Remove Old User Account Pictures in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to delete old or unused profile pictures that appear when you sign in to Windows 10 or when you switch between accounts. You’ll clear the cached images that Windows stores, so only the pictures you actually want remain. No special tools are needed—just a few minutes and access to your user account folders.

What You’ll Need

• Administrator access to the PC (or at least the ability to delete files in your own user profile).
• File Explorer open with hidden files visible (instructions below).
• Patience—some folders are protected and require extra steps.

Step-by-Step

1. Show hidden files and folders. Open File Explorer, click the View tab, then check the box Hidden items in the Show/hide group. This reveals the AppData folder and other hidden directories.
2. Navigate to your account picture cache. Press Win + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures, and press Enter. This opens the folder where Windows stores your current and recently used profile pictures.
3. Delete the unwanted images. Select the picture files you no longer need (they are usually named with a GUID, like user-1920x1080.png). Right-click and choose Delete. You can also select all and delete, but be careful not to remove the one you’re currently using if you want to keep it.
4. Clear the thumbnail cache. The old pictures might still appear in the sign-in screen or Settings because Windows caches thumbnails. Open another Run dialog (Win + R) and type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer. In this folder, look for files named thumbcache_*.db (e.g., thumbcache_32.db, thumbcache_96.db). You cannot delete these while Explorer is running, so close all File Explorer windows first. Then delete the thumbcache_*.db files. If a file is in use, skip it and try again after restarting.
5. Restart Windows Explorer. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Find Windows Explorer in the list, right-click it, and choose Restart. This rebuilds the thumbnail cache from the remaining files.
6. Check the Settings app. Go to Settings > Accounts > Your info. Under “Create your picture,” you should see only the pictures that remain in the AccountPictures folder. If you still see old ones, click Browse and select a new picture, then switch back to your preferred one—this often forces Windows to refresh the list.
7. Remove pictures from other user accounts (optional). If you have multiple accounts and want to clean those too, repeat steps 2–4 while logged into each account. For accounts you don’t have access to, you’ll need an administrator to log in and do it, or use the registry method below (advanced).
8. Advanced: Registry cleanup (only if necessary). Open Regedit (type regedit in Run). Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AccountPicture. You’ll see subkeys like Users and Image32. Under Users, you’ll find a key for your SID (Security Identifier). Inside that, you can see values that point to the image files. Deleting these values can remove the references, but be very careful—only delete the values that point to files you’ve already deleted. Back up the registry first. This step is risky and should only be done if the pictures still appear after the folder cleanup.

Common Mistakes

• Deleting the wrong folder. Some guides suggest deleting the entire AccountPictures folder. That’s fine if you want to remove all pictures, but if you want to keep your current one, delete only the individual files.
• Not restarting Explorer. The thumbnail cache won’t refresh until you restart Explorer or reboot. Skipping this step leaves the old pictures visible.
• Deleting thumbcache files while Explorer is running. These files are locked. You’ll get an error. Close all Explorer windows and try again.
• Forgetting hidden files. If you can’t find the AppData folder, it’s because hidden items are not enabled. Follow step 1.

Tips

• Use a single, clear picture. Windows 10 sometimes generates multiple sizes of the same picture (e.g., 448×448, 1920×1080). Keep all those sizes for the one picture you want, and delete only the ones you don’t.
• Set a new picture first. If you want to remove all pictures and start fresh, set a new picture (any image), then go to the AccountPictures folder and delete everything. The new picture will be recreated as the only one.
• Restart after cleaning. A full restart is more reliable than just restarting Explorer, especially if the sign-in screen still shows old pictures.
• Clean up the registry only as a last resort. Most users never need to touch the registry. The folder and cache cleanup solves 95% of cases.

Troubleshooting

Old pictures still appear after deleting files.

This usually means the thumbnail cache wasn’t fully cleared. Repeat steps 4–5, making sure to close all File Explorer windows before deleting the thumbcache_*.db files. If that doesn’t work, restart the PC and check again.

Cannot delete a file because it’s in use.

Some picture files might be locked by the system if they are currently being used as the account picture. Switch to a different picture in Settings first, then try deleting the old files.

AccountPictures folder is empty, but pictures still show.

This can happen if the pictures are stored in a different location, such as a network profile or a redirected folder. Check the registry path mentioned in step 8 to see where the values point. If they point to a file that no longer exists, you can safely delete the value.

Pictures reappear after a reboot.

If you deleted files but they come back, it’s possible that Windows recreated them from a backup or from your Microsoft account (if you use a Microsoft account). Go to Settings > Accounts > Your info and click Browse to select a new picture, then sign out and sign back in. This often clears the old ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will deleting these pictures affect my Microsoft account?
A: No. The local files are just cached copies. Your Microsoft account picture is stored online and will re-download if you sign in with that account.

Q: Can I remove the default pictures that came with Windows?
A: Yes, the default pictures are stored in the same AccountPictures folder. You can delete them, but they might reappear after a Windows update.

Q: What happens if I delete the current account picture?
A: Windows will show a generic silhouette until you set a new one. It’s safe, but you’ll need to browse for a new picture.

Q: Do I need admin rights to delete these files?
A: For your own account, no. For other users’ accounts, you need admin rights and may also need to take ownership of the folder.

Q: Why are there multiple files for the same picture?
A: Windows stores different resolutions (small, medium, large) for the same image to use in different UI elements. Delete all of them if you want to remove that picture.

Q: Will this speed up my PC?
A: The impact is negligible. The main benefit is a cleaner sign-in screen and Settings list, not performance.

Related

• System Restore Points Missing in Windows? Fixes
• Loop Nature Ambience Videos with FFmpeg on Ubuntu
• Install League of Legends on Linux: Full Guide