Profile Picture Isn’t Showing/Changing on TikTok: 10 Fixes

If you are not already using TikTok, you are missing out! In the last few years, TikTok has surged in popularity and is a great way to grow your social media followers. 

What to do when your TikTok profile picture isn’t working? You can restart your device and your app, uninstall and reinstall the app, clear TikTok cache, check if there are any updates available. Try using a different picture, test your internet connection and use a VPN. If nothing works, contact TikTok customer service.

If you have a business, this is a great place to showcase your products and increase your visibility. However, there are some users who are reporting that they are having issues with their profile pictures showing, working, or changing on TikTok.

Why Isn’t My Profile Picture Working On TikTok?

One of the common problems that TikTok users have reported regarding their profile pictures is that their accounts still display the default photo, even after they have uploaded one. 

Because TikTok cracks down on the bots with the inappropriate images, the rest of the TikTok community will likely be affected more and more until the problem is under control. Unfortunately, this means that we will have issues changing our profile pictures. 

  • Some users get an error message that says: “TikTok Profile Picture Not Changing or Updating”. If you receive this message, the chances are that it’s a glitch with TikTok, nothing on your end that is keeping you from being able to change your profile picture. 
  • Other users have reported receiving an error message when trying to change or update their profile pictures that say: “No internet connection,” despite having a great one. 
  • Moreover, some users were hit with “Community Guidelines Violations,” despite the fact that they used an innocent selfie for their profile picture. 

Recently, it has come about that there are bots that are using inappropriate images for their profile pictures, which has caused TikTok to re-evaluate everyone’s account. 

They have decided to be stricter about the pictures that they approve of. After all, these inappropriate images were showing up on a lot of profiles. They wanted to shut it down quickly. 

Additionally, since privacy and security concerns are unavoidable on social platforms such as TikTok, the issues with profile pictures not showing are bound to recur. 

TikTok Profile Picture Isn’t Changing/Showing – How To Fix It?

As you can see, there are several reasons why your profile picture isn’t working on TikTok – but don’t worry, it can be fixed. 

Here are a few things you can do to fix the issue of your profile picture not changing/showing on TikTok. 

1. Restart The App 

First, close out of the app and then go back into it. By rebooting, you are starting a new session with TikTok.  This will typically clear out the cache as well, so you will see faster navigation. To do this, remove it from your recent apps and then reopen it. 

2. Restart Your Device 

This is the easiest and, therefore, should always be one of the first things you do when you have any app issues.  If you’ve already restarted, try doing a hard reset.

For Android: If you are an Android user, you should be able to press the power and volume down buttons at the same time. 

For iPhone: If you have an iPhone, you will: 

  1. Press/release volume up 
  2. Press/release volume down
  3. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

3. Uninstall/Reinstall The App 

This is the next thing we suggest you try, it is very easy and effective. Follow your typical process for uninstalling/reinstalling apps on your device.  Hopefully, one of these will help you fix the issue of the TikTok profile picture isn’t working properly. 

4. Check The Server Status 

In some cases, if you are unable to change your profile picture, there could be a glitch in TikTok servers. Find out if other people are having the same issue or if TikTok has made a statement to that effect. 

If there are issues with the platform, you will just need to give them time to fix it, which could take a few days. 

5. Use A VPN 

Even if there are issues at TikTok, it may be that certain regions are more affected than others. 

Try using a VPN to connect to TikTok and attempt to change your profile picture again. A VPN will allow you to change the IP address of your server, making it seem like you are in a different region. 

6. Test Your Connection 

Another reason you may be having issues with changing your profile picture is your internet connection. You don’t need super-fast speeds, but you do need to have a decent connection. 

7. Try A Different Photo 

Due to certain events, TikTok has started taking a closer look at what people are using as their profile pictures. Therefore, they are taking longer than usual to review photos. 

8. Check For App Updates 

As TikTok deals with platform issues, they may release bug fixes from time to time, and sometimes these updates may include refining their process for reviewing pictures and videos. 

Therefore, take a moment to check and see if there are any updates available for the app. 

9. Clear The Cache 

This is something that is often overlooked, but your TikTok app cache can accumulate a lot of information, especially if you spend a lot of time interacting on the app.

In addition to taking up space in your internal memory, the cache could interfere with certain features on the app, including your profile picture. 

  1. Open your TikTok app.
  2. Tap the profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  3. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen.
  4. Scroll down to the bottom of the Privacy and Settings menu and tap “Clear Cache.”

10. Report The Issue To Support 

If all else fails, reach out to TikTok support regarding the issue. They should be able to pinpoint the issue, whether it’s on their end or something to do with your account. 

Why Does My TikTok Profile Picture Keep Disappearing?

Many TikTok users have reported that their profile pictures keep disappearing. This is most likely due to a minor uploading inappropriate pictures to their own profile. Some of these pictures ended up on other profiles as well. 

This resulted in TikTok creating bots to prevent this from happening by taking down everyone’s profile pictures. This has stopped the inappropriate images from being uploaded and seen. 

TikTok banned profile pictures for some time after this happened since so many profiles were seen doing it. They just decided to make everyone’s profile pictures disappear. 

Bottom Line 

There is a wide variety of content on TikTok, and it’s a good idea to capitalize on it as much as you can. 

Of course, when you’re setting up your profile picture, you’re going to want to make sure that it’s appropriate. If not, TikTok may take it down. This will mean that you’re left without a profile picture and virtually unrecognizable.

I’ve been working with technology in one way or the other all my life. After graduating from university, I worked as a sales consultant for Verizon for a few years. Now I am a technical support engineer by day and write articles on my own blog here in my spare time to help others if they have any issues with their devices.