We’ll also walk through how to choose hidden profile pictures that were available in the past but which Netflix has removed from public view.
How to Set a Netflix Profile Picture
Netflix provides a range of profile pictures to choose from based on its original franchises like Bridgerton, Stranger Things, and The Crown. This selection changes periodically. You can update your profile picture as often as you like, with the change reflected immediately across all your devices.
Unfortunately, you can’t upload your own image, though you can set a custom Netflix profile picture only visible to you.
The process to select a Netflix profile picture is similar on every device, with slight differences. We’ve outlined the steps for desktop, mobile, and smart TV below.
How to Change Your Netflix Profile Picture (Desktop and Mobile)
Log in to Netflix. com or open the Netflix app. Select your profile icon in the top-right and select Manage Profiles. Select the pencil icon on the profile you wish to edit. Again, on your profile picture, select the pencil icon. Select your desired profile picture from the list. You may get asked if you want to change your profile picture. If so, select Let’s do it. On desktop, click Save. On mobile your changes are saved automatically.
How to Change Your Netflix Profile Picture (Smart TV)
Go to the Netflix home screen. Press the left button to open the menu. Press the up button until your profile name is highlighted, then press the confirm button. Use the arrow buttons to highlight the profile you want to edit. Then, press the down button to highlight the pencil icon and press the confirm button. On the Edit Profile screen, press the down button to highlight Icon, then press the confirm button. Using the arrow buttons to navigate, select a profile picture from the list with the confirm button. You will be asked if you want to change your profile picture. Press the confirm button to select Let’s do it.
How to Use Hidden Netflix Profile Pictures
Though there is a wide selection of Netflix profile pictures to choose from, representing a range of the great Netflix originals, some of them are removed after a certain period of time—perhaps due to licensing reasons or to keep the choices fresh. While you will keep the profile picture if this happens to yours, you may not be able to get it back if you change it.
At least, you won’t be able to use the standard Netflix interface to do it. However, with a bit of work, you can resurrect hidden Netflix profile pictures, even if you’ve never used them before. Don’t worry, you won’t get in trouble with Netflix for doing this.
First, you need to know the ID of the profile picture you want. You can only get the ID if you or someone you know is using the hidden profile picture. Alternatively, someone may have posted the ID you need online.
How to Find a Netflix Profile Picture ID
To get the profile picture ID for your current picture, it’s easiest to use Google Chrome on desktop. Follow these instructions:
Go to the Netflix Manage Profiles page. Right-click on the page and click Inspect. Press Ctrl + F to bring up the search box and search for avatarName. This will find a section of code that looks like the following:
This line will appear for each Netflix profile you have. In the example above, the avatar ID for the “Joe” profile appears as “AVATAR\x7C2b58f9e0-154c-11e9-b321-0abbc59f77ba\x7Cen\x7CGB\x7C70300800”.
The final step is to replace any occurrence of “\x7C” with “|”. As such, the real avatar ID for the “Joe” profile is “AVATAR|2b58f9e0-154c-11e9-b321-0abbc59f77ba|en|GB|70300800”.
If your friend has a hidden profile picture that you want, ask them to follow the above steps and to give you the avatar ID.
How to Set a Hidden Profile Picture
Now you have the profile picture ID, it’s time to set it as your profile. To do so, follow these steps on Google Chrome. It’s a tricky procedure, so take your time.
First, install the React Developer Tools extension. Then:
Go to the Manage Profiles page. Click the pencil icon on the profile you wish to edit. Again, on your profile icon, click the pencil icon. Right-click one of the selectable profile pictures (remember which one) and click Inspect. From the developer tools menu at the top, click Components (you may need to click the arrows on the far-right to see more of the menu. ) The row beginning profileAvatar should be highlighted. Two rows above this should be a row beginning d key. Click this row. On the pane to the right, titled props, you should see a row beginning icon. Click the arrow to the left of this row to expand it. You should now see a row beginning id followed by an avatar ID inside quote marks. Delete the ID and replace it with the one you want. Ensure you don’t remove the quote marks. On the Netflix page, click the profile picture you right-clicked earlier. While it won’t look like the picture you want, you have now changed its ID behind the scenes. You will be asked if you want to change your profile picture. Click Let’s do it. It still won’t show the correct picture. Click Save. Again, it won’t show the correct picture. You will return to the Manage Profiles page, where you now have the new hidden profile picture.
Personalize Your Netflix Profile
Now you know how to change your profile picture, whether it’s from the available selection or unlocking some older hidden ones. It’s just one of the many ways you can personalize your Netflix profile, alongside styling the subtitles and maintaining your watchlist.
