On April 9, 2024, Microsoft released scheduled cumulative updates for all supported versions of Windows 10 and 11. The latter received KB5036893, also known as the “Moment 5” update. The release introduced several changes to the operating system, but unfortunately, it is not flawless. In addition to several user reports, Microsoft confirmed one bug in the Settings app.
According to the updated support page for KB5036893, some users may experience issues when trying to change their profile pictures in the Settings app. pressing Settings > Accounts > Your Info > Select File The result is that the app shows “Account picture error. This picture could not be saved. Error code: 0x80070502.”
Microsoft says the problem affects all users with KB5036893. However, our tests have shown that you can still change your profile picture if you’re signed in with a Microsoft account. Systems with local profiles, however, failed to update their profile picture with the error code mentioned above. See, there are actually valid reasons to use a Microsoft account in Windows 11, after all.
Although Microsoft has not provided a fix for the bug, you can change your local profile picture without using the Settings app. The method (you can find it On the official support site) is pretty rough, but at least it works:
- Open File Explorer and go to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures. Don’t forget to replace “username” with your actual profile name.
- Grab a picture you want to make your profile picture and copy it to a folder. You can also delete the photo in the folder to remove your profile picture.
- Restart the computer. You should now see your new profile picture on the lock screen, start menu, and other places.
Microsoft is working on solving the problem in a future update. You can find more information about the bug in the official documentation.