The quickest way to change your profile picture
Open Facebook on your computer or phone and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture in the top menu. Look for your current profile picture — it appears as a circle in the top left of your cover photo. Click or tap that circle, and a menu will appear with the option to upload a new photo. Choose a photo from your device, crop it if you want, and click "Save" or "Confirm". The new picture goes live when ready.
On a phone, the process is identical: tap your profile picture, tap the camera icon that appears over it, choose "Upload Photo" or "Take Photo", select or take your image, and confirm. Facebook automatically crops the photo to fit the circular profile picture frame, but you can adjust the crop before saving.
The whole process takes under a minute. Your new picture appears on your profile right away, and your friends see it in their feeds and in their friend lists.
Key Takeaways
- Click or tap your current profile picture from your profile page to open the upload menu.
- You can upload a photo from your device, take a new one with your camera, or choose from photos you have already posted.
- Facebook lets you crop and position the photo before you save it.
- The new picture appears on your profile and in your friends' feeds when ready after you confirm.
- You can change your profile picture as often as you want with no limit.
Where to find the profile picture upload button
Your profile picture sits in the top left corner of your profile, overlapping your cover photo. It is always a circle. When you hover your mouse over it on a computer, a small camera icon appears in the bottom right corner of the circle. Click that camera icon to open the upload menu.
On a phone, tap the profile picture itself and the same camera icon will appear. Either way, you are looking for that small camera symbol — that is your signal to tap or click.
If you do not see your profile picture where you expect it, make sure you are on your own profile page, not someone else's. You can only change your own profile picture. Go to your profile by clicking your name in the top left menu on a computer, or by tapping the menu icon (three horizontal lines) and selecting your name on a phone.
Choosing and uploading your new photo
After you click the camera icon, Facebook shows you three options: "Upload Photo", "Take Photo", or "Choose from Photos". "Upload Photo" lets you pick a picture already saved on your device. "Take Photo" opens your camera so you can take a new picture right then. "Choose from Photos" shows you photos you have already posted to Facebook.
Pick whichever option matches what you want to do. If you choose "Upload Photo", your device's file browser opens — navigate to the folder where your photo is saved and select it. If you choose "Take Photo", your camera app opens and you can snap a picture. If you choose "Choose from Photos", you see a grid of your past posts and can select any photo from them.
Once you have selected or taken your photo, Facebook shows you a preview with a circular frame overlaid on top. The frame shows what part of the photo will appear as your profile picture. You can drag the photo around inside the frame to position it however you want, or pinch to zoom in and out on a phone.
Cropping and positioning your profile picture
Facebook automatically crops your photo into a circle, but you control what part of the photo appears in that circle. When you see the preview with the circular frame, you can move the photo left, right, up, or down to center it the way you want. On a phone, you can also pinch your fingers together to zoom out or spread them apart to zoom in.
Take your time here — this is the moment to make sure your face or the main subject is centered and visible. Once you click or tap outside the frame or hit "Save", the crop is locked in and you cannot adjust it without uploading the photo again.
If the crop does not look right after you save, you can always change your profile picture again. There is no penalty or waiting period for changing it multiple times.
What happens after you save your new profile picture
Once you click "Save" or "Confirm", your new profile picture replaces the old one when ready. It appears on your profile page, in your friends' friend lists, and in any comments or posts you have made. Your friends also see a notification in their feeds that you have changed your profile picture, though this notification appears only if you have a large number of friends.
The old profile picture is not deleted — Facebook keeps a record of all your past profile pictures. If you want to see them or switch back to an old one, click your profile picture and select "View Profile Pictures" or "See All Photos" (the exact wording varies by device). You can revert to any old profile picture by clicking it and selecting "Make Profile Picture".
Changing your profile picture on mobile vs. desktop
The steps are nearly identical on a phone and a computer, but the interface looks slightly different. On a computer, you see buttons and menus. On a phone, you tap icons and scroll through options. The upload menu, the crop tool, and the save button all work the same way — the only real difference is the size of the screen and how you navigate.
If you start on your phone and want to finish on a computer, you can — your changes sync across devices. If you upload a photo on your phone, it appears on your computer profile when ready. The same is true in reverse.
One small difference: on a computer, you can right-click your profile picture and select "Change Profile Picture" directly without navigating to your profile first. On a phone, you must go to your profile page first.
Troubleshooting common profile picture problems
If the camera icon does not appear when you hover over or tap your profile picture, make sure you are logged into your own account and viewing your own profile. You cannot change someone else's profile picture. If you are on your own profile and still do not see the camera icon, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the Facebook app.
If your photo uploads but looks blurry or pixelated, the original file may be too small. Facebook works best with photos that are at least 400 pixels wide. If your photo is smaller, it may appear fuzzy when enlarged to fit the profile picture circle. Try uploading a larger version of the same photo.
If you upload a photo and it appears sideways or upside down, your device may have stored rotation information that Facebook is not reading correctly. Open the photo in your device's photo editor, rotate it to the correct orientation, save it, and upload it again to Facebook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a photo that is not on my device?
Yes. If the photo is already posted on Facebook, use the "Choose from Photos" option to select it from your past posts. If the photo is online but not on your device, you can save it to your device first, then upload it. Right-click the image (on a computer) or long-press it (on a phone) and select "Save Image" or "read".
What if I want to go back to my old profile picture?
Click your profile picture and look for "View Profile Pictures" or "See All Photos". You will see a grid of all your past profile pictures. Click or tap any one of them and select "Make Profile Picture" to switch back to it when ready.
Does everyone see my new profile picture right away?
Yes. Your new profile picture appears on your profile and in your friends' feeds when ready. There is no delay or approval process. Anyone who visits your profile or sees your name in a comment or post will see the new picture.
Can I set different profile pictures for different people to see?
No. Your profile picture is the same for everyone. However, you can control who sees your profile itself using privacy settings. Your profile picture will only be visible to people who can see your profile.
How often can I change my profile picture?
As often as you want. There is no limit to how many times you can change it per day, week, or month. You can change it every hour if you choose to, though Facebook may show a notification to your friends only if you change it infrequently.