Each 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 image in Windows. You can use any image you choose. Additionally, 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, open it Settings -> Accounts -> Account settings -> Your information.

Go to section Adjust your photo. Here you can change the default user account picture to any other picture of your choice by clicking Open Camera to take pictures or pass Browse files.
The new photo will be displayed immediately on the account page.

Previously, you could also change your user account picture from Control Panel. This option is currently disabled.
From the User Account Pictures folder
Windows stores default user account icons in PNG format in system folders in various sizes. By replacing these default pictures with icons of your choice, you can change your default account picture.
Launch File Explorer and go to the folder %ProgramData%\Microsoft\User Account Pictures. Here you will see all the default user account icons. We need to replace the user icon image files with another profile image of the same size.

Directory “UserAccountsPictures” in “ProgramData” in Windows File Explorer.
First, download an image or icon of your choice that is at least 512px x 512px. 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 to any of these sizes.
- 448 x 448 – user.png
- 192 x 192 – user-192.png
- 48 x 48 – user-48.png
- 40 x 40 – user-40.png
- 32 x 32 – user-32.png
In the next step, simply copy and paste the default icon images for the above sizes into the folder User Account Pictures. You will need to tap Replace the file in the destination to enable new options. This operation will overwrite old files, so creating a backup is necessary.

Backup files can be saved in any folder so that they can be easily retrieved. Additionally, you can use the .BKP extension for backup. 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 ignore 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 that, you might not be able to restore the default icons when you need them. However, you can copy icons from another system.
From the Microsoft account dashboard
By default, your Microsoft account profile picture will sync with your Windows device. This functionality is also available for users with access to Microsoft 365, as well as for those who sync OneDrive or SharePoint to their computers.
Sign in to your Microsoft account online. When the dashboard appears, navigate to it Your information. From there, you can choose Change Photo to update your Microsoft user account picture.

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 choose Update your Profile to save these changes to your Microsoft account.
Delete Windows user account picture
You can delete Windows user account pictures from the AppData folder or the Microsoft account dashboard.
Open File Explorer and enter %AppData% in the address bar, then navigate to the folder Microsoft. Additionally, you can access this folder from This PC by following the admin user path to the directory Roaming.

Once here, navigate to the folder Windows > Account Pictureswhere you can delete any photos that are no longer needed. If this folder is empty, as it is on your PC, it indicates that the photos are synced via the Microsoft cloud. This brings us to the next method for deleting photos.

Return to your Microsoft account online dashboard. Click Your informationthen select Change Photoh. Your current profile photo will be displayed on your Windows device. Click Remove Photo and you will be prompted Are you sure you want to remove the picture?. Click Yes to confirm.

Restore default account picture
To restore Microsoft's default account picture, make the necessary changes in the Settings app and in the default User Account Pictures folder. First, let's go in Settings > Accounts > Account settings > Your information.
Now, let's load the old default image using Browse files. To do this, navigate to the folder %ProgramData%then go to folder User Account Pictures. Here you can choose any guest or user image in PNG format (skip BMP). This will be the default wireframe account image for your device.

Restoring your user account picture to default will also update it in your Microsoft account. This can be beneficial for people who don't want to display their photos online.
Refer to the following articles for more information: