Change your Outlook profile picture in three steps

Your Outlook profile picture appears next to your name in emails you send and in your Outlook contacts. To change it, open Outlook, click your profile icon in the top right corner, select "Change profile picture", and upload a new image from your computer. The change takes effect immediately in Outlook on your device and syncs to Outlook.com within a few minutes.

The exact steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Outlook on Windows, Mac, or the web version. This guide covers all three, so you can follow the instructions that match what you have open right now.

Key Takeaways

  • Your profile picture in Outlook is stored with your Microsoft account, not just on your device, so it appears in all your Outlook folders and on Outlook.com.
  • The fastest way to change it is to click your profile icon in the top right corner of Outlook and select "Change profile picture" from the menu.
  • Image files must be in JPG, PNG, or GIF format and smaller than 4 MB to upload successfully.
  • If you change your picture on Outlook.com, it updates automatically in Outlook on your computer within a few minutes without any action needed from you.

Change your picture in Outlook on Windows

Open Outlook on your Windows computer. Look at the top right corner of the window — you will see a small circle with your initials or current profile picture inside it. Click that circle once.

A menu will drop down with several options. Look for the line that says "Change profile picture" and click it. A file browser window will open on your screen. Navigate to the folder where your new picture is saved, click the image file once to select it, then click the "Open" button at the bottom right of the file browser.

Outlook will upload the image and display it immediately in that same circle in the top right corner. The picture is now linked to your Microsoft account, so it will appear next to your name when you send emails and in your contact card when others look you up in Outlook.

Change your picture in Outlook on Mac

Open Outlook on your Mac. In the top right corner of the window, you will see a small circle with your initials or current picture. Click that circle once to open a menu.

Select "Change profile picture" from the menu that appears. A file picker window will open. Find the image file you want to use, click it once to select it, then click the "Open" button. Outlook will upload the image and show it in the circle immediately.

On Mac, the process is identical to Windows, but the file picker window may look slightly different depending on your macOS version. The image must still be in JPG, PNG, or GIF format and under 4 MB in size.

Change your picture on Outlook.com

Go to Outlook.com in your web browser and sign in with your Microsoft account if you are not already signed in. Look at the top right corner of the page — you will see a small circle with your initials or current picture. Click that circle once.

A menu will appear with several options. Click "Change profile picture". A file upload window will open. Click "Browse" or the upload area, navigate to your image file, select it, and click "Open". Outlook.com will upload the image and display it in the circle right away.

When you change your picture on Outlook.com, it syncs to Outlook on your Windows or Mac computer within a few minutes. You do not need to do anything else — the change happens automatically in the background.

What image formats and sizes work

Outlook accepts profile pictures in three formats: JPG, PNG, and GIF. Most photos from phones and cameras are already in JPG format, so you usually will not need to convert anything. If you have a picture in a different format like BMP or TIFF, you can open it in Windows Paint or another free image editor and save it as JPG or PNG instead.

Your image file must be smaller than 4 MB. Most photos are well under this limit, but if you have a very high-resolution image or a large file, you may need to resize it. You can do this in Windows Photos, Preview on Mac, or any free online image resizer. A good target size is around 200 by 200 pixels, which is roughly the size Outlook displays the picture at.

Troubleshoot if your picture will not upload

If you click "Change profile picture" but nothing happens, first check that you are signed into Outlook with your Microsoft account. If you are using Outlook on your computer, sign out and sign back in. If you are on Outlook.com, try signing out, closing your browser completely, and signing back in.

If the upload still does not work, check the image file itself. Make sure it is in JPG, PNG, or GIF format — right-click the file and look at the file extension at the end of the name. If it says .bmp, .tiff, or something else, you will need to convert it first. Also verify the file size is under 4 MB. If the file is too large, resize it using an online tool or your computer's built-in image editor.

If you are still stuck after checking the file format and size, try uploading from Outlook.com instead of your desktop version of Outlook. The web version sometimes works when the desktop version does not, and the change will sync to your desktop Outlook automatically.

Your picture across Microsoft services

When you change your Outlook profile picture, it updates your picture across other Microsoft services that use your account. Your picture will appear the same way in Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps. This happens because all these services pull your profile picture from your Microsoft account settings, not from Outlook alone.

If you want a different picture for a specific service like Teams, you can change it separately in that app's settings. The change will not affect your Outlook picture — each service lets you set its own picture independently if you choose to do so.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a picture from the internet as my Outlook profile picture?

Yes. Right-click the image on the website, select "Save image as", choose a folder on your computer, and click Save. Then follow the steps above to upload it as your profile picture in Outlook. Make sure you have permission to use the image — do not use copyrighted photos or pictures of other people without their consent.

What happens to my old profile picture when I change it?

Outlook replaces it completely. The old picture is not saved anywhere in Outlook, so if you want to use it again later, you should save a copy to your computer before you change your picture. You can download your current picture from Outlook.com by clicking your profile icon, selecting "View profile", and looking for a download option next to your picture.

Why does my profile picture look blurry or pixelated?

This usually means the original image file was too small or low resolution. Outlook displays your picture at a small size (around 200 by 200 pixels), so if you start with a very small image, it will look stretched and blurry when enlarged. Use a larger, higher-resolution photo instead. A photo that is at least 400 by 400 pixels will look sharp at any size Outlook displays it.

Can I remove my profile picture and go back to just my initials?

Yes. Click your profile icon in the top right corner of Outlook, select "Change profile picture", and instead of uploading a new image, look for a "Remove picture" or "Delete" option in the file browser or menu. Not all versions of Outlook show this option, but you can also go to your Microsoft account settings online, find your profile picture, and delete it there. Your initials will reappear once the picture is removed.

How long does it take for my new picture to show up in emails I send?

The picture appears immediately in Outlook on your device after you upload it. However, recipients of your emails may not see the new picture right away — it can take a few minutes to a few hours for the change to sync across Microsoft's servers. If someone does not see your new picture in an email they received, ask them to refresh their email or wait a few hours and check again.