Tip of the week # 456
10 August 2015


Change your picture on the Start menu and Welcome screen (Windows 7) *

During a one-to-one training session last week I noticed that the delegate had a personal picture on the screen you see when you're asked to unlock your computer. I hadn't realised this, but you can easily change the default picture, which will then appear on screens and menus that display your user name, such as the Start menu and Welcome screen. There are various ways to do this, but I've chosen a method that hopefully will remind you of the clever way of searching in Windows.

Here's how:

  1. Click on the Start button or press the Windows (WIN) key and type account picture in the Search box.
  2. Click on the Change your account picture link (or simply press ENTER if the link is highlighted).
  3. Select the picture you want to use, and then click Change Picture. If you want to use your own picture, click Browse for more pictures, navigate to and double-click the picture you want to use. (You can use a picture of any size, but it must have .jpg, .png, .bmp, or .gif as the file name extension.)

So why not brighten up your day with your company logo, favourite picture or motivating quote? (Mine currently reads: "No matter how you feel ... get up, dress up, show up and never give up".)

With thanks to Susann for the inspiration of this tip!


* Unless stated otherwise, these tips were written for Microsoft Office 2010.