To change your Google Chrome profile avatar, click your profile icon in the top-right corner of Chrome, click the pencil icon (Customize profile), and choose a new avatar under Pick an avatar. You can also go straight to chrome://settings/manageProfile. If you’re signed in to Chrome with a Google account, your account photo is used by default. To change that picture, update your Google Account profile photo instead.
Here’s how both options work, plus how to change the profile name and color.
How to change your Chrome profile avatar
- Open Chrome and click your profile icon in the top-right corner, next to the three-dot menu.
- Click the pencil icon next to your name, or Customize profile.
- Under Pick an avatar, click the icon you want. The change saves right away.
- Close the tab when you’re done.
On the same page, you can change the profile’s name (like Work or Personal) and pick a theme color. This makes it easy to tell profiles apart when you use more than one.
Why can’t I pick a Chrome avatar?
If you’re signed in and syncing with a Google account, Chrome shows your Google Account photo. In the avatar list, it appears as the first option. You can still choose one of Chrome’s built-in avatars instead, and it only changes how the profile looks in Chrome. Your Google Account photo stays the same everywhere else.
How to change your Google Account photo
This changes the picture in Chrome and across Google services like Gmail, YouTube, and Google Meet.
- Go to myaccount.google.com.
- Click Personal info, then click your current profile picture (or the camera icon on it).
- Click Change, then choose an illustration, upload a photo from your computer, or take a new one.
- Crop the photo and click Save as profile picture.
It can take a few minutes for the new photo to appear in Chrome. Restart Chrome if it doesn’t update.
Change the avatar on your phone
The Chrome app on iPhone and Android doesn’t have built-in avatars. It uses your Google Account photo. To change it, open the Google app or go to myaccount.google.com in your browser, tap your photo, and follow the same steps as above.
How to add another Chrome profile
- Click your profile icon and choose Add Chrome profile (or Add).
- Sign in with another Google account, or click Continue without an account.
- Choose a name, color, and avatar for the new profile.
Each profile has its own bookmarks, history, passwords, and extensions, which helps keep work and personal browsing separate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my own picture as a Chrome avatar without a Google account?
Not directly. Chrome’s custom picture comes from your Google Account. Without signing in, you can pick from Chrome’s built-in avatars.
Why does my Chrome profile still show the old picture?
Chrome caches your picture. Wait a few minutes, sign out and back in to Chrome, or restart the browser.
Does changing my Chrome avatar affect other people?
No. A Chrome avatar is only visible to you on that device. Changing your Google Account photo is what other people see in Gmail, Meet, and other Google services.
Where is the Chrome profile icon?
It’s the circle with your picture or initial in the top-right corner of Chrome, to the left of the three-dot menu.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.