How to Change Your X Header and Profile Photo

To change your X header or profile photo, open your profile, choose Edit profile, then click or tap the header (or the round photo), upload a new image, adjust it and save. It works the same way on x.com and in the iPhone and Android apps, though the buttons sit in slightly different places.

Below are the exact steps for each, the sizes that avoid cropping surprises, and fixes for the problems we see people hit most.

The sizes to start with

X's own help article on customizing your profile recommends 1500 x 500 pixels for the header and 400 x 400 pixels for the profile photo. The header is a 3:1 rectangle. The profile photo is a square that X shows as a circle on most accounts, so the corners of your square are cut off.

You can upload a bigger image as long as the shape is right. A 3000 x 1000 header will be scaled down and look fine. An image with a different shape, like a 16:9 photo straight off your phone, will make X ask you to crop it, and you lose the top and bottom.

JPG, PNG and GIF files are accepted. Animated GIFs don't play in either spot. For artwork with text or flat color, PNG keeps edges sharp. For a photo, a good-quality JPG is smaller and looks the same.

Every file you export from the header maker or download from the design gallery is already 1500 x 500 or 400 x 400, so you can skip the zoom step below and just apply it.

Change your header on a computer

1. Go to x.com and sign in.
2. Click Profile in the left sidebar. On a narrow browser window the sidebar shrinks to icons; profile is the person outline.
3. Click Edit profile, the outlined button on the right, just under your header.
4. In the window that opens, click the camera icon in the middle of the header.
5. Pick your image file and click Open.
6. X shows a crop screen. Drag the image to position it and use the zoom slider if you need to. If your file is already 1500 x 500, leave the zoom alone.
7. Click Apply, then Save at the top right of the Edit profile window.

The header changes right away on your screen. If it doesn't, reload the page.

Change your profile photo on a computer

The steps are almost the same. In Edit profile, click the camera icon on the round photo instead of the header. Choose your file, position it inside the circle, click Apply and then Save.

The crop circle is your best preview of how the photo will look in replies and timelines. If a face or logo touches the edge of the circle, zoom out a little. Small details vanish fast at the size X shows avatars next to posts, so a bold shape or a clear face works better than a busy picture.

Change them in the X app (iPhone and Android)

1. Open the X app and tap your profile picture in the top left corner. A side menu slides out.
2. Tap Profile.
3. Tap Edit profile.
4. Tap the header to change it, or the round photo to change your profile picture.
5. Tap the camera icon and choose Upload photo (some versions also offer Take photo). Pick an image from your library.
6. Move and zoom the image to fit the crop frame, then tap Apply or Use.
7. Tap Save at the top right.

If X asks for permission to use your photos, allow access to the specific image or to your library. On iPhone you can grant access to selected photos only, which is enough for this.

To save one of our designs straight to your phone, open its page, tap the Download header PNG button, and save the image to your photos. Then follow the steps above.

Removing a header or photo

To go back to no header, open Edit profile, tap or click the header, and choose Remove. On the website there's an X button over the header in the Edit profile window. Save, and the header area becomes a plain color.

You can't remove a profile photo and leave the circle empty in the same way on every version of the app. If you don't see a remove option, upload a simple solid-color square instead. The header maker can make one: pick the gradient style, set both colors the same, clear the initials and export the avatar.

When something looks wrong

The header is blurry

The file was too small and X stretched it. Use a 1500 x 500 image or larger. Very compressed JPGs also go soft, so export at high quality or use PNG.

Text on the header is cut off on phones

Phones show the header a little differently from desktop, and the top and bottom edges can be trimmed. Keep text in the middle band and away from the bottom left, where your profile photo covers it. Our guide to header safe zones has the details.

My profile photo covers part of the header

That's by design. The photo always overlaps the lower left of the header. Leave that corner free of anything important.

The old image keeps showing

Refresh the browser, or close and reopen the app. Other people's apps cache your profile too, so they may see the old version for a short while.

The upload fails

Try a different file format (PNG instead of a large GIF, for example), or a smaller file. If your image came from a screenshot or messaging app, save it again as a normal PNG or JPG first.

My checkmark disappeared after changing my photo

On verified accounts, X may review changes to the profile photo or name, and the checkmark can drop off while that happens. It normally comes back once the review is done. If you're about to change several things, do them in one go.

A quick routine for seasonal headers

Lots of people swap headers for holidays, launches or events. It goes faster if you keep a folder with your regular header and avatar, plus any seasonal versions, all at the right sizes. When the season ends you just upload the regular one again, without re-cropping.

If you use the Winter Dark Blue header for December, say, the matching avatar from the same page keeps your profile looking planned rather than patched together.

About the old "Twitter backgrounds"

Years ago, Twitter let you set a full-page background image behind your profile, and that's what the original sites like this one offered. That option is gone. Today the only images you control on your profile are the header and the profile photo, which is why everything here is built for those two sizes.

Questions