How To Change your Windows 8.1 Account Picture
Windows 8 allows you to customize your Account Picture/Profile with just a few clicks which greatly personalizes your install. Here’s how to do it.
Update: Microsoft is no longer supporting Windows 8. Here is what the company says:
Windows 8.1 reached the end of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018, and will reach end of Extended Support on January 10, 2023. With the general availability of Windows 8.1, customers on Windows 8 had until January 12, 2016, to move to Windows 8.1 to remain supported.
Changing your Windows 8 account profile picture or photo is simple if you know where to look. It’s also nice customization that can personalize your Windows 8.1 Installation. It’s also a nice touch if you have multiple users on the same computer.
Change Account Picture
From the Start screen, right-click your current  photo and then click “Change account picture.” You can also change your Account Picture under the PC Settings, where you can also customize your Start screen and Lock screen.
The Account Picture section will open in Accounts. From there, you can select an image you’ve used before, browse to a photo, or take a new picture by taking a picture with the Camera app. Of course, your laptop or device will need a front-facing camera or a webcam attached to a desktop.
If you browse to a picture, OneDrive photos will open automatically in Libraries. If the photo you want to use is located somewhere else, including a network location, click the Libraries dropdown and browse to it.
Click on a photo, so you see a checkmark in the upper right corner, then click the Choose Image button to save your selection.
When you press the Windows key to return to the Windows 8.1 Start screen, your new Profile will be shown. The new photo will also display on the lock screen.
You can do this for each user you create on your Windows 8.1 system. If you haven’t made a new user account yet in Windows 8.1, check out our article: How to Add and Manage New Users in Windows 8.
If you’re new to Windows 8.x, it helps to know these tips and tricks. While it doesn’t make a huge difference, it does help customize Windows to how you like it.
10 Comments
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kard996
September 28, 2012 at 5:16 pm
What system does smasung galixie run on?and why can’t i download java?
Brian Burgess
September 28, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Android
Juan Carlo Borja
November 8, 2012 at 5:08 am
i cant change my user picture. browse button is unclickable… pls help
Troy A Page
November 16, 2012 at 5:25 pm
I have the same problem and i have been trying for weeks to find out how. No one seems to know. I think ill give Microsoft a call and find out.
sahar
December 7, 2012 at 4:21 am
my brows part is disable plz help me:(
oracleme
September 27, 2014 at 2:26 am
I have the same problem with many users, i cant change my user picture. browse button is unclickable… pls someone do or say something meaningul plz
rina
March 4, 2015 at 11:32 pm
i am unable to see my photos folder in the list..it only shows onedrive..wat should i do??
BeezusQ
May 21, 2015 at 6:13 pm
OK, so I was able to follow your directions and get and post a new ACCOUNT USER pic – which I see instead of the icon BUT this pic is not showing up on my email — it still has the old/grey template icon. I did a restart – that did not help. How can I get the ACCOUNT PIC I selected (and is on my START screen) to show up? THANKS!
BeezusQ
May 21, 2015 at 6:14 pm
The last sentence should read: How can I get the ACCOUNT PIC I selected (and is on my START screen) to show up on emails I send?
Shinobi
December 6, 2015 at 2:00 pm
I tried changing the picture but it keeps saying ” account picture error”
( By the way I tried typing an ‘underscore’ on my e mail here but it doesn’t work , so I left a blank between the two words)