User Account Picture - Change in Windows 8

How to Change your User Account Picture in Windows 8 and 8.1


information   Information
This tutorial will show you how to change the account picture on your user tile to be any image or video you like in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

For example, on the sign in and Start screen.

If you are using a Microsoft account and have the Personalize setting turned on to sync, then the user account picture you currently have set will also be displayed on any PC that you sign in to with the same Microsoft account.

Note   Note
The default user account picture images are in the hidden system folder below.
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Default Account Pictures

The current user account picture (tile image) is stored in the hidden folder below.
C:\Users\Public\Public Account Pictures\S-1-5-21.......(GUID for user account)​

The recent user account pictures used for your account are stored in the hidden folder below.
C:\Users\(user-name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures


EXAMPLE: "Account picture" on Sign in Screen


Example-Log-in.jpg




Here's How:


1. Do either step 2, 3, or 4 below for what you would like to do.

2. On your Start screen, click/tap on your user tile at the top right corner, click/tap on Change account picture, and go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you are not in the Start screen as below, you can press the Windows key to go to it.
Step1.jpg

3. Open PC settings, and go to step 4 or 5 below for what Windows 8 you have.


4. In Windows 8 or Windows RT, click/tap on Personalize, then click/tap on the Account picture option if not already selected, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)
8_Account_Pictures.jpg

5. In Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, click/tap on the Account picture option on the right side. (see screenshot below)
8.1_Change_Account_Picture-1.jpg
A) Go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​
8.1_Account_Pictures.jpg

6. Do either step 7, 8 9, or 10 below for how you would like to select or create your user tile with.


7. To Use a Last Used Image for your Account Picture
NOTE: When you change your account picture, the one you used last will be displayed next to your current account picture.
A) Click/tap on one of the displayed recently last used images to use it as your account picture again, and go to step 11 below. (see screenshot below step 4 or 5A)​

8. To "Browse" and Select an Image for your Account Picture
A) Click/tap on Browse in the right pane. (see screenshot below step 4 or 5A)​
B) Navigate to and select the folder that contains the image you want to select, select (check) the image by clicking/tapping on it, then click/tap on the Choose image button at the bottom right corner. (see screenshot below)​
Browse-1.jpg
Tip   Tip
How to Navigate:
A) Click/tap on Files (Windows 8) or This PC (Windows 8.1) to open a root folder to have it's subfolders open in the main window.​
Files.jpg
B) Click/tap on a folder in the main window to open it's subfolders in the main window.​
C) During this, you can click/tap on Go up to go up one folder level in the main window.​
Go-Up.jpg
D) You can click/tap on Sort by name or Sort by date to toggle sorting the files in the selected folder that way.​
E) Hovering the pointer over a image will have it's details pop-up.​
details.jpg

C) Go to step 11 below.​


9. To Create and Use an Image with a"Webcam" for your Account Picture
NOTE:This requires that you have a webcam connected to your Windows 8 computer.
A) Click/tap on Camera under Create an account picture. (see screenshot below step 4 or 5A)​
B) If you like click/tap on Camera options to make any adjustments to the video settings. (see screenshot below)​
webcam-1.jpg
B) When ready to create an account picture, click/tap on the live video to capture a snapshot, drag the corners to crop the snapshot how you like. If you like it, then click/tap on OK to set the captured snapshot as your account picture.
(see screenshot below)​
NOTE: If you don't like the snapshot, then you could click/tap on Retake to start this step over to take another one.​
Webcam-2.jpg
C) When finished, go to step 11 below.​

10. To Create and Use a Video with a"Webcam" for your Account Picture
NOTE:This requires that you have a webcam connected to your Windows 8 computer.


A) Click/tap on Camera under Create an account picture. (see screenshot below step 4 or 5A)
B) If you like click/tap on Camera options to make any adjustments to the video settings. (see screenshot below step 7B)
C) Click/tap on Video mode. (see screenshot below step 8B)
D) When ready to create a video for your account picture, click/tap on the video to start recording the video. Click/tap on the video again to stop recording. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You will notice the time counter running while recording.
video-1.jpg
E) The recorded video will now play to let you see a preview of it. You can click/tap on the Play button to see the video again. If you like it, then click/tap on OK to set the video as your account picture. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you don't like the recoded video, then you could click/tap on Retake to start step 8C over to take record another one.
video-2.jpg
F) When finished, go to step 11 below.

11. You can now close PC settings if you like.




That's it,
Shawn


 

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Last edited by a moderator:
In Pictures folder I have a sub-folder titled photos. In this folder there are about 20 sub-folders and each one in turn holds anywhere between 5 - 25 sub-folders. So it's:

Pictures > Photos > Family Photos (as an example of one of 20 folders) > Birthday Photos (being one of 25 sub-folders in Birthday Photos, with photos in each one).

Every time I browse to Family Photos and open the folder, it automatically opens one of the 25 sub-folders, in the above example it is Birthday photos, and there is no menu to choose which folder it opens. It always opens the same folder. Is there a work around to show a sub-menu of each folder of photos?

I've used the back button but it still opens the same one every time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ult Reatil & Win 8 Pro OEM
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Built as DIY
    CPU
    6 core 12 thread & 4 core
    Motherboard
    Inel Extreme & Intel standard
    Memory
    12GB & 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    3 top end SLI linked & onboard
    Sound Card
    In built in graphics card & onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24 & 23 inch Samsung LED backlit
    Screen Resolution
    High def
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force 128GB SATA3 SSDs in each machine. Plus several external USB3 and eSATA spinner HDs
Hello Mustang,

You should be able to click on "Files" at the top left to be able to navigate to and select what folder to open. It's almost the same as browsing in the navigation pane of Windows Explorer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thank you Brink. I can see my mistake now. When I opened a folder in Pictures, it showed about 20 photos. I thought it had opened one sub-folder in Pictures. However, it had actually opened a single picture from each sub-folder as a tile menu.

By clicking any one tile it opened the sub-menu for that tile.

Duh! :doh:Silly me! :eek:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ult Reatil & Win 8 Pro OEM
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Built as DIY
    CPU
    6 core 12 thread & 4 core
    Motherboard
    Inel Extreme & Intel standard
    Memory
    12GB & 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    3 top end SLI linked & onboard
    Sound Card
    In built in graphics card & onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24 & 23 inch Samsung LED backlit
    Screen Resolution
    High def
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force 128GB SATA3 SSDs in each machine. Plus several external USB3 and eSATA spinner HDs
Ah, ok. Yeah, that newer menu takes a bit of getting use to since it was designed to be used with a touch screen.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
If I can change my picture, am I able to change my user's name? Because I found a typo in my users name so now it looks really weird so can I change my name?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
You're most welcome. :)

Either name will be fine.

Shawn Brink
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I am having a problem changing the picture which ever way I try it, I get an error message saying "setting the account picture failed try again". I have checked the folder and all of the files are marked read only and I cannot change them. I don't know if its because I upgraded from 7 or if its a Norton issue (tried disabling it, but it made no difference), or its related to windows 8. Any help would be appreciated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 prof 64 bit
Hello Slowhand,

As a test, temporally uninstall Norton completely and try changing your user picture again to see how it works. This will see if Norton may be causing an issue.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Fixed it in the end. It wasn't Norton, it was damage done by a registry cleaner that said it was compatible with windows 8 but was not. Thankfully I had a backup I could restore and that fixed it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 prof 64 bit
That's great news slowhand. Thank you for posting back with your results. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Can't access PC Settings screen to change user account pic

Hey Shawn,

What do I do if I can't get to the PC Settings screen? Ever since I tried out several start menus, I lost the ability to get to PC Settings.

Cheers,
Ken Mason
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    i7-980
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7
    Memory
    24GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 680 FTW 2GB
Hello Ken, and welcome to Eight Forums.

You could do a system restore using a restore point (if available) dated before this happened to hopefully fix it.

If that is not an options or didn't help, then you refreshing Windows 8 should sort it for you.

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Options are disabled

I have tried to change the user account picture but browse options are disabled how it can be enable?


Hello Ken, and welcome to Eight Forums.

You could do a system restore using a restore point (if available) dated before this happened to hopefully fix it.

If that is not an options or didn't help, then you refreshing Windows 8 should sort it for you.

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pro book 4200s
    CPU
    Intel i3
    Motherboard
    Intell
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1 GB
Hello Amitsingh, and welcome to Eight Forums.

You could try what you quoted to see if that may help allow you to afterwards. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
i can't change
its give me error
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 .164 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core I3 2.93GHZ
    Memory
    6GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GT 4300 1GB
    Hard Drives
    1# - 500GB
    2# 1TB
    Internet Speed
    100MB download 1MB upload
    Browser
    Google chrome
    Antivirus
    NOD32
Hello Win8win,

What's the error message it gives you?

Please go ahead and post a screenshot showing this to see if it may further help. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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