How to Change a User Account Picture in Windows 10 and 11

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Upload an existing photo or take a new one using your computer

Co-authored by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: August 20, 2025 Fact Checked

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Changing User Account Picture

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Deleting a User Account Picture

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Troubleshooting

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Video

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Q&A

When you sign into Windows, you'll see a user picture associated with your account. If you're stuck with the default picture, or if you want to update your profile picture to a new one, you can easily do so in the Settings menu. Here's how to change a user account picture in Windows 10 and Windows 11. We'll even show you how to permanently delete user account pictures from the history.

Changing Your Windows Profile Picture

To change your user account picture in Windows 10 or Windows 11, open Settings and select Accounts. Click Your info and select Choose a file underneath the Adjust your photo header. You can also click Open camera to take a new photo instead.

Section 1 of 3:

Changing User Account Picture

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1
Open the Settings menu. To find this, click the Start menu and select the cog icon.
- This method will work on Windows 10 and Windows 11.^{[1]
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You can find this in the left panel of the Settings window.

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You can find this near your name and current user account picture.
4
Click Choose a file. This is underneath the Adjust your photo header.
- If you'd rather take a new picture using your device's camera, you can select Open camera instead.
5
Click Browse files. This will open your device's File Explorer.
- If you selected Open camera, click the camera icon to take a new photo.
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Select a photo from your device. If you don't have a new picture already saved on your device, you can download a photo from the internet. You can also download pictures from any cloud services you may use to store your files, such as Google Drive or iCloud.
- If you changed your user account picture before, you'll find the last three pictures used on the Your info page. Click it to select it and set it again.

Section 2 of 3:

Deleting a User Account Picture

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1
Open the File Explorer. Windows saves the last three pictures set as your user account picture. To delete this from appearing in the suggested photos on the Your info page, you'll need to delete the data within the AppData folder.
- This method will work on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
2
Enable hidden files. If this option is hidden, you won't be able to find the AppData folder. To enable it, do the following:
- Click the View tab.
- Click Show.
- Click Hidden items.
3
Navigate to your Account Pictures folder. The location is C:\Users\ youraccount \AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures. Be sure to replace "your account" with your account's name.
- If you can't find or access the AppData folder this way, do the following:
  - Click the address bar.
  - Type %appdata% and press Enter.
  - Click the Microsoft folder.
  - Click the Windows folder.
  - Click the Account Pictures folder.
You can select multiple pictures by holding CTRL as you click. Then, right-click the selection(s) and click Delete. You can also drag and drop the files into the Recycle Bin.
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Empty your Recycle Bin. Right-click the Recycle Bin and click Empty Recycle Bin. This ensures the picture won't find its way back into the settings page.
- Be sure to repeat this process if you want to delete any other account pictures you upload to the Your info page.

Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting

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I can't find the AppData folder. If you don't see the AppData folder, you may have hidden files disabled. This option may not be on by default. To enable hidden files in the File Explorer, you'll need to click the View tab, select Show, and then select Hidden items.
- If you still don't see the folder, try restarting your computer first. You may also need to try viewing the folder from the administrator's account.
You can change the account picture for a local account the same way as changing your Microsoft account. You'll need to open the Settings window, select Accounts, and then select Your info. From there, you can choose to select a photo from your device or take a new photo using your device's camera.
If you don't have a Windows license, you won't be able to change your profile picture or background image. To change your user account picture, update or purchase a Windows license. This will unlock all personalization features for your device.

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Question

How do I remove the photo and restore the default icon?

Community Answer

Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't offer an easy way to do this. However, downloading the default icon from the internet and then setting it has the exact same effect.

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Question

How do I set an already saved picture for account picture?

MACARTHUR GAISIN

Community Answer

Go to settings. And in settings, you should see a personalization option. Click it and in the personalization option, you should see a background option. You can change it in there.

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Question

Where is the camera capture stored? I'd like to use it elsewhere.

Joseph Purcell

Community Answer

You just need to click on the folder icon on your taskbar to launch File Explorer and then scroll to Pictures. Camera Roll folder is listed under this Pictures directory and you can open it to view all your images.

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