Delete Account Picture History in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to clear the list of previously used account pictures in Windows 10. That history appears when you click your current avatar in Settings > Accounts > Your info, and it can linger even after you delete the image files. By the end, you’ll have a clean slate and a fresh start for your profile picture.

What You’ll Need

Administrator access to the PC (to edit registry keys).
Patience – the steps involve the Registry Editor, so go slowly.

Step-by-Step

Back up your registry (optional but recommended). Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. In the Registry Editor, click File > Export, choose a location, and save a backup of the entire registry. This lets you restore if something goes wrong.
Navigate to the account picture history key. In the Registry Editor, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AccountPicture
Delete the history subkeys. Under AccountPicture, you’ll see folders like Users and possibly People. Expand Users, then find the subkey that matches your account SID (a long string like S-1-5-21-...). Right-click that SID folder and select Delete. If you see a People folder, delete it as well.
Clear the cached picture files. Press Win + R, type %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures, and press Enter. This opens the folder where Windows stores your account picture thumbnails. Select all files (Ctrl+A) and delete them. If any file is in use, skip it – you can delete it after a reboot.
Restart your PC. This ensures Windows reloads the account picture cache from scratch.
Set a new account picture. Go to Settings > Accounts > Your info. Click Browse for one and choose a new image. The old history should now be gone.

Common Mistakes

Skipping the registry backup. If you delete the wrong key (e.g., the entire AccountPicture folder), you might break your account picture feature entirely. Always export first.
Deleting the wrong SID. If you have multiple user accounts, you might delete another user’s history. Check the SID matches your account – you can find your SID by running whoami /user in Command Prompt.
Not clearing the cache folder. Even if you delete the registry, old thumbnails may still appear in the picker until you clear the AccountPictures folder.
Forgetting to restart. Windows may repopulate the history from memory if you don’t reboot.

Tips

Instead of deleting the whole SID key, you can just remove the Image1200, Image448, etc. values inside it – but deleting the whole folder is simpler and achieves the same result.
If you want to keep your current picture but clear the history, set a new picture first, then delete the history – the current picture may still appear as an option, but old ones will vanish.
Consider using a local account vs. Microsoft account: the history is stored locally, so this method works for both, but if you’re signed in with a Microsoft account, the picture may sync back after a while.
You can also disable the “Recently used� list entirely by setting a policy, but that’s overkill for most users.

Troubleshooting

The history still shows after following steps. Make sure you deleted the correct SID folder. Re-check the path and confirm you’re under HKEY_CURRENT_USER, not HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Also, ensure you cleared the cache folder and restarted.
You get “Cannot delete� error in Registry Editor. This usually means you don’t have permission. Right-click the key, select Permissions, and give your account Full Control. If that fails, you may need to take ownership.
Account picture doesn’t change after setting a new one. This can happen if the old image is still cached. Try signing out and back in, or restarting again.
You accidentally deleted the entire AccountPicture key. Restore from your registry backup (double-click the .reg file you exported). If you didn’t back up, you can recreate the key manually – but it’s easier to just create a new local user and migrate.
History reappears after a few days. If you’re using a Microsoft account, the picture might sync from the cloud. To prevent this, switch to a local account temporarily, clear the history, then switch back – or just accept that the current picture will always show.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this delete my current account picture?

No, the current picture is stored separately in the registry under AccountPicture as a value like CurrentImage. Deleting the history folders (Users/People) does not remove the current image.

Do I need to be an administrator to do this?

Yes, editing the registry requires admin rights. If you’re on a standard account, you’ll need an admin password to proceed.

Can I clear the history without using the registry?

There’s no built-in “clear history� button in Windows 10. The registry method is the only reliable way. You could try deleting the cache folder, but that alone won’t remove the list from Settings.

Is it safe to delete the entire AccountPicture key?

No, that key also holds the current picture path. Deleting it may cause Windows to show a blank avatar. Stick to deleting only the subkeys under Users and People.

Why does the old picture still appear even after deletion?

Windows may have cached the thumbnail in memory. A full restart usually clears it. If not, check that you deleted the correct SID and that the cache folder is empty.

Will this affect other user accounts on the PC?

No, the registry key is under HKEY_CURRENT_USER, so it only affects your account. Other users’ histories remain untouched.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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