Others

How to Fix SharePoint Profile Pictures Not Displaying

John Wilson Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

User profile photos are missing or not displaying in SharePoint, despite appearing correctly in other Microsoft 365 applications like Teams and Outlook.

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Users are trying to view profiles or the People web part on SharePoint pages but the images are failing to render.
Observed behavior: Profile pictures disappear and reappear sporadically for different users in SharePoint, while remaining consistently visible in Teams and Outlook. In some cases, the issue resolves itself gradually over several months.

Before you start

Ensure you have your Microsoft 365 login credentials handy and verify if the missing profile pictures issue is occurring on a single SharePoint site or across multiple sites in your organization.

Solution 1Recommended

Clear Browser Cache and Verify the Scope

A corrupted browser cache can prevent updated profile pictures from loading correctly. Clearing it helps rule out local display issues.

Before escalating the issue to administrators, it is important to ensure that your local web browser is not serving outdated or corrupted image cache files.

Access browser settings

Open your web browser's settings menu and navigate to the Privacy, Search, or History section.

Clear browsing data

Select the option to clear browsing data, ensuring that the box for 'Cached images and files' is checked, then confirm the action.

Test SharePoint

Restart your browser, log back into your Microsoft 365 account, and navigate to the SharePoint site to check if the profile pictures are now displaying.

Determine the scope

Visit different SharePoint sites within your organization to see if the missing pictures are isolated to one specific site or if they affect the entire tenant.

Clear Browser Cache and Verify the Scope

Scope check requirement: Knowing whether the issue affects one site or multiple sites is crucial information if you need to escalate the problem to Microsoft support later.

Solution 2

Escalate to a Microsoft 365 Administrator

If the issue persists across multiple sites, it is likely a backend synchronization problem that requires administrative access to resolve.

Solution 3

Allow Time for Automatic Server-Side Resolution

SharePoint sometimes experiences delayed backend synchronization with the Microsoft 365 profile database, which often resolves naturally over time.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Seamless Productivity with WPS Office

While dealing with Microsoft 365 cloud synchronization delays, ensure your local document workflows remain uninterrupted. WPS Office offers a lightweight, highly compatible, and cost-effective alternative to Microsoft Office, giving you full control over your files without relying on complex cloud architecture.

1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package for your operating system.
2. Install WPS Office: Run the downloaded installer and follow the straightforward on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
3. Open and edit files: Launch WPS Office to immediately open, edit, and save your existing Microsoft Office documents without any formatting loss.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.Robust local document management independent of SharePoint backend sync issues.Lightweight design ensures fast loading and smooth performance on any device.Familiar, intuitive interface minimizes the learning curve for current Office users.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my profile pictures show in Teams but not SharePoint?

Microsoft 365 uses different caching and synchronization mechanisms for Teams, Exchange (Outlook), and SharePoint. SharePoint relies on a specific profile sync job from Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), which can occasionally experience delays or get stuck, even when Teams is fully synced.

Can I manually force a profile picture sync in SharePoint?

Standard users cannot manually force a synchronization. Microsoft 365 administrators can attempt to trigger a sync using PowerShell scripts or by updating the user profile in the Admin Center, but if there is a tenant-wide backend issue, you may still need to wait for Microsoft to resolve it.

Will re-uploading my picture fix the issue?

Re-uploading your picture via Delve or your Microsoft account settings might re-trigger the synchronization process for your specific account. However, if the root cause is a widespread backend glitch affecting multiple users on the site, re-uploading may not immediately solve the display problem in SharePoint.

Office Quick Solutions