Whatever your reasons for wanting to change your YouTube profile picture, here are the tutorials you’ll need in order to do so, both on the desktop website and mobile app.
Table of Contents
Change your YouTube Profile Picture on the website
- Open your preferred browser and navigate to the YouTube website, if prompted, log-in
- Click your Profile Picture icon in the top-right of the page
- From the drop-down menu, select ‘Your channel’
- Below your channel’s banner image, click the button labeled ‘Customize Channel’
- You will be directed to a new page in a different tab of your web browser. From here, beneath ‘Channel customization’, click on ‘Branding’
- The first submenu in the ‘Branding’ section is your YouTube Profile Picture, to change it, click ‘Change’
- Locate the image on your computer which you wish to be made your new YouTube Profile Picture, and double-click on it.
- Now, crop the image as necessary, and click ‘Done’
- You have successfully uploaded and changed your YouTube Profile Picture
Change your YouTube Profile Picture on the app
- Open up the YouTube app on your mobile or tablet device
- Click on your Profile Picture icon in the top-right of the screen
- Now click on ‘Your channel’
- Once there, click on ‘Edit Channel’
- Toward the top of the page, hovering over your banner photo, you will see your Profile Picture with a small camera icon in the center, you have to tap this
- You will be asked to either ‘Take a photo’ or ‘Choose from your photos’. Select whichever option is relevant, and once you are happy you have found or taken the photo you wish to use for your YouTube profile picture, select it. (You may have to grant YouTube permission to access the photos, media, and files on your device. Do so by tapping ‘Allow’.)
- Now, crop the image as necessary and, once happy, tap ‘Save’ in the top-right of your screen
- You have successfully uploaded and changed your YouTube Profile Picture
Note: It is best to use an image at least 98×98 pixels, and no larger than 4MB for your YouTube profile picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is YouTube and why would I use it?
YouTube is one of the world’s most popular websites and apps, with around thirty million unique users every single day. It is a great place to connect with other users who like the same sorts of videos as you, or if you are a creative content producer, a brand, or a business, it is easily one of the best places to share your content, and potentially bring in extra revenue.
What is the importance of a channel profile picture?
When a user interacts with your YouTube channel, whether on the desktop website or on the mobile app, one of the very first things they are going to see is your profile picture. As such, it is crucial that you upload one which not only grabs attention but is both unique and reflective of your channel’s content. If you are an established business, you’ll probably want to use your business’s logo, keeping things sleek and professional. On the contrary, if you are, say, an independent creative with a whacky side, you’ll want something much less serious.
My YouTube account is linked to my Google account, can I still change the YouTube profile picture only?
Yes, you can. Though changing your Google account’s profile picture would typically also automatically change your YouTube profile picture, if you decide you want your YouTube profile picture to be unique, then following the above tutorials will do just that.
