New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….
Original story (published on November 14, 2020) follows:
Google has stowed away the option to reset the Gmail/Google account’s profile photo in a secret little submenu, and users are unaware of its existence.
The result is a slew of complaints from users who just want to restore their profile picture to the default alphabet on colored background look, but are unable to do so.
I’m trying to reset my google profile photo to the default one with a the letter of my first name on color background. I do not know how. Can someone please assist me?
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I changed my profile picture and want to get it back to just the letter. Please help!
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As apparent from the above comments, users were able to reset their profile picture with ease prior to the deprecation of Google Plus. However, post its shutdown, the option is extremely difficult to find.
How to delete Google / Gmail profile photo
If you are one of the users facing this issue, then worry not for you reset it with ease via this link.
Just head over to Basic info > PROFILE PICTURE and hit the “Remove” button. You’ll then see your picture revert to the original alphabet on colored background look almost immediately.
It is quite odd that Google has hidden this option inside several subsequent menus.
For reference, you will have to Tap on avatar (top-right corner) > Manage your Google Account > Personal Info > Go to About me (scroll down the personal info page) > Profile Picture > Remove, if you want to perform the same directly.
And what could be the reason behind such a move? It appears that Google is simply trying to discourage users from using the default avatar.
How to set a custom color background for your picture
Google sets a display picture using the first letter of your name (obviously), but the color of the background isn’t in the user’s hands. It is assigned randomly.
However, several users have continued demanding the ability to set custom backgrounds. It is unlikely that Google will add such a feature, but you can try the following workaround for now.
1) open word.
2) change your page color to the background you want.
3) then set the size of font to 150 and type of font to ‘ARIEL’ and color to white. Type whatever alphabet you want.
4) then take a screenshot, crop it and set as your profile.
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And that’s all for now. Also be sure to check out our similar story wherein some users are rooting for holiday-themed versions of Google Apps icons over here.
Update 1 (March 10, 2021)
We’ve come across a few more user-shared workarounds that may help resolve the issue. Here is the first one:
1. Go to manage your Google Account
2. Select “People & Sharing” at the left side
3. Click “About Me”
4. Click “Profile Picture”
5. Then you can see the “Remove”, click it and your profile picture will back to default
Here’s what worked for another user:
Go to your google.com and click your account picture, it will say manage google account, click that. Then, click personal info too the left. scroll to the bottom, and click Go to about me and click your picture. It should have options. and just edit it from there
And here is the last one:
Go to Album Archive, click on Profile Pictures, then Profile Pictures again. Click on each photo present, go to the 3 dots in the top right corner, and delete it. After you delete all of them, then go to About Me and you should see the default profile picture. (It might take a few days for that picture to update everywhere)
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