How to Change the Default User Account Avatar in Windows

Every time you create a new user account in Windows, it sets a default user account picture. This article will show you how to change the default user account picture in Windows. You can use any picture of your choice. You can even standardize the default user account icon by preventing users from changing it.

Change account picture in Windows

Windows users can update their default account picture through the Settings app, the user account picture folder, or the online Microsoft control panel.

To access your profile picture, go to Settings -> Accounts -> Account settings -> Your info .

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Go to Adjust your photo . Here you can change the default user account photo to any other photo of your choice by clicking Open Camera to take a photo or via Browse files .

New photos will be displayed immediately on the account page.

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Previously, you could also change your user account picture from Control Panel. This option is now disabled.

From the User Account Pictures folder

Windows stores default user account icons in PNG format in the system folder in various sizes. By replacing these default images with icons of your choice, you can change your default account picture.

Launch File Explorer and go to the %ProgramData%MicrosoftUser Account Pictures folder . Here you will see all the default user account icons. We need to replace the user icon image files with another profile picture of the same size.

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The "UserAccountsPictures" folder under "ProgramData" in Windows File Explorer.
First, download the image or icon of your choice that is at least 512px x 512px in size. Make sure the width and height are the same. Now, make 5 copies of the icon and resize and rename them. You can use MS Paint to quickly resize it to any of these sizes.

1. 448 x 448 – user.png
2. 192 x 192 – user-192.png
3. 48 x 48 – user-48.png
4. 40 x 40 – user-40.png
5. 32 x 32 – user-32.png

In the next step, simply copy and paste the default icon images for the above sizes into the User Account Pictures folder . You will need to click Replace the file in the destination to enable the new options. This will overwrite the old files, so creating a backup is essential.

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You can save the backup files in any folder so that they are easily accessible. Alternatively, you can use the .BKP extension for backups. Rename 'user.png,' 'user-192.png,' 'user-48.png,' 'user-40.png,' and 'user-32.png' to 'user.png.bkp,' 'user-192.png.bkp,' 'user-48.png.bkp,' 'user-40.png.bkp,' and 'user-32.png.bkp' respectively. You can skip the 'user.bmp' file.

Note : If you don't want to go through the renaming process, you can simply delete or replace them. But if you do, you may not be able to restore the default icons when you need them. However, you can copy the icons from another system.

From the Microsoft account dashboard

By default, your Microsoft account profile picture will sync to your Windows devices. This feature is also available to users with access to Microsoft 365, as well as to people who sync OneDrive or SharePoint to their computers.

Sign in to your Microsoft account online. When the dashboard appears, navigate to Your info . From there, you can select Change Photo to update your Microsoft user account photo.

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A new pop-up window will open where you can browse your PC to add a new photo to your profile. Click Save to confirm. Then, Update your profile to save these changes to your Microsoft account.

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Lesley Montoya

Update 13 December 2024