We truly live in the age of Google, which evolved from a search engine into a software conglomerate that owns many of the digital products we use daily. From OS on your Android phone through your G-mail account to cloud space on Google Drive – we depend on Google for many of the essential services that business and even private communications would be impossible without.
Google allows users to create and customize their profiles and gives them the ability to set their own pictures. It’s good business practice to personalize the account and use an image that represents you well in the eyes of your online contacts. In technical terms, changing your Google profile picture is very simple so you shouldn’t use the absence of computer skills as an excuse. This article will show you how to change your avatar on any type of smart device so that you can perform this action as often as you like.
Further Reading: How to Record Audio on Google Slides >
Top Reasons for Using a Recent and Good-looking Photo on Google
You may think that nobody cares about your profile image on internet platforms, but the truth is that many people tend to form opinions based on publicly available information about you. If you are communicating with business partners through Gmail, sharing files on Drive, or exchanging information through any channel that is tied to your Google account, the other side may see your picture. This can lead to some embarrassing situations if an old photo that you completely forgot about resurfaces in someone’s inbox. That can be avoided if you frequently change your photos to adequately reflect your current age and professional status. Here are a few other advantages you gain by putting a nice photo on your Google account:
- Giving your contacts the ability to see how you look before meeting you
- Leaving a professional impression on business contacts and institutions
- Bringing your Google profile up to date and coordinating it with your other digital outlets
- Humanizing your online presence by showing your smiling face
- Making it more difficult for malicious actors to impersonate you online
- Allowing people you know in real life to easily recognize you on the internet
How to Change Google Profile Picture on Your Computer
Most people access their Google accounts from a PC, so they will most likely use the same device when they want to change their profile picture. The procedure is very simple and will result in the new picture appearing across all of your Google-related pages on the web, no matter from which device you access them or which OS you have installed. Just complete these steps and you will have a brand new picture displayed on your Google profile.
Step 1. Go to your Google profile using any major web browser, and log in with your credentials
Step 2. Hover your mouse cursor over the profile image until a pen icon appears, then click on it
Click on the Pen Icon
Step 3. Click the Change button and choose a new profile photo from your hard disc or find it online
Click on the Change Button
Step 4. Crop and rotate the selected image so that it fits well into the frame
Step 5. When you are happy with the preview, save the new settings
How to Change Picture on Google from a Smartphone
Considering the multi-platform nature of Google, it’s not a surprise that it’s equally easy to change the avatar on your profile from a phone. This can be done from iOS as well as Android phone, and causes a permanent change on the account. The only condition is that you have the Google app installed on the device, and on Android, it comes as a part of the OS when you buy the phone. The sequence of steps needed to change the profile photo in this way goes as follows.
Step 1. Open the Google app on your phone and make sure you are signed in
Step 2. Find the profile image in the upper right corner and tap on it, then tap on Change
Step 3. Select the source from which to upload the new photo (phone memory, online library, or newly made photo)
How to Change Picture on Google from a mobile phone
Step 4. Drag your fingers across the screen to set the right zoom level and crop the image
Step 5. Tap Done to save your changes and start using the new profile image
How to Change Google Profile Picture Back to Default
Not every change of image turns out to be positive, and it doesn’t have to be permanent. In case you are unhappy with your new picture, you can instantly go back to a default photo. This is most commonly done when you want to use the account anonymously or to increase your privacy level. The procedure for reverting to the default profile image consists of the following steps.
Step 1. Access your Google account via browser or mobile app
Step 2. Go to the My Account tab, then select Edit Profile and then Profile Picture
Step 3. Use the Change button, then select Upload a new file
Change Google Profile Picture Back to Default
Step 4. After clicking on Choose file, select the file named ‘default_profile_picture.png’
Step 5. Set this image as your new avatar
Frequently Asked Questions about Changing the Picture on Your Google Account
Do I have to upgrade my account to premium in order to change Google profile photo?
You don’t need any upgrades to perform this simple operation, as Google allows all of its users to customize their profile images. All you need is to know your username and password for Gmail or Google app and you can access this function free of charge.
Are there any limitations how often I can change my profile photo on Google?
In a technical sense, there are no rules that would prevent you from changing the profile photo multiple times per day, if you so desire. On the other hand, due to practical considerations very few users actually do that more often than once every couple of weeks.
What is the best image size and orientation for a Google profile image?
The photo you choose needs to be smaller than 5MB in size. In terms of number of pixels, images between 720×720 and 3000×3000 are most commonly used. It is recommended to use the landscape format whenever possible, with your face positioned centrally in the image, facing the viewer.
Final Considerations
It’s surprising how many people are completely unaware they can personalize their presence on Google-powered platforms and don’t know how to change picture on Google. As we explained before, this is a totally routine operation that doesn’t take more than a few minutes to execute. The procedure for setting up a new image is similar no matter which device you used to log in, so the main focus should be on selecting the most appropriate picture. As your needs change over time (or you make better photos of yourself), you can always go back and switch to another image that you think works better.
