The Quick Way To Change Your Instagram Profile Picture

In the digital age, changing your profile picture on a social media account can often feel like you’re solidifying your new persona. Perhaps you’ve aged out of your old college profile picture on Facebook. Or, your LinkedIn headshot is a bit too formal for your new career path. Maybe you’re ready to swap the filtered selfie you’d once hoped would be your Hinge match’s “This is her” photo to a more authentic pic of you. Given the fact that your profile picture is often the first impression you make on others in the digital world, there’s plenty of reasons why you might want to change your profile picture. And this is especially true for Instagram.

Sure, compared to other social media sites, the Instagram icon is pretty measly. Cropping your fave picture of yourself into a small circle, your icon — which users can’t enlarge — might not feel like it gives your followers a true view of you. But there are still a lot of reasons why you might want to change your Instagram icon.

For one, the small size of Instagram icons means that it’s important to use a high-resolution photo that can be clearly identifiable as you even when small in the small circular icon. This is especially true if you have a private profile, as anyone searching for you might only be able to differentiate you from others with your same name by looking at your icon. (For example, new followers searching for you might not recognize you in that artsy picture of you under a shady tree.)

Of course, there’s also the concern of aesthetics, which many Instagrammers might tell you is everything on the app. Just like the tiny thumbnails of your grid photos can amount to an overall ~mood board~ of your Instagram, your icon can set the tone of your profile, too. Accompanying all of your posts, and residing at the top of your profile, your Instagram icon can either complement — or clash — with your IG.

Whatever your reason for changing your Instagram icon, figuring out how to change it might feel even more perplexing than deciding on the right pic. If you’ve been struggling to put your new best foot forward on Instagram, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to change your Instagram icon.

How To Change Your Instagram Icon

To change your Instagram icon, head to your profile by clicking on your icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. Just below your name and bio on your profile, you should see a button that says, “Edit Profile.” Click on this, and a list of profile settings will appear.

Just under your icon at the top of the screen, blue text will read, “Change profile photo.” Once you click on this text, the screen will present a menu of options for you to choose from. If you don’t have a photo in mind yet but just want to shed your current icon, you can click “Remove current photo,” which will change your icon to the default white and gray person icon.

If you do have a photo, you can choose from the options “Import from Facebook,” “Take Photo,” or “Choose from library.” If your Facebook is synced to your Instagram account, clicking “import from Facebook” will automatically upload your Facebook profile picture as your Instagram profile picture. If you’re camera-ready, clicking “Take Photo” will open your camera so that you can snap a quick selfie. Clicking “Choose from library” will open your camera roll, where you can scroll to find your favorite pic.

Once you’ve found a new look that you’re satisfied with, just click “Done” in the top right corner. If you’re really feeling yourself, you can show off your new digital ‘do by sharing a post or story so that your icon will appear on followers’ feeds.