Fixing a white background behind your Microsoft 365 headshot
Overview
Section titled “Overview”If a white square appears behind your circular profile photo in Microsoft 365, you’re not alone. Nothing is wrong with your image file, and Teams doesn’t cause it. The issue comes from where you update the photo: update it in Teams, not on the Microsoft account page.
- Updated in Teams
- The photo displays correctly.
- Updated on the Microsoft account page
- A white background is added behind the photo.
- Already have the white background?
- Upload the image again in Teams. See How to fix your photo.
What is happening
Section titled “What is happening”Some users see a white square behind their circular profile photo across Microsoft 365 apps. Even though the original headshot has a clean background, the interface adds a solid white fill inside the frame.
At first glance this may look like a system-wide bug, but it only happens with one way of updating the profile photo.
What causes the white background
Section titled “What causes the white background”The white background is added only when you update your profile photo on the View account page, at myaccount.microsoft.com. When you upload an image there, Microsoft’s account page applies its own circular crop and inserts a white fill behind it. This behavior is specific to the account portal, and doesn’t reflect how Teams normally handles profile images.
When you update your headshot directly in Teams instead, by selecting your profile picture in the upper-right corner, the image saves as expected. Teams applies the standard circular crop without filling in the background, which keeps your original photo’s look.
How to fix your photo
Section titled “How to fix your photo”If your photo already has the unwanted white background, a quick update corrects it:
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Select your profile picture in the upper-right corner.
- Select the option to change your photo.
- Upload the same image again, and save it.
Teams reprocesses the image and removes the white border that the account portal added.
If you have any trouble updating your headshot, contact help@opensense.com.