Personalizing your Windows user account with a custom picture adds a nice touch to your computing experience. However, you may encounter errors when trying to change your account picture in Windows 11 or 10. These errors can be frustrating, displaying messages like “This picture couldn’t be saved” or “Setting the account picture failed” along with error codes such as 0x80070520, 0x80190001, 0x800702ef, 0x88982f8b, or 0xd0020017.
Let’s explore several methods to fix these account picture errors and successfully set your desired profile image.
Method 1: Replace Default Account Pictures
Step 1: Open File Explorer and navigate to the system root drive where Windows is installed (usually C:). Click on the “View” tab in the ribbon and check the “Hidden items” box to reveal hidden folders.
Step 2: Navigate to the following folder: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\User Account Pictures
Step 3: In this folder, you’ll find several default account pictures. These include guest.bmp, guest.png, user.bmp, user.png, user-40.png, and user-200.png. The dimensions for these images are typically 448×448 pixels for the larger ones and 40×40 or 200×200 pixels for the smaller versions.
Step 4: Prepare your desired account picture by creating versions that match the dimensions and file formats of the existing default pictures.
Step 5: Replace the existing default pictures with your new custom images, making sure to use the same file names and formats.
Step 6: Restart your computer to apply the changes.
Step 7: After the restart, try setting your account picture again through the Windows Settings app. Your custom image should now be available and set without errors.
Method 2: Clear Existing Account Pictures
If the first method doesn’t work, try clearing out existing account pictures:
Step 1: Open File Explorer and navigate to the following folder (replace <username> with your actual Windows username):
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPicturesStep 2: Select all files in this folder by pressing Ctrl+A.
Step 3: Delete all the selected files. This action removes any existing account pictures that might be causing conflicts.
Step 4: Restart your computer to ensure all changes take effect.
Step 5: After the restart, attempt to set your account picture again through the Windows Settings app.
Method 3: Use Command Prompt to Reset Windows Image Service
If you’re still encountering issues, try resetting the Windows Image Service:
Step 1: Right-click on the Start button and select “Windows Terminal (Admin)” or “Command Prompt (Admin)” to open an elevated command prompt.
Step 2: In the command prompt window, type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:
net stop wlidsvc
net start wlidsvcStep 3: After running these commands, restart your computer.
Step 4: Once your system has restarted, try changing your account picture again.
Method 4: Check for Windows Updates
Sometimes, account picture errors can be caused by outdated system files:
Step 1: Open the Windows Settings app by pressing Windows key + I.
Step 2: Navigate to “Windows Update” in the settings menu.
Step 3: Click on “Check for updates” and install any available updates.
Step 4: After the updates are installed, restart your computer.
Step 5: Once your system has restarted, attempt to change your account picture again.
Method 5: Create a New User Account
If none of the above methods work, creating a new user account might resolve the issue:
Step 1: Open the Windows Settings app and navigate to “Accounts” > “Family & other users”.
Step 2: Click on “Add account” under the “Other users” section.
Step 3: Follow the prompts to create a new local account or sign in with a Microsoft account.
Step 4: Once the new account is created, log out of your current account and log into the new one.
Step 5: Try setting an account picture for this new account to see if the error persists.
If you can successfully set an account picture on the new account, you may want to consider transferring your files and settings to this account and using it as your primary account.
With these methods, you should be able to overcome the account picture errors in Windows 11 and 10. Remember to always keep your system updated and regularly back up your important files to prevent data loss during troubleshooting processes. If you’re still facing issues after trying all these methods, it might be worth considering a clean Windows installation as a last resort.