Hide WhatsApp Profile Pic From Specific Contacts

This guide shows you how to stop specific contacts from seeing your WhatsApp profile picture, without blocking them or changing your privacy for everyone else. You’ll need a smartphone with WhatsApp installed and the contact saved in your phone’s address book.

What You’ll Need

WhatsApp installed and logged in on your phone
The contact’s phone number saved in your device’s contacts (not just in WhatsApp)
Your WhatsApp app updated to a recent version (the steps are the same on Android and iPhone)

Step-by-Step

Open WhatsApp on your phone.
Tap the three vertical dots (top-right corner on Android) or the Settings tab (bottom-right on iPhone).
Select Settings from the menu.
Tap Privacy (on iPhone it’s under the Account section; on Android it’s a direct option).
Tap Profile Photo.
You’ll see three choices: Everyone, My Contacts, and Nobody. Select My Contacts (this hides your photo from anyone not saved in your phone’s contacts).
Now go back to the Privacy screen and tap My Contacts Except… (this option appears only after you choose My Contacts).
On the next screen, tap the plus icon (usually a circle with a +) to add contacts to the exception list.
Select the specific contacts you want to hide your profile picture from. You can search by name or scroll through your contact list.
Tap Done (or the checkmark) to save. The selected contacts will now see the default grey silhouette instead of your photo.

Common Mistakes

Choosing “Everyone” by mistake – if you pick Everyone, your photo is visible to all, including people not in your contacts. The exception list only works with My Contacts.
Not saving the contact in your phone book – the My Contacts setting relies on your phone’s address book. If the person isn’t saved there, they’re treated as a non-contact and see your photo (unless you add them to the exception list, which also requires them to be in your contacts).
Adding the wrong person – double-check the phone number and name before adding to the exception list, especially if you have multiple entries for the same person.
Forgetting that this also affects other privacy settings – the My Contacts Except… option applies to profile photo, About, and Last Seen/Online if you set them to My Contacts. Changing one may affect the others.
Assuming the person won’t see your photo in chats – if you’re in a group with them, they might still see your photo if they have your number saved and you haven’t added them to the exception list correctly.

Tips

Use the My Contacts Except… list for other privacy settings too (About, Last Seen) to keep your profile consistent.
If you want to hide your photo from someone temporarily, you can add them to the exception list and remove them later without changing your main privacy setting.
Remember that your profile picture is also visible in group chats to all participants, regardless of your privacy setting, if they have your number saved. The privacy setting only affects the profile photo view on your contact info page.
If you change your profile picture, the new photo will follow the same privacy rules – it won’t be visible to those on the exception list.
You can also block a contact entirely if you want them to see nothing about you, but that’s more drastic than just hiding your photo.

Troubleshooting

If the contact still sees your profile picture after following the steps:

Check that you selected My Contacts first – the exception list only works when the main setting is My Contacts. If you had Everyone selected, the exception list is ignored.
Verify the contact is saved in your phone’s address book – open your phone’s Contacts app and search for the person. If they’re not there, add them with the correct number (including country code) and try again.
Make sure you added them to the exception list – go back to Settings > Privacy > Profile Photo > My Contacts Except… and confirm the contact is listed.
Restart WhatsApp – sometimes the app needs a refresh to apply privacy changes. Close the app completely and reopen it.
Update WhatsApp – if you’re on an old version, the My Contacts Except… option might not work properly. Check your app store for updates.
Ask a friend to check – if you’re not sure, ask a trusted friend to look at your profile from their account (as a non-contact) to verify the setting works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone still see my profile picture if I hide it from them?

No, if you add them to the My Contacts Except… list, they will see the default silhouette instead of your photo when viewing your profile. However, they might still see your photo if you appear in a group chat together and they have your number saved – the privacy setting only applies to the profile view, not group chat avatars.

Will the person know I hid my profile picture from them?

No, WhatsApp doesn’t notify anyone when you change your privacy settings. They’ll simply see a grey silhouette and might assume you haven’t set a profile picture.

Can I hide my profile picture from someone without blocking them?

Yes, that’s exactly what this guide does. You can hide your photo, About, and Last Seen from specific contacts while still allowing them to message you.

Does this work for both Android and iPhone?

Yes, the steps are essentially the same. The only difference is the location of the Settings menu – on iPhone it’s a tab at the bottom, on Android it’s in the top-right menu.

What if I want to hide my photo from someone who isn’t in my contacts?

If the person isn’t saved in your phone, they’re already considered a non-contact. If your main setting is My Contacts, they won’t see your photo. If you want to hide it from a specific non-contact, you’d need to save them first, then add them to the exception list.

Can I hide my profile picture from everyone except certain contacts?

Yes, you can choose Nobody as your main setting, but then you can’t make exceptions – the My Contacts Except… list only applies when the main setting is My Contacts. So you can’t hide from all but a few; you can only show to all contacts except a few.

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

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →