs to use as cover photos for a moving effect, though GIFs will display as a still image in most cases.
What happens to my old cover photo when I upload a new one?
Facebook does not save a history of your cover photos. Once you replace a cover photo, the old one is no longer accessible from your profile. If you want to keep it, save a copy to your device before uploading a new cover.
Can I schedule a cover photo to change automatically?
Facebook does not have a built-in scheduling feature for cover photos. You must manually change your cover photo each time you want to update it. There is no way to set it to change on a specific date or time.
Why does my cover photo look different on mobile than on desktop?
Mobile and desktop screens have different dimensions, so Facebook crops and displays your cover photo differently on each device. The positioning tool on desktop may not match exactly what you see on a phone. Test your cover on both devices if the positioning is important to you.