Contact photos in message headers and contact cards can make a busy inbox feel crowded, and some people simply prefer names over faces. In classic Outlook for Windows, go to File > Options > People, clear Show user photographs when available, click OK and restart Outlook. New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web work differently and are covered below, along with removing one person’s photo and managing the photo other people see of you.
Where these photos come from
Knowing the source of a photo tells you which setting controls it.
- Photos you add to contacts. Microsoft explains that “photos you add are only visible on your computer.” If both sender and recipient use Outlook, a picture can also appear in messages when the sender has included a contact photo (contact picture help).
- Account and directory photos. In a school or workplace using Microsoft 365, the picture on a colleague’s profile card comes from their account. What appears depends on your organization, and if your administrator has disabled or not synced certain information, it won’t display (profile cards in Microsoft 365).
- Sender images in the message list. Outlook on the web shows these depending on the layout density you choose.
The classic Outlook option below is one switch for the user photos classic Outlook displays. Removing a single contact’s picture is a separate, narrower fix.
Pick the fix that matches your goal
| You want to | Outlook version | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Hide everyone’s photos | Classic Outlook for Windows | File > Options > People, clear Show user photographs when available |
| Hide sender images in the message list | Outlook on the web, Outlook.com | View > Density, choose Cozy or Compact |
| Hide sender images in the message list | New Outlook for Windows | No documented switch; check View > Density and Settings > Mail > Layout |
| Remove one saved contact’s picture | Classic Outlook | Open the contact, right-click the photo, Remove Picture |
| Change the photo others see of you | Any | Change your account photo (your IT department may control it) |
Turn off user photos in classic Outlook
This is the version with a File tab at the top left. The steps are written for classic Outlook for Microsoft 365; recent standalone versions use the same Options window.
- Open Outlook and click the File tab.
Older Outlook version shown; current screens look different. - Click Options at the bottom of the left column.
Older Outlook version shown; current screens look different. - Select People in the left side of the Outlook Options window.
Older Outlook version shown; current screens look different. - Under Online status and photographs, clear the check box for Show user photographs when available, then click OK.
Older Outlook version shown; current screens look different. - Close Outlook completely and open it again. The change does not take effect until Outlook restarts.
Microsoft confirms this path in its known issue for Outlook stuck at loading profile, where clearing Display online status next to name and Show user photographs when available, then restarting, is one of the suggested workarounds. That gives a second reason to know this setting: if classic Outlook hangs on its loading screen, these two boxes are worth trying.
The neighboring Display online status next to name box controls the colored presence indicator (available, busy, away) that comes from Teams. You can leave it on while hiding photos, or clear both for the plainest view. Microsoft’s Teams status in Outlook page covers that box.
How to tell it worked
After the restart, open a message from a colleague who normally shows a photo. The header should show the name without the picture. To undo the change, return to the same People page, check the box again and restart.
In Outlook 2013, turning the option off also removed the gray placeholder for senders without a photo.
New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web
New Outlook (the version with a Settings gear instead of a File tab) does not have the People options page. Microsoft’s message list display page lists the new Outlook choices under Settings > Mail > Layout as Focused Inbox, message organization, reading pane and message list format (sender name first or subject first). It does not document a separate switch for sender pictures.
For Outlook on the web and Outlook.com, Microsoft documents the density setting as the way to control sender images:
- Open Outlook in your browser and select the View tab.
- Select Density.
- Choose Cozy or Compact. Microsoft describes Roomy as the layout that shows sender images, attachment previews and preview text, while Cozy shows only message preview text and Compact shows preview text with minimal spacing.
The details are on the change the look of your mailbox page. Microsoft does not say whether the Density control or a sender image option is available in new Outlook for Windows. If your version shows either on the View tab or under Settings > Mail > Layout, it may hide sender pictures there.
Outlook for Mac
Microsoft does not document a setting in Outlook for Mac that hides user photos the way the classic Windows option does. If only a few pictures bother you on a Mac, remove those contacts’ photos instead.
Remove or change one contact’s photo
If the problem is a single outdated or unwanted picture, you do not need to hide everyone’s. For a contact you saved yourself in classic Outlook:
- Select People on the navigation bar.
- Open the contact.
- Right-click the contact’s photo and choose Remove Picture, or Change Picture to use a different image.
- Save and close the contact.
This only changes the copy stored with your contact. A colleague’s photo that comes from their Microsoft 365 account can still appear on their profile card, because it is set by that person or their organization, not by you.
The photo other people see of you
Hiding photos in your Outlook does not hide your own picture from others. To change what recipients and colleagues see, change your account photo:
- Classic Outlook: select File to open the Account Information page, then select Change under your current photo, as described on Microsoft’s profile photo in classic Outlook page. Microsoft says it can take up to 48 hours for the new photo to appear.
- Outlook on the web with a work or school account: select your profile picture, choose View account, select your profile picture in the My account pane, then select Upload a new photo in the Change your photo dialog. Microsoft says the new photo appears the next time you sign in to Microsoft 365 (photo and account information).
Microsoft does not document a way to keep a photo on your account while hiding it from people you email, and some organizations manage photos centrally. If the option to change or remove your photo is missing, ask your IT administrator. Removing photos for many users at once is an admin task in Microsoft 365 rather than an Outlook setting.
User photo questions
Does hiding photos delete them?
No. The classic option only stops Outlook from displaying pictures. Contact photos stay saved, and checking the box again brings them back after a restart.
Will this hide photos in Teams or other Microsoft 365 apps?
Microsoft describes this option only for Outlook. Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps have their own settings.
Can I hide photos only for some people?
Only for contacts you saved yourself, by removing their picture. Photos that come from someone’s account follow the global option.
For more display tweaks, see how to turn off conversation animations or get the reading pane back. If you are cleaning up the inbox view to find mail faster, it also helps to stop Outlook from limiting search results. A related setting for busy inboxes: make Outlook check for mail more often.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.