How to Remove Profile Pics on a Facebook Timeline

By Naomi Bolton

Your Facebook profile photo is the most frequently seen picture of you on Facebook. When you upload a new profile picture to Facebook, the photo appears in your Timeline stream along with the announcement that you've made the change. Unlike other photos on Facebook, your profile picture does not have the audience selector tool and remains visible to the public. The profile photo can be deleted from the Profile Pictures album, which removes it from everywhere it appears on your Timeline. The profile photo can also be replaced with a new photo or hidden from the Timeline stream.

Profile Photo Album

Sign in to your Facebook account and click the "Photos" link in the left column.

Click "Albums" and select "Profile Pictures."

Hover your mouse cursor over your current profile photo and click the pencil icon that appears in the upper right corner.

Select "Delete this photo" and then click the "Confirm" button. The profile picture is deleted from the album and removed from everywhere it appears on your Timeline. Until you assign a new profile picture, the thumbnail images next to your Facebook comments and updates as well as the public profile photo that overlaps your cover photo are replaced by a generic blue and white silhouette.

Timeline Stream

Sign in to your Facebook account and click your Facebook username to access your Timeline.

Scroll down your Timeline and locate the profile picture that you want to remove.

Click the arrow button that appears at the top of the post that contains the picture.

Select the "Hide from Timeline" option to remove the photo from your Timeline stream without removing it as your profile photo on the site. Alternatively, select "Delete" photo to remove the picture from all instances on your Timeline. After deleting the profile picture, assign a new one to replace the default generic blue and white silhouette that Facebook uses.

Timeline Public Profile Picture

Sign in to your Facebook account and click your Facebook username to access your Timeline.

Hover your mouse cursor over the public profile picture that overlaps the cover photo and select "Edit Profile Picture."

Select one of the available options to remove the existing profile picture and replace it with a new picture. You can select one of your existing Facebook photos, take a new photo using your webcam or upload a photo from your computer.

Tips

Click the gear-shaped button at the top of the page and select "Privacy Settings." Click "Timeline and Tagging" and then click the "View As" link to see how your Timeline looks to the public. Scroll through the Timeline and make sure that the profile picture is no longer visible.

Your profile picture is displayed as a thumbnail next to every post or comment that you make on Facebook. These miniature profile pictures cannot be removed but they change when you change your profile photo.

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