By platform
Microsoft Teams profile picture
In Teams, the photo is not yours to upload in the app — it comes from your Microsoft 365 account, which is why so many people have none.
Where the photo comes from
Teams displays the photo attached to your Microsoft 365 account. If your organisation has not set one, you appear as initials — which is what happens to most people, because nobody is told where to upload it.
The practical size is a square of at least 648 x 648 px, which is Microsoft's recommended size for a profile photo. Larger is fine; Teams downscales it.
- Set the photo in your Microsoft 365 account, not in Teams.
- Square, 648 x 648 px or larger.
- It is cropped to a circle in most places, so keep a margin.
- If you cannot change it, your IT administrator controls the setting.
Why it matters more than it looks
In a large organisation, the photo is how colleagues find you in a directory, recognise you in a meeting, and attach a face to a message. Initials work as a fallback and cost you recognisability in every one of those interactions.
It is also seen outside your organisation: external meeting invites, shared documents and guest access all display it, so it is a public-facing image rather than an internal one.
- Seen by colleagues, clients and meeting guests.
- Appears on shared documents and invites.
- Initials are a fallback, not a presentation.
- One photo covers Teams, Outlook, SharePoint and the directory.
Getting a set for a whole organisation
Organisations rarely have a coherent set of staff photos, because collecting them requires a photographer, a room and everyone's calendars. Applying one generated style to photos each person already has removes all three constraints.
The result is an intranet and a meeting grid where everyone looks like they belong to the same company — which is the version that reads as a professional organisation.
How it works
Three steps from a phone photo to a finished image
Upload your photos
Six to ten selfies with different angles and expressions.
Pick a style
Business, editorial, black and white, cinematic — or a profession set.
Download the set
A consistent batch of portraits, ready for your profile.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I change my Microsoft Teams profile photo?
Set it in your Microsoft 365 account rather than in Teams — Teams displays whatever the account provides. If your organisation restricts it, an IT administrator has to make the change.
What size should a Teams profile photo be?
A square of at least 648 x 648 px, which is Microsoft's recommended size. It is cropped to a circle in most places, so leave a margin around the head.
Why do I show as initials in Teams?
Because no photo has been set on your Microsoft 365 account. It is the default, and it costs you recognisability in the directory, in meetings and on shared documents.
How do we get consistent staff photos for a whole organisation?
Apply one generated style to photos each person already has. Arranging a photoshoot for an entire organisation is what usually stops it happening, and consistency is what makes a directory look professional.
Try it on your next photo
Free to download on the App Store. iPhone and iPad only.