This tutorial comes in handy for those users who want to know how to set a DEFAULT User Logon Picture for all users in Windows 11/10. It could be the case of an office computer, where you may want to display the default company logo on a small number of computers. This can easily be achieved by making small changes in the Windows Registry or the Group Policy.
Set a default User Logon Picture for all Users
To set a default user logon picture for all users, first, you have to replace the default user profile pictures in File Explorer with the pictures you want to display on the login screen. After that, you have to force Windows to use these pictures as the new profile pictures for all users and display them on the logon screen. To force Windows, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor and the Registry Editor.
- Replace default user profile pictures in File Explorer
- Force Windows to use the new profile pictures to display on the logon screen
Let’s start.
1] Replace default user profile pictures in File Explorer
To change the default User Account Picture in one go, get a picture that you want to display as the default logon picture. The image can be in .JPEG, .BMP, .DIB, .RLE, or .PNG format.
The image size should be 125x125px, in order to display properly. If the image used is bigger than this size, then it will be automatically cropped to fit the logon frame – or the image could be cut off.
Now, enable Show Hidden Files via Folder Options in order to change the default logon image, as Program Data stores default account pictures – and it is hidden by default.
Next, navigate to the following folder:
- Windows 10: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\User Account Pictures
- Windows 11: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\User Account Pictures
In the above path, you may also find the Default Account Pictures in place of User Account Pictures.
Here rename guest.bmp and user.bmp as guest.bmp.bak and user.bmp.bak respectively. Also, change the names of the user.png and guest.png files. Renaming these files can corrupt them because you are changing their extensions. Therefore, we suggest you move these images to another location on your system, so you can restore them later.
Once you have done this, copy-paste the image that you want to show as the default logon picture, here.
Close the Account Picture folder.
2] Force Windows to use the new profile pictures to display on the logon screen
Now let us see how to set a default User Logon Picture for all users! Here, we will show you the following two methods:
- Using the Windows Registry
- Using the Local Group Policy Editor
Let’s start.
Using the Windows Registry
This method requires modifications in the Windows Registry. Therefore, follow all the methods carefully, as incorrect modifications in the Registry can make your system unusable. Before proceeding, we recommend you create a System Restore Point and backup your Registry. This will let you restore your system to the previous working state if any problem occurs.
Open the Registry Editor. To do so, press Win+R to open the Run dialog box, type regedit, and press Enter.
Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right panel, right-click and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Give it the name UseDefaultTile.
Click on Modify. Enter Value data as 1 for this DWORD (32-bit) and hit OK. A new registry entries will be added.
Once done close the Registry Editor and restart the computer to apply the changes.
After the system restarts, this new default user login picture will appear for all users.
In case you don’t want to keep the default logon image then simply go to the Registry Editor and navigate to this same key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
and delete UserDefaultTile.
Using the Local Group Policy Editor
The Local Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 11/10 Home editions. Therefore, Windows 11/10 Home users can skip this method.
If you have a basic understanding of how to work on group policy in a domain environment then these kinds of changes can be done in just a few clicks. The changes will affect all the computers connected to that domain controller in real time. The Group Policy can be easily applied or removed without going deep into the registry.
If your version of Windows includes Group Policy, then Run gpedit.msc and navigate to the following setting:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > User Accounts.
This policy setting allows an administrator to standardize the account pictures for all users on a system to the default account picture. One application for this policy setting is to standardize the account pictures to a company logo.
Note: The default account picture is stored at %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\user.jpg. The default guest picture is stored at %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\guest.jpg. If the default pictures do not exist, an empty frame is displayed.
If you enable this policy setting, the default user account picture will display for all users on the system with no customization allowed.
If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, users will be able to customize their account pictures.
Double-click Apply the default user logon picture to all users and enable this setting. Click OK/Apply and Exit.
I hope this works for you.
Read: Account picture error, This picture couldn’t be saved. Error Code 0x80070520
How do I change my login screen picture?
You can easily change your login screen picture via Windows 11/10 Settings. Open Windows 11/10 Settings and go to Accounts > Your info. Under the Adjust your photo section, click on the Browse files button and select a photo from your computer. Alternatively, you can also your webcam to upload your photo on the login screen of your system.
How do I change my Microsoft login picture?
You can change the Microsoft login picture in two ways. If you are signed in to your system with your Microsoft account, you can change the Microsoft login picture via Windows 11/10 Settings. Alternatively, sign in to your Microsoft account in your web browser and go to the Your info section. Now, click on the Change photo button to change your photo.
See this post if you want to remove old User Account Pictures in Windows.
