How do I change my Microsoft account picture in Windows 10?

Answer

1. Use the Settings app. Navigate to Accounts > Your Info and click the “Browse” button to choose a new picture. (For Local accounts)
2. Login to account.microsoft.com and click “Your info.” Click “Change picture,” then “New picture” to choose a new picture. (For Microsoft accounts)

In Windows 10, your user profile includes a picture. This picture can be viewed on the Lock screen before you enter your password to log in, and is displayed when you send an email message or Skype chat. Your computer’s power button and Action Center also display this picture when you aren’t signed in.

You can use any of these methods to change your user account picture:

Sign in using a Microsoft Store app that supports this feature. You’ll see a Change my picture link at the bottom of the Sign-in page (where it says “Enter your password”). After changing your photo, select Done .

link at the bottom of the Sign-in page (where it says “Enter your password”). After changing your photo, select . Use a web browser to sign in to your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com/privacy. Click or tap Choose a different picture , and then follow the instructions on the page that appears.

Note If you sign in with an email address instead of a Microsoft account, this feature isn’t available. To change your picture, go to Sign out of (your email address) (or perhaps Go to settings ) > Profile , and then use the Change picture link under your profile name.

The ability to change your picture was previously available in Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 but after a lengthy wait Microsoft has now brought back the ability to do just that in Windows 10.

This means you can swap out the default account picture for something else entirely, if you so desire.

To change your account picture: Click File Explorer > This PC > Personal folder > Pictures Open the Pictures Library by clicking on it (Optional) Select a photo from among those shown from one of the following locations: Your Pictures folders; any shared networked PCs; or any connected external devices such as cameras and smart phones You can also select an online image by typing in a search string Press enter Return to your desktop and double click your account picture It will open a window that enables you to select which image you want as your account picture Click Apply Click OK Your new account picture will be displayed

Your old account picture can be found by following the above steps but replacing step 7 with:

Open Pictures Library > Original Pictures folder Adjusting your background

For even more personalisation, why not adjust your background to better suit the mood? If you choose to do this, it’s important to note that it doesn’t work in all programs. For instance as shown below, Notepad does not support this feature. However as seen below Internet Explorer supports it just fine.

To change the desktop background: Press the Windows key Type Control Panel and click on Appearance and Personalisation Control Panel > Personalisation > Background Select an image by pressing the Edit button Drag the picture to position it exactly how you would like it in your background Click Save

To change the desktop Wallpaper: Press the Windows Key Type All apps and click on Start Menu Swipe over to Accessories and right-click on Paint Press Pin to taskbar Right-click paint icon on your taskbar, select More, then open File Open a JPEG file to select from. Save with type set as “Paintbrush Picture (JPEG)”. You can now choose that picture from the drop down menu at the top of Paint. Click OK and save when done (optional)

How do I add my name or logo as my account picture?

Microsoft has done away with the ability to add your own image for your account picture in Windows 10, instead only allowing you to choose one from an online search. However there is a way around it if you’re willing to take matters into your own hands and do a little image editing. There are some limitations but they can be worked around quite easily.

Your new custom account badge needs to be: 16 x 16 pixels or larger An ORI file – this is the graphic format used by Windows Logos must be saved as PNG files so they’ll remain transparent when added Logos should have no background

Take note that personalising this way will not work on all apps and websites which support graphics. For instance, setting a logo as your account picture in Microsoft Edge will work but it won’t show up when you hover over it.

To change your account badge: Right click on This PC > Manage (or just This PC if you’re on the desktop) Open Computer Management Select User Accounts Click Change my account picture Under Change Account Picture – Local Users and Groups, select Use My Logo and follow the steps Select OK

How do I hide my online status from others?

If you would like to add a little more privacy to your Windows 10 experience, it is now possible to hide your online status so that applications cannot see whether or not you are connected. By default this option isn’t enabled and can be found by following these quick steps: Press the Windows key Type Network and Sharing Center and click on Network Connections Right click your network connection Select Properties Click the settings button next to See more properties for this connection Under Show, change Play online status to Never

Is it possible to automatically lock my computer when I step away?

For security purposes Windows 10 now has a number of ways that you can set your system up to perform certain tasks when using pre-defined triggers. For instance it is possible to have your PC turn off or lock after a period of inactivity. This is done under the new Action Centre which you can access by swiping in from the right hand side of your screen (or pressing the Windows Key + A simultaneously). The auto-lock feature can be by found by following these steps: Open Cortana in the search bar Click on Settings > System > Lock Screen Select one of the three options under Automatically lock

How do I stop Windows 10 from automatically playing music?

If you have enabled your device to automatically play ‘picked for you’ music then there is a chance it could start blaring out songs whilst you are doing other work. This feature can be turned off to avoid any unwanted audio surprises whilst using your computer: Press the Windows Key Type Groove and click on Music Select Settings Uncheck Play new music added to…”

Can I access my normal desktop while using Continuum?

Continuum, Microsoft’s way of making the worlds most adaptable operating system (OS) can be an absolute joy to use on a 2-in-1. However, there are times when you may want or need to access the normal desktop – either by choice or because Continuum has frozen up. This can be done by pressing and holding Windows Key + Shift whilst clicking on the little thumbnail of your display that appears in the bottom right corner.

How do I send a wireless signal from my PC?

This is more of a fun project rather than something that would be used every day but it is possible to send wireless signals from your PC using nothing more than some software and a USB controller. You’ll also need two things: A powerful WiFi card like the one built into Intel’s 7265AC 802.11ac dual band Wireless-AC (2×2)

A USB controller with a wireless adapter like this Logitech F710

Follow these instructions: Download this software You’ll need an account to download so sign up if you don’t have one and remember where you saved your file Extract the software Double click on the executable Follow the setup wizard – make sure that you install both drivers for the controller and receiver Reboot Connect your PS3 controller using a USB cable Plug in your WiFi card Start sending those waves!

I’ve got an old printer, is it possible to set it up wirelessly?

This is certainly possible but not for everyone. This type of setup would be useful for someone who has just bought a new laptop with Windows 10 installed and wants to use their old printer. If you have a WiFi card in your laptop, then it’s quite simple. All printers will come with a CD containing the drivers that let the computer communicate with it. Just insert the CD, follow the prompts on screen when Windows asks for the drivers and bingo – done!

My notifications seem to be eating my battery. Is there any way I can stop this?

It certainly seems that some programmes love sending out constant updates to your task bar but luckily there is an easy fix for this: Open up Task Manager by right clicking on the Taskbar at the bottom of your screen Select More Details Click over to Startup and search through each item looking for those applications that are problems Right click on each one and select Disable If you are confident in your tech skills or just want to speed up Windows then you can safely remove these entries from the registry as well. How to do so can be found here:

How do I check what is using my bandwidth without any extra software?

If you have a problem with something automatically hogging all of your bandwidth, then it can be quite hard to spot. Luckily there is an easy way! Log into your router’s control panel and look for something called QoS (Quality of Service) Click on that option Find out what IP addresses are associated with programs like torrents and other file sharing systems Block them by adding them into the appropriate areas

I need more space on my laptop’s SSD. What can I clear?

Windows 10 has been designed to make life easier for the end user but along with that comes files gathering dust in your hard drive(s). Luckily there is a way to find and delete these files: Open up Explorer by clicking on the Windows key at the bottom left of the screen. Hold down Shift and press E You will see a bar appear on the top of this window – click it Select C Drive Click View visible file system Under System32, look under Local Settings/History Click Clear History… Make sure nothing else is ticked then click OK Re-scan your disk by right clicking Computer and selecting Manage > Disk Cleanup Now you have more space!

When I plug in my mouse, it works for a second then stops. I’ve tried everything!

You may have recently installed Windows 10 and found that your old peripherals don’t seem to be working. One of the most common errors is when you plug in a USB mouse and then find that it only works for a bit before being no longer recognised by the system. When using this fix below, repeat each step until there are no more problems with your mouse: Plug your USB mouse into another port – if you can still use it and it’s not broken, you’ll need to buy another one for problem 2 below Unplug all other devices from your computer including WiFi cards etc Plug in the power cable to reset the little black box at the back of your computer Do the same again but this time press and hold F8 while you plug in your mouse into the USB port If nothing happens after step 4, then try again without pressing F8 Shut down your PC completely Press and hold power for at least 10 seconds Remove all other peripherals from your PC and remove their power too Hold down shift when booting – let Windows continue Starting with your keyboard, plug them one by one back into your computer Switch off everything that’s not absolutely necessary to boot up When a USB device is unplugged from my laptop it freezes.

This issue seems to be common on laptops running Windows 10. The problem arises due to the way USB ports work when they are switched off. When connected devices draw much power, they can cause the internal USB hub in laptops to crash. There are two ways around this:

Definitive answers have not been found for all devices but if your problem is with a Logitech device then try either of these options: Update your drivers to Windows 10 If you use the Logitech Gaming Software for your gaming keyboard/mouse then uninstall it and use Microsoft’s Xbox Accessories software instead (available here) In game settings ensure that the mouse polling rate is at 1000Hz or less as per instructions here Make sure that you plug your devices into separate ports on your computer like e.g. Mouse into one port, keyboard into another so there isn’t too much power draw from one port Try updating DirectX