> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.researchgate.net/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.researchgate.net/profile/profile-photos.md).

# Profile photos

#### Page contents

* [Adding or changing your profile photo](#adding-or-changing-your-profile-photo)
* [Deleting your profile photo](#deleting-your-profile-photo)
* [FAQs](#faqs)
  * [Why is my deleted profile photo still appearing in search results?](#why-is-my-deleted-profile-photo-still-appearing-in-search-results)
  * [What should I do if someone else used my photo as their profile photo?](#what-should-i-do-if-someone-else-used-my-photo-as-their-profile-photo)

Your profile photo helps your peers recognize you and increases the visibility of your research. Profiles with photos get up to **3 times more** views than those without, and they are more visible to search engines.

As ResearchGate is a professional network, your profile photo should reflect your professional identity. Please don’t add a photo of anyone (or anything) else.

#### Adding or changing your profile photo

To add a new profile photo, follow these steps:

1. Go to your [Profile](https://www.researchgate.net/go.Profile.html?pli=1)
2. Click on **Edit** at the top of your profile, to the right of your name.
3. Click **Add profile photo** or **Change profile photo**
4. Select **Upload a photo** to choose a file from your device, or **Take photo** to use your device's camera (Note: You may need to allow ResearchGate to access your camera)
5. Crop your photo by dragging it, or zoom in or out using the **+/-** icons
6. Click **Save** to confirm your changes.

**Photo requirements**

When adding your photo, please keep the following technical requirements in mind:

* File Format: We support \*.jpg, \*.jpeg, \*.gif, or \*.png formats
* Size: Your image must be at least 180x180 pixels and no larger than 4MB
* Shape: We suggest using a photo that will fit inside a circle.

#### Deleting your profile photo

To delete your profile photo:

1. Go to your [Profile](https://www.researchgate.net/go.Profile.html?pli=1)
2. Click on **Edit** at the top of your profile, to the right of your name
3. Click on **Change profile photo**
4. Click the **trash can** icon at the top right-hand side
5. Click **Save** to confirm your changes.

## FAQs <a href="#faqs" id="faqs"></a>

#### Why is my deleted profile photo still appearing in search results?

Once a profile photo has been removed from ResearchGate, its old URL redirects to our main homepage or researcher index. We cannot control what the major search engines choose to keep on their search results, and it may often take some time for these pages to disappear from results due to the speed with which search engines manage and index changes to web pages.

#### What should I do if someone else used my photo as their profile photo?

If you’d like to report a ResearchGate profile for using your photo, please follow these steps:

1. Visit our [Report content on ResearchGate](https://www.researchgate.net/contact?ticket_form_id=22662977991441) form
2. Select the type of issue that best describes your report
3. Enter details about the content you are reporting.

Our Community Support team will review your message and take appropriate action.


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