Change Your Profile Picture in Three Steps

To change your profile picture on Facebook, tap or click your profile icon in the top left corner, select "Profile," then click the camera icon over your current picture. Choose a photo from your device or take a new one, adjust the crop if needed, and tap "Save." The whole process takes less than a minute on either a phone or computer.

Your new picture appears when ready across Facebook — in your profile, next to your comments, in search results, and in your friends' feeds. Everyone who can see your profile can see the change right away. If you want to hide your picture change from your timeline, Facebook offers that option when you upload, which we cover below.

Key Takeaways

  • Open your profile, find the camera icon on your current picture, and select a new photo from your device or camera.
  • You can crop and rotate your picture before saving, and Facebook shows you a preview of how it will look.
  • Your profile picture updates when ready across all of Facebook, including in comments, messages, and search results.
  • You can hide the picture change from your timeline so your friends don't see a notification about it.
  • Facebook keeps a history of your old profile pictures, and you can set any of them as your current picture again.

Steps on a Phone or Tablet

Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Tap your name to open your profile. At the top of your profile, you will see your current picture. Tap the camera icon in the bottom right corner of the picture.

A menu appears with two choices: "Take a Photo" or "Choose from Photos." If you choose "Take a Photo," your phone's camera opens and you can snap a new picture right then. If you choose "Choose from Photos," your phone's photo library opens and you can pick any photo you have saved. Once you select or take a photo, Facebook shows you a preview with a square frame around the part that will show as your profile picture. Drag the photo to center it the way you want, then tap "Save."

Steps on a Computer

Go to Facebook.com and log in. Click your profile icon in the top left corner (it looks like a small circle with your picture or a silhouette). Click "Profile" from the dropdown menu. Your profile page opens with your picture at the top.

Hover your mouse over your current picture until a camera icon appears in the bottom right corner. Click the camera icon. A menu pops up with the option "Upload Photo." Click it, then select a photo from your computer's files. Facebook shows you a preview with a square crop box. Click and drag inside the preview to move the photo around until the part you want is centered in the square. Click "Save" when you are ready.

Hiding Your Picture Change from Your Timeline

By default, when you change your profile picture, Facebook posts a notification on your timeline that your friends can see. If you do not want this notification to appear, you can turn it off during the upload.

After you select your new photo and see the preview, look for a button or link that says "Hide from Timeline" or "Who can see this?" (the exact wording varies by device). Tap or click it, then choose "Only Me" or "Don't post to timeline." Finish saving your picture. Your new profile picture will appear everywhere on Facebook, but no notification will show on your timeline.

Changing Back to an Old Profile Picture

Facebook stores every profile picture you have ever used. To see your picture history and switch back to an old one, open your profile and click or tap the camera icon on your current picture. Instead of uploading a new photo, look for an option that says "See all photos" or "Your profile pictures." This opens a folder of all your past pictures.

Click or tap any old picture to preview it. If you want to use it again as your profile picture, click or tap "Set as Profile Picture." The old picture becomes your current profile picture when ready. You can do this as many times as you want — there is no limit to how often you change your picture.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If the camera icon does not appear when you hover over or tap your picture, make sure you are logged into your own account. You can only change your own profile picture, not someone else's. If you are on a phone and the camera icon does not show, try closing the Facebook app completely and opening it again.

If your new picture does not save, check that the file is a common image format like JPG or PNG. Facebook does not accept very large files — if your photo is over 4 MB, try compressing it or taking a screenshot of it at a smaller size. If you are on a slow internet connection, wait a few seconds after clicking "Save" before navigating away from the page.

If you accidentally uploaded a picture you did not mean to use, go back to your picture history (the "See all photos" folder) and set a different picture as your profile picture. The unwanted picture stays in your history but will no longer show as your current picture.

What Happens After You Change Your Picture

Your new profile picture appears in several places at once: next to your name on your profile, next to your comments on other people's posts, next to your messages in Messenger, and in search results when someone looks for your name. Friends who visit your profile see the new picture when ready. If you did not hide the change from your timeline, a small notification appears on your profile saying you changed your picture, and your friends may see this in their feeds.

The old picture does not disappear — it stays in your picture history. Anyone who saw the old picture before the change can still see it if they look at your profile history or old posts where you appear. Your picture change does not affect any photos you have posted to your timeline or albums; it only changes the small picture that represents you across Facebook.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a picture that is not of my face as my profile picture?

Yes. Facebook allows you to use any photo as your profile picture — a pet, a landscape, a logo, or anything else. Some people use cartoon characters or artwork. There is no rule that your profile picture must show your face.

Does changing my profile picture notify my friends?

Only if you do not hide it from your timeline. By default, Facebook posts a notification on your profile when you change your picture, and your friends may see this in their feeds. You can turn off this notification by selecting "Hide from Timeline" before you save the new picture.

What if I change my picture and then want to undo it?

Go to your picture history and set your old picture as your profile picture again. There is no "undo" button, but you can switch back to any picture you have ever used by opening the "See all photos" folder and clicking "Set as Profile Picture" on the one you want.

Can I crop my picture differently after I save it?

Yes. Every time you change your picture, Facebook lets you crop and position it before you save. If you want to adjust the crop on your current picture without changing the photo itself, click the camera icon, choose "Choose from Photos," and select the same picture again. You can then adjust the crop and save it.

Why is my picture blurry or pixelated after I upload it?

This usually happens if the original photo is very small or low resolution. Try uploading a larger, higher-quality version of the same photo. If you took the photo on your phone, make sure you are uploading the full-size version, not a thumbnail or compressed copy.