How to add or change the profile picture/avatar in Outlook?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2025-04-10

Have you noticed there is a photo placeholder in the message header when viewing emails in Microsoft Outlook 2013? Microsoft Outlook 2010 and 2013 support users adding or changing their profile pictures/avatars easily. In this article, I will introduce two tricky ways for you to add or change your profile pictures/avatars in Microsoft Outlook at ease.

Add or change the profile picture with adding contact picture
Add or change the profile picture via Outlook Web App

Add or change the profile picture/avatar with adding contact picture

This method will guide you to change your profile picture/avatar by creating a new contact, and then adding a picture/avatar for this new contact in Microsoft Outlook.

Step 1: Shift to the Contact view by clicking "Contact" (or "People") in the Navigation Pane.

Step 2: Create a new contact:

In Outlook 2007, please click "File" > "New" > "Contact";
In Outlook 2010 and 2013, please click "New Contact" on the "Home" tab.

Step 3: In the new Contact window, fill your profile information in the corresponding fields, and then click "Picture" > "Add Picture" on the "Contact" tab. See screenshot:

Step 4: In the popping-up Add Contact Picture dialog box, find and select your profile picture/avatar, and click the "OK" button.

Step 5: Complete the new contact creation, and then click the "Save & Close" button in the Contact window.

Notes:
(1) With this method, you can view the added or changed profile picture in the People Pane when reading messages in Outlook 2010 and 2013. However, other Exchange users cannot see your profile picture/avatar.
(2) You can also add a profile picture/avatar to a contact you have already created before by following Step 3 and Step 4 above.

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Add or change the profile picture/avatar via Outlook Web App

This method will guide you to add or change the profile picture for your Exchange account via Outlook Web App on the internet.

Step 1: Log in to Outlook Web App with your Exchange account.

Note: You can quickly access Outlook Web App by clicking "File" > "Info", ensuring the Exchange account is selected under "Account Information", and then clicking the hyperlink beside the "Account Settings" button.

Step 2: Click your Exchange account name at the upper-right corner, and then click "Change" below the blank/original profile image/avatar. See screenshot:

Step 3: In the newly opening webpage, please click the "Browse" button.

Step 4: Then the File dialog box pops up. Find and select your profile photo/avatar in this dialog box, and click the "Open" button.

Step 5: It will take some time to upload your profile image/avatar. After uploading, please click the "Save" button. See screenshot:

Step 6: Exit your Outlook Web App.

Then you will see your profile photo in the People Pane when viewing emails in Microsoft Outlook 2013 and 2010. What's more, your profile photo/avatar will be visible to other Exchange users when they receive your emails. See screenshot:

Note: In some cases, you may not be able to view the profile picture uploaded from Outlook Web App in Microsoft Outlook immediately. However, the profile picture will be visible in several days.