A Step-by-Step Guide: How to Change Your Profile Picture on Chess.com?

Are you looking to update your profile picture on Chess.com but not sure how to go about it?

In this article, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of changing your profile picture on Chess.com. From logging in to your account to cropping and adjusting the image, we’ve got you covered.

We will also discuss the recommended profile picture guidelines, how to change your profile picture on the Chess.com mobile app, and common troubleshooting issues you may encounter.

So let’s get started!

Why Change Your Profile Picture?

You change your Chess.com profile picture to showcase the mood that you are feeling or an avatar that you enjoy using.

You can express your personality, nationality, or profession in your profile picture as well, acting as an icebreaker to foster increased interaction between you and other players on the site.

Others find it useful to be able to visually recognize their opponents and create vivid memories of various games and their opponents. Yet, this helps to remember how one player’s games differed significantly from another’s.

If you are concerned about privacy, changing your profile picture often will make it difficult for visitors to your profile page to track you. If they’re unsure your profile is you, they may be hesitant to play against you as they may think you are a player with bad intentions.

When your profile picture is frequently changed, it can indicate to others that you are actively using the service and are more likely to play against them.

How to Change Your Profile Picture on Chess.com?

To change your profile picture on Chess.com, follow these steps. Log in to your account on Chess.com on the chess.com website. Click your profile picture at the top right corner of the screen to open your profile. Click Crop (pencil) to start changing your picture. Find your desired picture on your device, then click Upload. Wait for the picture to upload. Once it is uploaded, you can crop it to your liking by clicking and dragging or resizing the crop box. Click Save.

Step 1: Log in to Your Chess.com Account

Open your browser and navigate to Chess.com. Click the Login or Sign Up button and enter your log-in details.

Chess.com will take you to your home page and show logged-in status. Making changes to your profile picture in chess.com follows a near identical design to the phone application.

Click on the User Board Icon in the rightmost portion of the profile page to access your account settings. Once there, you will have access to the rest of the steps to personalize your account such as changing the profile name and entering a biography.

Step 2: Go to Your Profile

If you log into the Chess.com platform but are not redirected to your profile page, you can reach it by clicking on the chess pieces icon in the bottom left section of the site. There you enter Your Profile and are taken to the area where you may adjust profile settings such as profile picture, about me information, account details, and more.

Step 3: Click on the Profile Picture

When you see the Personal Settings page, you will see an area where your Profile Picture is displayed. Click on Update Profile Photo. You must first upload a new photo before you can change your profile picture. Click the Choose File button or drag to upload a new photo. Once the upload is complete, click on the newly uploaded photo. This will automatically set it as your active profile picture.

Step 4: Choose an Image to Upload

Choose an image that is the correct format and does not contain explicit sexual content, violence, or illegal activity. After clicking edit your image under the menu on the profile image thumbnail, click the Choose an Image button. This button will then allow you to upload an image from Your Computer, Google Drive, or from A Webcam or Phone Camera.

If you choose to upload an image from your computer, the system will allow you to upload images only in the format of GIF, JPG, or PNG. The image you upload must be smaller than 512 kilobytes, or you will receive an error from the system. A 512 kB image is a 96.08% compression on a 1080p image (1920 x 1080 pixels).

After uploading your image, use the crop tool of the system to select the a region in the image you uploaded. The image automatically re-sizes as you select, so no further adjustments are needed to the dimensions of the image you display.

Step 5: Crop and Adjust the Image

Before the final upload, you can crop and adjust the image to get your desired profile picture dimensions and focus. The crop function can be used by dragging the edges to focus the image just where you want it. If you want to rotate the image, the rotation tool is the circular arrow icon in the bottom right corner.

NOTE: Changes made to your profile picture will be automatically saved and uploaded. There is no save button.

Step 6: Save and Apply the Changes

After you decided on your new profile picture, scroll down to the bottom of the profile section to locate the Update Settings button. Click the button once you are sure you want to activate the uploaded image. If you made a mistake along the way you can click Cancel and start from scratch. Here is the summary of the steps from when you were on your profile page and had clicked the camera icon:

1. Click done in the Camera and Microphone window and Allow to proceed to your Device Media
2. Navigate your device to go to the image you want to upload and click Open to upload to Chess.com
3. Click Update settings on your chess.com profile

What Are the Recommended Profile Picture Guidelines on Chess.com?

The recommended profile picture guidelines on Chess.com are:

• The picture should clearly show the player’s face
• There should be nothing inappropriate depicted in the picture
• The picture should be of the player only; group pictures are more difficult for users to identify the player
• The picture should be G-rated with no violent, semi-nudity, or sexual content

The guidelines are fairly lax beyond that, beyond a brief warning that there is no way to limit the use of user-uploaded images, so users should be cautious regarding the use of their full name or of their child’s name.

Use a Clear and Recognizable Image

When people change their profile images in Chess.com accounts, they should choose a clear, close-up photo of themselves or something else that is quickly recognizable. Faces are particularly easy to recognize, so using a recognizable face-based pattern can be effective as well. Choosing a photo that makes them themselves immediately clear at extremely small resolutions is helpful as well because that’s where profile pictures are often displayed. These are some examples of good profile pictures.

Organizer and development director of the university of texas rio grande valley chess club Aaron Balleisen uses a clear and identifiable close-up of himself for his profile picture. Chess.com use a close-up of their piece logo, which is one of the best-known chess logos in online chess. Chess.com co-founder and CEO uses a photo of himself that when small, is still recognizable at small profile picture sizes.

Avoid Offensive or Inappropriate Images

Chess.com guidelines specify that profile pictures must be devoid of any violent, sexual, drugs, or other inappropriate content. Violation of their Code of Conduct is handled administratively.

If your image contains text or is a logo, consider avoiding political and commercial affiliations. Over time, this can lose context, lead to confusion, or possibly violate restrictions. Layered, colorful images with high-resolution contrast work best so the smaller profile images on servers and in lists are still clear. Horizontal photos of two people side by side or group pictures are not advised as the most important portion of the photograph may not fit into the circular screen.

Keep in Mind the Size and Resolution Requirements

The file must be under 800kb in PNG or JPEG format. It is recommended to have the file be under 250kb in order to be safe for most users. The dimensions of the image should be at a minimum 1000 x 1000 pixels and be in 1:1 aspect ratio. You can use programs like Paint (Windows) or Preview (Mac) to adjust the canvas size and resolution and then crop the file to the desired dimensions. After changing the image to the desired settings, you must remove the current profile picture and re-upload the image for the changes to take effect.

Can You Change Your Profile Picture on the Chess.com Mobile App?

Yes, you can change your profile picture on the Chess.com mobile app. Changing your profile picture in the mobile app is done in the same way as on the website. Open the mobile app and log in. Go to More and then My Profile. Click on your current profile photo and then the Change Photo link that appears. This will open a dialog that lets you either choose another picture from your device’s photo library or take a new picture to be your profile image.

How Often Can You Change Your Profile Picture on Chess.com?

There is no explicit limit on how often you can change your profile picture on Chess.com. But the chess organization has a restriction that you may not delete, edit, add, or change any of the words, symbols, or images which are posted by Chess.com in users profiles. So once you submit and change your profile picture a few times, the “Your Profile Picture” section of the settings page will be permanently greyed out. The photographed user must grant permission to mwilson rather than birthdaysdepot.

Troubleshooting: Common Issues and Solutions

• Email Changed?
  This is the most common issue with not being able to change your Chess.com picture. If you lately changed your email or username on Chess.com then you may have to wait some time before you are allowed to change your chess.com picture.
• Parental Control?
  Parents can disable certain user preferences, including the changing of profile pictures by enabling ChessKid’s parental control features. If it is not possible to change your picture through the normal account settings, ask the parent who acts as the child’s guardian to investigate.

These are the only common issues that are known to cause problems. It may be that Chess.com is experiencing issues and these may be resolved by waiting or using the support options to alert them of the problem.

Image Not Uploading

If your chosen profile picture image is not uploading to Chess.com, first check that the parameters set for the image by Chess.com are being followed. The website only allows for images at least 48 x 48 pixels larger. If your picture is not showing up, make sure the image is mac-style coded as in the example below.

If this is not the case, another issue may be that the image URL you are using falls short of the minimum required dimensions. These are the most frequent reasons for images not uploading and easy to check. Here is a typical success report from one of Chess.com customers. Lambu222 posted in the community section of the help board, saying, “I finally solved it and uploaded a new profile photo. It seems to update very slowly, so try closing the profile window after taking an action (e.g., replacing your profile photo).”

If the uploaded profile picture is not appearing immediately, adjusting the frequency of actions taken should allow for the system to catch up. Chess.com does not provide the ability to report bugs or any assistance beyond the community help pages so attempting different solutions is the only option if the site is misbehaving.

Image Not Cropping Properly

If you see that your image is not cropping properly, it means that the aspect ratio of the original picture you provided was too narrow compared to the 1.97:1 ratio used by Chess.com. Any cropping of profile pictures is always performed using the web application and not the app. To have your picture crop properly for the Chess.com application, make sure to submit an image that is wider and closer to the 1.97:1 aspect ratio.

Profile Picture Not Updating

Be aware of a warning that shows up in red at the bottom of the page when you upload a new profile picture. If you do not see this, the new profile picture did not successfully upload. You should know that it may take up to 1 hour to update to the new profile picture once it is uploaded. If it still is not updating, there is a conflict between your browser cache and the server. Clear the cache and reload the page to update. Chess.com Support has a more definitive solution to this problem and can be prompted by clicking on the User Settings link on the settings page found by selecting your name and picture in the upper right corner of the home page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How can I change my profile picture on Chess.com?

A1: To change your profile picture on Chess.com, follow these steps: 1. Log into your account and go to your profile page. 2. Click on your current profile picture. 3. Select “Change Profile Picture” from the drop-down menu. 4. Choose a new picture from your computer or select one from Chess.com’s gallery. 5. Click “Save” to update your profile picture.

Q2: Can I use any picture as my profile picture on Chess.com?

A2: Yes, you can use any picture as your profile picture on Chess.com as long as it follows their guidelines. This means it should not contain any inappropriate content, copyright violations, or offensive material. Chess.com reserves the right to remove any profile picture that violates these guidelines.

Q3: How do I access Chess.com’s gallery of profile pictures?

A3: To access Chess.com’s gallery of profile pictures, follow these steps: 1. Log into your account and go to your profile page. 2. Click on your current profile picture. 3. Select “Change Profile Picture” from the drop-down menu. 4. Click on the “Choose from Gallery” button. 5. Browse through the available pictures and click on the one you want to use. 6. Click “Save” to update your profile picture.

Q4: Can I change my profile picture on Chess.com from the mobile app?

A4: Yes, you can change your profile picture on Chess.com from the mobile app. Simply follow the same steps as you would on the desktop version of the site. Go to your profile page, click on your current profile picture, and select “Change Profile Picture” to choose a new one.

Q5: Will my old profile picture be deleted when I change it on Chess.com?

A5: Yes, when you change your profile picture on Chess.com, your old one will be deleted. However, it will still be visible on any games or forums where you have used it as your picture. It may also take some time for the new picture to show up on all areas of the site.

Q6: Can I change my profile picture multiple times on Chess.com?

A6: Yes, you can change your profile picture multiple times on Chess.com. There is no limit to how many times you can change it, but keep in mind that your old pictures will still be visible in some places on the site. It is also recommended to use a picture that represents you consistently to avoid confusion among other users.