Accounts Change Account Picture in Windows 11


user_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to change the picture for your local account or Microsoft account in Windows 11.

You can change your local account or Microsoft account picture in Windows 11 to have more of a personal touch that reflects you.

A Microsoft account picture will sync by default to all PCs, devices, and Microsoft services you sign in to with the same Microsoft account.

Reference:

Change your account picture - Microsoft Support

Learn how to change your account picture in Windows. Choose from pictures on your PC or take a new selfie.
support.microsoft.com support.microsoft.com


The account picture per account is cached in the folder below. You will need to turn on both Show hidden files, folders, and drives and Hide protected operating system files to see the images.

C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\<SID of user>

account_picture_location.png



Contents

  • Option One: Change Local Account or Microsoft Account Picture in Settings
  • Option Two: Change Microsoft Account Picture Online at Microsoft




Option One

Change Local Account or Microsoft Account Picture in Settings


1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Accounts on the left side, and click/tap on Your info on the right side. (see screenshot below)

Open Your info settings

account_picture_Settings-1.png

3 Do step 4 (Take a photo) or step 5 (Choose a file) below for what you want.

4 "Take a photo" for Account Picture

This option is only available if your device has a camera (webcam) to take a selfie with.


A) Click/tap on Open Camera to "Take a photo" under Adjust your photo. (see screenshot below)​

account_picture_Settings-2.png

B) When ready, click/tap on the Take photo button in the Camera app. (see screenshot below)​

account_picture_Settings-4.png

C) Adjust the photo borders if needed, and click/tap on Done when finished. (see screenshot below)​

account_picture_Settings-5.png

D) Go to step 7. (see screenshot below)​

5 "Choose a file" for Account Picture

A) Click/tap on Browse files to "Choose a file" under Adjust your photo. (see screenshot below)​

account_picture_Settings-3.png

B) Navigate to and select the image file you want, and click/tap on Choose picture. (see screenshot below)​

account_picture_Settings-6.png

C) Go to step 7. (see screenshot below)​

7 You can now close Settings if you like.




Option Two

Change Microsoft Account Picture Online at Microsoft


1 Sign in to the Your info page at Microsoft with your Microsoft account.

2 Click/tap on Add a photo or Change photo. (see screenshot below)

Microsoft_account_picture-1.png

3 Click/tap on the Add a photo link. (see screenshot below)

Microsoft_account_picture-2.png

4 Navigate to and select the image file you want, and click/tap on Open. (see screenshot below)

Microsoft_account_picture-2b.png

5 Adjust the photo if needed, and click/tap on Save when finished. (see screenshot below)

Microsoft_account_picture-3.png

6 Click/tap on Close. (see screenshot below)

Microsoft_account_picture-4.png

7 Your new Microsoft account picture will eventually (usually within 24 hours) sync to all devices you sign in to with the same Microsoft account.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


Related Tutorials

 
Last edited:
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for the tutorial, same as importing Account Picture (.accountpicture-ms)?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel
    Motherboard
    Asus Strix
    Memory
    Corsair
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Strix
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus
    Screen Resolution
    4K
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i
    Case
    Corsair SPEC-ALPHA
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H100i
DevNerds said:
Hey thanks for the tutorial, same as importing Account Picture (.accountpicture-ms)?
Click to expand...

The .accountpicture-ms file is no longer available in the %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures folder for recent account pictures for the current user.

The current account pictures are kept in the hidden C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\SID of user folder though.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Brink said:
The .accountpicture-ms file is no longer available in the %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures folder for recent account pictures for the current user.

The current account pictures are kept in the hidden C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\SID of user folder though.
Click to expand...

Is there something I need to do to see the pictures in those folders?
On a fresh install of Windows 11, after having set a "local" user account (admin), that SID folder is still empty.
Having also logged in with a Domain user, under the domain user or the local admin, I can open all of the SID folders, but all appear empty.

Secondary question, is this the same path for "domain" users?

We are not using folder redirection or any profile picture settings in Active Directory.
We are not using Microsoft Accounts.

As a side note, for the PCs connected to domains (i.e. looking at Domain Users), it appears that all of my Windows 10 PCs and PCs that were upgraded from Windows 10 to 11 are still using the %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures with .accountpicture-ms images... but perhaps those are just leftover artifacts.

For those same domain PCs, logged into the "Local" admin account, the profile image is not present in either "%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures" or "C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\SID of user"

Thanks!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
    Motherboard
    NZXT N7 B650E (AM5)
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6000 CL30-40-40-96 (F5-6000J3040G32GX2-TZ5NR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (reference)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x LG 29UM69G-B 29" Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Hard Drives
    2TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2
    PSU
    NZXT C1000W Gold
    Case
    NZXT H9 Elite
    Cooling
    NZXT Kraken Z73 RGB
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps synchronous
    Browser
    Firefox (w/ Total Cookie Protection and Multi-Account Containers)
    Other Info
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700H
    Motherboard
    21DECTO1WW
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 4800
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    256GB Micron MTFDKBA256TFK SSD M.2
bumgarb42 said:
Is there something I need to do to see the pictures in those folders?
On a fresh install of Windows 11, after having set a "local" user account (admin), that SID folder is still empty.
Having also logged in with a Domain user, under the domain user or the local admin, I can open all of the SID folders, but all appear empty.

Secondary question, is this the same path for "domain" users?

We are not using folder redirection or any profile picture settings in Active Directory.
We are not using Microsoft Accounts.

As a side note, for the PCs connected to domains (i.e. looking at Domain Users), it appears that all of my Windows 10 PCs and PCs that were upgraded from Windows 10 to 11 are still using the %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures with .accountpicture-ms images... but perhaps those are just leftover artifacts.

For those same domain PCs, logged into the "Local" admin account, the profile image is not present in either "%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures" or "C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\SID of user"

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Hello, :alien:

You would need to uncheck Hide protected operating system files to see the images there.

I'm not sure for domains since I don't have/use one to test with.

www.elevenforum.com

Show Hidden Files, Folders, and Drives in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to hide or show hidden files, folders, and drives and protected operating system files for your account in Windows 11. Hidden files, folders, and drives do not show by default in Windows. Hidden files, folders, and drives are marked with the hidden attribute...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Brink said:
You would need to uncheck Hide protected operating system files to see the images there.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. I have "hide" turned off but still do not see anything in "C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\SID of user"
Hmm...
Thanks!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
    Motherboard
    NZXT N7 B650E (AM5)
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6000 CL30-40-40-96 (F5-6000J3040G32GX2-TZ5NR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (reference)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x LG 29UM69G-B 29" Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Hard Drives
    2TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2
    PSU
    NZXT C1000W Gold
    Case
    NZXT H9 Elite
    Cooling
    NZXT Kraken Z73 RGB
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps synchronous
    Browser
    Firefox (w/ Total Cookie Protection and Multi-Account Containers)
    Other Info
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700H
    Motherboard
    21DECTO1WW
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 4800
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    256GB Micron MTFDKBA256TFK SSD M.2
bumgarb42 said:
Thanks for the response. I have "hide" turned off but still do not see anything in "C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\SID of user"
Hmm...
Thanks!
Click to expand...

:shawn:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
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