How to Change Your Thumbnail on Facebook

by Lara Webster, Demand Media

A thumbnail is the smaller version of your profile picture.

Your Facebook profile picture is likely the first thing visitors to your page will notice. The image not only appears in its full form on your page, but also in a smaller, cropped form elsewhere on Facebook. This smaller image is called a thumbnail and will show up next to your comments on friends' walls and in search results. The thumbnail will always be based on your profile picture, but you can alter which part of the profile picture is featured in the thumbnail.

Step 1

Go to your Facebook profile page. You can access your page by clicking on your name in the upper, left-hand corner of the homepage, or by clicking "Profile" in the top, right corner of any Facebook page.

Step 2

Hover your mouse over your profile picture.

Step 3

Click on the "Change Picture" link that appears in the top, right corner of your profile picture.

Step 4

Click the blue "Edit thumbnail" link that appears just beneath your profile picture.

Step 5

Hover your mouse over the thumbnail image. Click once on the image and, without releasing your mouse, drag the image around until it is positioned in the way you want. Release your mouse and click the "Save" icon at the bottom of the window. You have now altered your thumbnail as it appears on Facebook.

References

Facebook: How Do I Edit My Profile Picture Thumbnail?

About the Author

Lara Webster has been writing professionally since 2009. Her work has been featured on The iPhone App Review and several travel-related websites. Webster holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in mass communication and media studies, both from San Diego State University.