Change your Google Account picture, name & other info - Computer (original) (raw)
Other people who use Google can access your name, your profile picture, and other basic info. You can control what others see about you across Google services.
Important:
- If you haven't added a profile picture yet, you'll see your initials instead.
- If you change your Google name or profile picture, it won't change your YouTube name or profile picture. For more information, go to Manage your channel branding.
Learn more about your YouTube channel's basic info.
Add or change your profile picture
- Sign in to your Google Account.
- Click Personal info.
- Under "Basic info," click Profile picture.
- Upload a photo from your computer or choose one of your Google Photos.
- Rotate and crop your photo as needed
click Next.
- At the bottom, click Save as profile picture.
Tips:
Crop your photo with assistive technology or keyboard
Crop your photo from a corner
- Navigate to select the corner of your photo.
- Use the arrow keys to crop the photo.
Move the entire crop square
- Navigate to select the entire crop square.
- Use the arrow keys to change the position of the crop square.
About name changes
You can change your name as many times as you want.
Your old names may be used to help others find your messages in Chat. For example, when someone searches for your old name, they may find your old messages displayed with your new name. Historical emails will retain the name you used when you sent them.
Tip: Find out where your name shows up.
Learn why your old name or picture still appears
After you change your name or profile picture, it sometimes takes a few days to update across all Google products. Other people with whom you may have communicated might have saved the old name in their contacts. This name will not be updated.
To speed up the process:
- Clear your cache and cookies: This helps refresh your information in many products.
- Sign out and sign back in: This helps products to get the latest information from your account.
- Update in specific products: For some products like Gmail, you might need to also update your name in the product's settings.
Tips:
- Your past conversations, like in Google Chat, may continue to show your old name even after your profile is updated.
- When you clear your cookies, you can be signed out of non-Google sites.
Edit your name
- At the top left, click Personal info.
- Click Name.
- Next to your current name, click Edit
- Update your name.
- Click Save.
More details
Name
You can change your name as many times as you want.
Nickname
To add, update, or remove your nickname::
- Go to your Google Account
- Click Personal info.
- Click Name.
- Next to "Nickname,"click Edit
- Add or edit your nickname.
Birthday
Once you add your birthday to your account, you can't delete it. However, you can edit it and choose who can see it.
Important:
- Google may use your birthday for account security and personalization across Google services.
- Changing your birthday can affect your access to age-restricted content or services. In some circumstances, you may be asked to verify your age.
Who can view your birthday
We don’t automatically share your birthday with other people who use Google services. To control who can view your birthday:
- Go to your Google Account.
- Click Personal info.
- Click Birthday.
- Fill in your birthday information if not already there.
- Under "Choose who can see your birthday," click Only you or Anyone.
Highlight your birthday
When you set "Choose who can see your birthday" to Anyone (or Your organization, if applicable), you can let Google highlight it. For example, near your birthday Google may decorate your profile picture wherever it may appear. Others can see your birthday and birthday highlights when they communicate with you or view content you create in some Google services.
If you don't want your birthday visible, set "Choose who can see your birthday" to Only yo u and Google won't highlight it. Google will still do things like decorate your profile picture in some places, but only you can see them.
Tip: If your birthday isn't highlighted near the correct date, make sure your birthday is correct in your profile. If it appears highlighted to others on a different date, they may have entered the date incorrectly in their Google Contacts.
Some ways Google uses your birthday
Google may use your birthday to:
- Verify your age and make sure you're old enough to use certain services and features.
- Know when to show a birthday theme on the Google Search page.
- Determine your age group for personalized recommendations and ads. You can turn off personalized ads in your ad settings.
Gender
You have a few options in the Gender section of your Google Account. You can:
- Specify your gender
- Choose not to specify your gender
- Add a custom gender and choose how Google refers to you
To add or update your gender:
- Go to your Google Account.
- Tap Personal info.
- Tap Gender.
- Fill in your birthday information if not already there.
- Under "Choose who can see your gender" select Only you or Anyone.
How Google uses your gender
We use your gender to make Google services more personal. When you specify your gender, you help us to:
- Personalize messages and other text that refer to you. For example, people who can see your gender will see text like "Send him a message" or "In her circles."
- Provide more relevant, tailored content you might be interested in, like ads.
If you don't specify your gender, we'll refer to you in gender-neutral terms, like "Send them a message."
Change other info
Change your Google Account password
- Open your Google Account.
- You might need to sign in.
- Click Security & sign-in.
- Under "How you sign in to Google," click Password.
- Sign in again if prompted.
- Follow the steps on the screen. Learn how to create a strong password.
Get more information about online security and safety.
Control what others find about you
Change your time zone