How to get the Star Wars lightsaber on your Facebook profile image

As the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally hits cinema screens this week, Facebook is getting in on the action.

The social network is allowing users to add a lightsaber to their profile picture in honour of the latest instalment of the sci-fi franchise.

Fans can choose between an evil red or an honest blue weapon, depending on which side they identify with most.

The development is the latest experiment by Facebook when it comes to profile pictures - last month the company rolled out the option to use flag filters, while sports logos are also available.