How to Set Your Contact Picture in Gmail

Your Gmail picture is your Google Account profile picture. To set it, go to myaccount.google.com/personal-info, click Profile picture, choose an illustration or upload, take, or pick a photo, crop it, and click Next > Save as profile picture. You can also click your picture at the top right of Gmail to get there.

This guide covers setting your picture on a computer and phone, where it appears, finding an old picture, and changing the photo for someone else in your contacts. It follows Google’s Change your Gmail profile picture, Change your Google Account picture, name & other info, and Edit or delete contacts help pages.

How to Set Your Picture in Gmail on a Computer

1. Go to myaccount.google.com/personal-info. Or in Gmail, click your picture or initial at the top right and choose to manage your Google Account.
2. Click Profile picture under Basic info.
3. Choose an option: Browse illustrations, Upload from device, Take a picture, or Google Photos.
4. Rotate and crop the photo if you need to, then click Next.
5. Click Save as profile picture.

Result: the new picture becomes your Google Account picture. Google says it can take some time, sometimes a few days, to update across all Google products.

How to Set It on a Phone

1. On your Android phone, iPhone, or iPad, go to myaccount.google.com/personal-info in a browser.
2. Tap Profile picture and choose an option.
3. Rotate and crop, tap Next, then tap Save as profile picture.

Result: the same picture appears in Gmail on every device. You can also start from the Gmail app by tapping your profile picture at the top right.

Where Your Picture Appears

• Google says your picture can appear next to your name when you send an email or chat, and in notifications for messages you send to other Gmail users.
• Because it’s your Google Account picture, it can also appear in other Google services. These include Chat, Calendar, and Photos.
• If you haven’t added a picture, Google shows your initials instead.
• Google says changing your Google picture doesn’t change your YouTube name or profile picture.

You can control what other people see about you across Google services from your Google Account settings.

How to Go Back to an Old Picture

1. In Gmail, click your picture at the top right, then click the option to change your profile picture.
2. At the top right, click More > Past profile pictures.
3. Pick the picture you want to use again.

Result: the older picture becomes your current profile picture again.

How to Change the Picture for Someone in Your Contacts

If you meant a contact’s picture rather than your own, use Google Contacts:

1. Go to contacts.google.com.
2. Point to the contact’s name and click Edit on the right.
3. Change the photo and other details, then click Save.

Result: the updated details sync with your Google Account. Google notes you can’t change details that come automatically from the contact’s own Google profile, their organization, or Google Maps for a business.

Troubleshooting

• Old picture still showing: Google suggests clearing your cache and cookies and signing out and back in. Some updates take a few days.
• Others still see the old picture: Google notes people who saved your old details in their contacts won’t see those details update.
• Work or school account: your organization may control profile pictures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I remove my Gmail picture?

Yes. You can remove it from the same Profile picture screen. Without a picture, Google shows your initials.

Do my other photos become public?

No. Google says your profile picture is used across Google services, but your other photos aren’t shared.

More Gmail guides: How to create a signature in Gmail and How to automatically create contacts in Gmail.

If you need to find a contact first, see how to view your Google Contacts list.

Another small Gmail tweak: enable the unread message icon to see how many new emails are waiting.