How to Change Apple ID Profile Picture on Mac

Want to set a new profile picture for the Apple account you use on your Mac? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s pretty simple to switch your Apple ID profile picture from macOS, and all you need is a few seconds.

If you haven’t set a profile picture for your Apple ID before, you might have had enough of seeing the default icon. Or perhaps, you just feel like switching to a newer and better picture. No matter what your reason is, you can use any picture that’s stored on your Mac as your Apple ID profile photo. It’s worth noting that this picture shows up in multiple apps and services like iCloud, Messages, Contacts, Mail, etc, so keep that in mind when thinking of what type of picture you want to set.

Let’s get to it and go about changing your Apple ID profile picture from your Mac.

How to Change Apple ID Profile Picture on Mac

Regardless of whether you own a MacBook or iMac or Mac Pro, switching the profile picture of your Apple account is a pretty straightforward procedure on any macOS device. Simply follow the steps below to get started.

1. Head over to “System Preferences” on your Mac from the Dock.
   
   
2. This will open a new window on your Mac. Make sure you’re signed in to your Apple account. If not, you’ll have the option to sign in right here. Click on the profile icon located right next your Apple ID name, as indicated in this screenshot.
   
   
3. Now, you’ll have the option to choose from a bunch of default photos for your Apple ID. Or, you can select “Photos” from the left pane and browse through all the photos that are stored on your macOS machine. Select the picture you want to set and click on “Save” to confirm the changes.
   
   

That’s it and you’re done.

You can set and change your Apple ID profile photo from your Mac this way, and it will carry over to your other devices using the same Apple ID.

Once you’ve updated your Apple ID picture from your Mac, it will be automatically synced across all your other Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, etc. with the help of iCloud. This process can take a few minutes (sometimes longer depending on internet service), but it will sync over eventually.

If you’re reading this from your iOS or ipadOS device, you don’t even have to turn on your Mac right now to change your profile picture. That’s right, you can set your Apple ID profile photo right from your iPhone or iPad and it will be updated on your Mac when you start using it.

Not using an Apple device right now? Don’t worry, because you can still use iCloud.com to change your Apple ID’s picture within a matter of seconds too. All you need is a device with a desktop-class web browser. Any changes you’ve made to the profile photo using iCloud will be synced across all your devices too.

Remember this is not necessarily the same as your profile picture for things public facing, like iMessages. If you looking to just add a profile picture for iMessages and leave everything else as it is, you’ll be excited to know that you can indeed set a profile photo and display name for iMessages on both iPhone and iPad.

We hope you were able to change your Apple ID profile picture conveniently from your macOS machine. Have any thoughts or experiences with this? Let us know in the comments.