Having issues changing or updating your Facebook profile picture? You try to upload a new profile photo but your old one remains? Frustrating, right?
Not to worry – you’re not the only one facing this nuisance. Plenty of users have reported problems getting their Facebook profile picture to update to a new image.
The good news is there are a few troubleshooting tips you can try to fix your pesky profile pic. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the most common reasons the Facebook profile picture won’t change and actionable solutions to finally update it.
Why Your Facebook Profile Picture Won’t Change
Before jumping into the solutions, it’s helpful to understand the likely reasons your Facebook profile picture fails to update in the first place:
1. Poor Internet Connection
The issue may simply boil down to your internet connection when trying to upload the new profile photo. If you have a slow, spotty or generally unreliable internet, Facebook may struggle to upload the newly selected photo and swap it with the old one.
2. Problems with Facebook Servers
Facebook servers may be experiencing downtimes or technical issues that prevent profile pictures from updating. Server hiccups can cause all sorts of problems with the platform.
3. Outdated Facebook App
An outdated version of the Facebook app on your mobile device may be the culprit. The app needs regular updates to fix bugs and issues like the profile picture not changing.
4. Corrupted App Cache/Data
Corrupted cache and data files associated with the Facebook app may prevent the new profile photo from going live. Clearing this junk data can help resolve such problems.
5. Using an Unsupported Image Format
If you selected an image format that Facebook doesn’t support like .webp, the new profile photo will fail to upload or process.
6. Exceeding the Image Size Limit
Facebook only allows profile pictures up to a certain MB or pixel size. Exceeding these limits causes upload failures and the old picture to remain.
7. Problems with Specific Images
Some images seem to confuse Facebook’s systems, leading to upload or processing issues that inhibit profile photo updates.
8. Browser Problems
Using certain web browsers, having old browser versions or corrupt browser data/extensions can also be behind profile picture upload problems.
9. Device Software Issues
Glitches with your device’s operating system, settings or other device-specific software may trip up Facebook profile picture features.
10. Account Problems
In some cases, specific issues with your Facebook account can block updates to the profile photo – such as unusual account activity or restrictions.
As you can see, numerous issues can prevent a Facebook profile pic from updating correctly.
Not to fret though – the following tips should help you to troubleshoot and solve the problem for good.
How to Fix Facebook Profile Picture Not Changing or Updating
Without further ado, here are the best methods to fix the Facebook profile picture refusing to update or change:
1. Check Your Internet Connection
The first step is to check that you actually have a stable, fairly fast internet connection in place.
Uploading and updating your Facebook profile picture requires a reliable internet connection to Facebook’s servers.
Issues like dead zones, weak signals, bandwidth limitations, etc. can all inhibit the profile pic change.
To best check your internet connection:
- Run a speed test using a website like SpeedTest to measure your actual speeds and consistency right now. Both the download and uploads speeds need to be fairly fast.
- Try accessing Facebook from different locations in your home, office or other spaces to test for dead zones or weak signals.
- If using WiFi, move closer to the router or access point for maximum signal strength. Or connect another device via Ethernet cable to confirm the LAN connection works fine.
- Restart your home router and devices to refresh internet connectivity as needed.
- Toggle Airplane mode on and off on mobile devices to re-establish the WiFi/mobile data connection.
- For mobile devices, be sure cellular mobile data is enabled in the settings if WiFi is proving troublesome.
Confirming a strong, steady internet link is essential before further Facebook troubleshooting.
2. Check Facebook’s Server Status
Assuming your internet checks out okay, next step is to check whether Facebook’s servers are experiencing issues.
Downtimes for site maintenance or technical hiccups on Facebook’s infrastructure can prevent profile uploads and picture updates.
When servers encounter problems, it causes all sorts of errors and failures across Facebook – including changing profile photos.
To check Facebook’s server status:
- Visit Facebook’s Developers Platform Status Page
- Check the Components dashboard for any alerts or reported issues with Graph API, Profile Pictures, Photos & Videos, etc. Yellow and red alerts indicate servers struggling.
- Visit Downdetector’s Facebook Status Page to check for any spike in user-reported errors and issues with the site which may point to server troubles.
- Search Facebook and Twitter for recent complaints about the platform being glitchy, spotty or down to gauge real-world impacts.
If Facebook is indeed battling server trouble, unfortunately you’ll have to wait it out until functionality returns to normal before your profile photo can update.
Keep trying later on once any server disruptions have been resolved by Facebook’s tech teams. Waiting a few hours usually does the trick!
3. Restart Your Device
Before getting too in-depth troubleshooting Facebook itself, try simply restarting the device you’re accessing Facebook from first.
Restarting refreshes everything, clears temporary glitches, releases any memory constraints, and resets stuck processes – potentially fixing hiccups preventing profile updates.
To restart your smartphone or tablet:
- On Android devices, hold down the Power button for 60 seconds until the device options appear. Tap Restart.
- On iOS devices, hold either volume button and the side button until the power off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off the device. Wait 30 seconds, then turn your iOS device back on.
- If you encounter the Facebook profile picture issue using Facebook’s mobile app specifically, force quit the app by swiping it away from the recent apps list. Then restart and re-launch just the Facebook app itself.
To restart your computer:
- On Windows devices, click Start > Power > Restart. Or press Ctrl + Alt + Del and select Restart.
- On Mac devices, click the Apple menu > Restart. Or press Command + Control + Power.
- If accessing Facebook in a web browser on a computer, also restart your web browser app specifically after restarting the system.
Once your device or computer reboots and you log back into Facebook, try changing your profile picture again.
The restart clears away nasty gremlins that may be hampering the system’s ability to upload and display the updated Facebook profile photo as expected. Fingers crossed it does the trick!
4. Update the Facebook App
If attempting to update your profile picture using Facebook’s mobile app on your iPhone, Android or other device, make sure you’re running the latest version of the app.
Outdated versions of the Facebook app tend to harbor more bugs and issues that can interfere with smooth profile pic uploads.
Facebook actively develops its apps, releasing new versions that contain critical patches, new features and performance enhancements.
But the apps don’t auto-update themselves always. And over time, you may have fallen behind several versions, by continuing to use an old buggy release.
Updating to the latest Facebook app download removes any legacy glitches that may be preventing your profile picture from taking.
To update Facebook app on iOS:
- Open the App Store
- Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner
- Scroll down to see pending app updates and tap Update next to Facebook
- Enter your App Store password or fingerprint to confirm the update.
To update Facebook app on Android:
- Open the Play Store
- Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner
- Select My Apps & Games > Updates pending
- On the updates screen, tap Update next to Facebook.
Once updated to the latest Facebook app, try changing that stubborn profile picture again!
5. Clear Cache and Data
Corrupted app cache and data is another common culprit behind Facebook glitches like the profile picture refusing to update properly.
Clearing this junk content forces the app to start fresh which can fix associated problems.
To clear cache and data on the Facebook app:
On Android:
- Open Settings > Apps & notifications
- Select Facebook.
- Tap Storage & cache > Clear cache and Clear storage buttons.
On iOS:
- Go to Settings > General > iPhone storage
- Find and select Facebook
- Tap Offload app to clear old data.
To clear browser cache and data if accessing via computer:
*Press Ctrl + Shift + Del on Windows PCs or Command+Shift+Del on Macs to open the clearance settings
- Select the desired timeframe for data removal
*Check the boxes for Cookies and site data and Cached images and files - Click Clear data button
Alternatively, refer to your browser help documentation for exact steps to wipe its cache and data manually.
Now attempt to change the Facebook profile photo again and see if clearing all that temporary content did the trick!
6. Try a Different Browser or Device
Barking up the wrong tree troubleshooting your usual browser or device? The Facebook profile picture problem may be isolated to that specific app, browser or device only.
Prove this theory by attempting to update your Facebook profile pic using a different browser or device altogether:
- On desktop PCs, switch browsers – try Firefox if usually using Chrome for instance. This eliminates any browser-specific settings or bugs.
- On smartphones, toggle between the Facebook mobile app vs attempting the process directly on the mobile browser version of Facebook.
- Similarly, switch device types completely – update profile picture on mobile app as opposed to desktop site for example.
Essentially the goal is to see if changing the environment and approach changes the outcome.
If you CAN successfully update the Facebook profile image on a secondary device or web browser, then you know something is likely misconfigured with your usual tool…instead of broader account or platform issues being at fault.
Isolating the issue to your primary browser or device indicates next troubleshooting efforts should focus there rather than chasing other dead-end solutions.
7. Use a Different Photo
Is the specific image you want to use causing drama and somehow confusing Facebook’s systems? Problematic photos can trip up the profile pic update process.
Diagnose by attempting to upload random alternate photos already on your device’s local media folder or camera roll instead.
If another generic photo easily updates your profile picture as intended, then something about your original chosen graphic is problematic. Could be file size, type, dimensions, metadata, etc fouling things up.
Using trial-and-error with multiple different images helps identify if the issue stems from the source photo itself rather than account settings, platform problems or device conflicts exclusively.
If certain photos consistently fail, take note of similarities between those problematic files. Identifying the common thread can reveal why Facebook disagrees with them as profile pictures compared to images that upload smoothly.
8. Check Image Size and Format
Assuming a bad apple photo is the suspected culprit, next analyze technical traits like file size and format for compliance with Facebook’s published standards.
Facebook lists these criteria for profile picture images:
- Photo can’t exceed 12MB file size
- Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF and BMP
- Minimum dimensions 200 x 200 pixels
- Recommended dimensions 360 x 360 pixels
- Square images recommended but not required
Review the image in question against those benchmarks.
Using your device file manager on mobile or photo editor software on desktop PCs, check:
- The file format – JPG, PNG? If HEIC, Raw or other less common types that Facebook doesn’t support, adjust format.
- The display pixel dimensions – at least 200 x 200px? Scale as needed.
- The file size in MBs – under Facebook’s 12 MB limit? Compress if over.
Any violations will surely cause hiccups. For example, a 20 MP iPhone HEIC photo exceeding Facebook’s sizing and formats may consistently fail to update profiles until converted lower.
Tweaking non-compliant images to meet Facebook’s published specs should increase upload and display success rates tremendously!
9. Compress Oversize Images
If checking the prior tip, you discover your chosen profile picture far exceeds Facebook’s maximum 12 MB file size limit, simple compression should do the trick.
Bloated images strain Facebook’s servers and algorithms, frequently causing posts, profile updates and other content changes to fail installing properly.
Compressing oversize pictures makes them web-friendlier for smooth uploading. Think of this process like putting an overpacked suitcase on a diet to avoid airline luggage fees!
To compress oversize image files:
On Windows PCs:
- Right-click image file > Open with > Microsoft Paint
- Select File > Save As
- Change file type dropdown to JPEG picture format
- Adjust quality slider to 70-80% setting
- Resave edited smaller copy of original oversize photo
On Mac devices:
- Double-click image file to preview
- Press Command + Option + Shift + S to access compression tool
- Adjust slider to lower MB setting
- Click Save a copy to preserve original
On iPhone & Android camera roll:
- Tap Edit on image to open editor
- Choose adjustment like Crop or Filter that resizes pixels
- Export copy of edited slimmer version
Test newly compressed profile photo on Facebook again. The reduced file strain should aid smooth uploading now!
Aim to cut bloated photos down to under 5 MB whenever possible. But keeping within Facebook’s blanket 12 MB limit works too.
10. Try Uploading from a Computer
Still finding your profile picture change attempts thwarted on mobile? Before condemning your phone or tablet, try uploading a photo using Facebook’s website on a desktop PC instead.
Sometimes switching device types makes all the difference. Desktop tools often handle image uploads and processing better than cramped mobile hardware in some cases.
To upload your profile photo on a computer:
- Visit Facebook.com and log into your account
- Click your profile picture at top of home screen
- Choose Select Profile Picture
- Browse to desired replacement image on your computer folders
- Select new photo > Open
- Crop picture as desired
- Click Save Changes
If the new profile picture upload works fine through Facebook’s desktop website, excellent! Feel free to revert back to mobile tools moving forward now that your account itself shows ability to update that profile image slot.
Difficulties isolated to just mobile devices indicate next steps should investigate the apps, camera and gallery components specifically on those smartphones and tablets instead.
Whereas the process functioning on desktop web proves the issue lies with mobile hardware or software layers rather than universal account or authorization roadblocks.
11. Log Out and Back Into Facebook
A simple logout and log back in can also shake up stuck processes behind the scenes refusing to swap your outdated Facebook profile picture already in place.
Rather than a full delete and reactivation of your account, merely refreshing the authorization of your current Facebook session is less drastic.
- On the Facebook website and apps, click the account avatar drop-down arrow
- Select Log Out to revoke Facebook app access temporarily.
- Close all Facebook browser tabs and apps entirely
- Wait 1 minute, allowing any stubborn caching to clear
- Relaunch Facebook app or navigate back to Facebook.com
- Log back into your account with credentials
Once signed in afresh, Facebook may now pull updated profile data as expected – including any revised profile photos you retry uploading.
This essentially resets the authorization links between your devices, account and Facebook’s data pipeline. Re-establishing this chain on a clean slate can bypass bugs interrupting profile picture applying.
12. Reinstall Facebook App
If tackling the Facebook profile picture no-update issue on mobile apps specifically with no avail, the nuclear option is completely uninstalling then reinstalling the Facebook app on your iPhone, Android or other device.
While a last resort due to being more disruptive, this scorched earth technique essentially factory resets the app – obliterating ALL cached data and local files in one swoop.
Reinstalling the cleaned updated app can effectively squash stubborn glitches, missing files or corrupted data both online and locally that may conspire against smooth profile pic swapping.
Delete the Facebook app from your mobile device:
On iPhones
- Touch and hold the Facebook icon on your Home screen until icons shake
- Tap the X icon displayed on the Facebook app preview
- Tap Delete to confirm removal
On Android devices
- Open Settings > Apps & Notifications
- Select Facebook
- Choose Uninstall
Reinstall a fresh copy of the Facebook app:
On iPhones
- Open the App Store
- Search for Facebook in top search bar
- Tap GET button to reinstall
On Android devices
- Open Google Play Store
- Search for Facebook in top search bar
- Tap INSTALL button to download again.
With any luck, removing then adding Facebook app again cleared any problematic cached data that may have prevented updating your profile photo internally! 🤞
13. Check for Browser Extensions
Do you access Facebook primarily through a web browser on a laptop or desktop computer? Some sneaky browser add-ons can mess with otherwise properly functioning websites!
Extensions insert their own code and modifications into web page processing flows before final rendering on your device screen.
Certain extensions directly or inadvertently conflict with Facebook website elements – blocking legitimate profile picture uploads in favor of retaining older cached copies for instance.
Analyze your browser app for any extensions that may overlap with Facebook, flagging them for temporary deactivation or full removal if suspicious.
To manage browser extensions:
- Chrome – Click puzzle icon > More tools > Extensions
- Firefox – Click menu icon
- Safari – Click Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions
- Edge – Click ellipses icon > Extensions
Review permissions and access levels of all extensions one by one. Disable or remove outright any deemed risky, unnecessary or outdated.
Especially tools like ad blockers, privacy protections and download managers known for aggressively filtering content behind the scenes.
After pruning extensions interfering with Facebook functionality, refresh and retry uploading the new profile picture.
14. Reach Out to Facebook Support
Exhausted all conventional troubleshooting yourself with no luck updating your stubborn Facebook profile picture slot?
Time to take more extreme measures by involving Facebook’s own Support team!
While contacting Facebook Support should not be your first resort in isolation scenarios impacting only your singular account, long-standing dead-end profile picture issues do warrant escalation.
Facebook administrators have advanced internal diagnostic capabilities plus granular historical insight of prior technical issues that typical users lack context for.
Facebook Support may already be tracking similar widespread complaints about profile pictures glitching. If an emerging platform-side bug is brewing under the radar, Support teams generally know first hand – and best immediate workarounds too.
To contact Facebook Support:
- Log into your Facebook account via the website
- Click the question mark Help Center icon in the top right corner
- Review the suggested articles for your issue first in case a match exists
- Select Report a Problem > Something Went Wrong option for customized case submission
On the Report a Problem form highlight:
- Detailed issue description – Changing Facebook profile picture fails repeatedly
- Exact wording of error messages if applicable
- Various troubleshooting steps attempted unsuccessfully
- Preferred contact method for further support such as Email, Chat or Phone
Attach screenshots showing the stubborn outdated profile picture still visible after failed update attempts too. Visuals help Support teams diagnose and resolve issues faster.
