How to Add or Remove Account Picture Menu on Start Menu in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the account picture menu on the Start screen in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
What is the Account Picture Menu?
The account picture menu (also called the “user tile menu”) appears on your Start menu. It lets you change account settings, Lock the computer, sign out, or switch to a different user.
If you don’t want this menu, you can remove it completely from your Start menu.
New Feature in Recent Windows 11 Updates
Starting with Windows 11 build 26100.7922 (24H2), build 26200.9822 (25H2), and build 2800.1764 (26H1), a new option was added to the account menu. This option now directs you to the benefits page (https://account.microsoft.com/). This makes it easier to explore and manage your Microsoft account benefits.
How to Add or Remove the Account Picture Menu
Why do this? You might want to remove this menu to simplify your Start menu. Or you might want to add it back if it’s missing.
What happens? Removing the account picture menu hides the user tile from your Start menu. Adding it shows the menu again.
What You Need
- Administrator access to your computer
⚠️ Admin Required: You must be signed in as an administrator to make these changes.
Steps
- Open the Windows Terminal app as an administrator.
- Run one of the commands below, depending on what you want to do.
Add Account Picture Menu to Start Menu
This is the default setting.
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start\HideUserTile" /v value /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /fRemove Account Picture Menu from Start Menu
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Start\HideUserTile" /v value /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /fLearn More
For more information, see Start Policy CSP and learn more about the Start Area in Policy CSP on docs.microsoft.com.
Summary
The account picture menu on your Start menu gives you quick access to account settings and sign-out options. If you want to hide it, you can use Windows Terminal to run a simple command. You need admin access to make this change. Use the first command to show the menu (default) or the second command to hide it.
Where are user account pictures stored in Windows 11?
Windows 11 stores user account pictures in the hidden folder located at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\User Account Pictures. You can access this directory by pasting the path into File Explorer. Additionally, your current profile image is cached in the AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures folder within your specific user profile directory.
How can you change the profile picture of a user account in Windows 11?
To change your profile picture, open the Settings app and navigate to Accounts, then select Your info. Under the Adjust your photo section, click Choose a file to upload a new image from your computer, or select Open camera to take a new photo directly using your device's webcam.
How to find out where the photo was taken for Windows?
If you are referring to Windows Spotlight lock screen images, you can find their location in the hidden folder: %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets. Copy these files to a new folder, rename them with a .jpg extension, and use a reverse image search tool like Google Lens to identify the geographic location.
How do I add a picture to my login screen in Windows 11?
To add or update your login screen picture, go to Settings, select Accounts, and click Your info. Use the Create your picture options to upload an image or take a photo. This image will automatically sync to your login screen, provided you are signed in with a Microsoft account or local account.
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