diff --git a/appview/state/profile.go b/appview/state/profile.go
--- a/appview/state/profile.go
+++ b/appview/state/profile.go
@@ -840,6 +840,81 @@
 		return
 	}
 
-	w.Header().Set("HX-Redirect", r.Header.Get("Referer"))
-	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+	s.pages.HxRedirect(w, r.Header.Get("Referer"))
+}
+
+func (s *State) RemoveProfileAvatar(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	l := s.logger.With("handler", "RemoveProfileAvatar")
+	user := s.oauth.GetUser(r)
+	l = l.With("did", user.Did)
+
+	client, err := s.oauth.AuthorizedClient(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		l.Error("failed to get PDS client", "err", err)
+		s.pages.Notice(w, "avatar-error", "Failed to connect to your PDS")
+		return
+	}
+
+	getRecordResp, err := comatproto.RepoGetRecord(r.Context(), client, "", tangled.ActorProfileNSID, user.Did, "self")
+	if err != nil {
+		l.Error("failed to get current profile record", "err", err)
+		s.pages.Notice(w, "avatar-error", "Failed to get current profile from your PDS")
+		return
+	}
+
+	var profileRecord *tangled.ActorProfile
+	if getRecordResp.Value != nil {
+		if val, ok := getRecordResp.Value.Val.(*tangled.ActorProfile); ok {
+			profileRecord = val
+		} else {
+			l.Warn("profile record type assertion failed")
+			profileRecord = &tangled.ActorProfile{}
+		}
+	} else {
+		l.Warn("no existing profile record")
+		profileRecord = &tangled.ActorProfile{}
+	}
+
+	profileRecord.Avatar = nil
+
+	_, err = comatproto.RepoPutRecord(r.Context(), client, &comatproto.RepoPutRecord_Input{
+		Collection: tangled.ActorProfileNSID,
+		Repo:       user.Did,
+		Rkey:       "self",
+		Record:     &lexutil.LexiconTypeDecoder{Val: profileRecord},
+		SwapRecord: getRecordResp.Cid,
+	})
+
+	if err != nil {
+		l.Error("failed to update profile record", "err", err)
+		s.pages.Notice(w, "avatar-error", "Failed to remove avatar from your PDS")
+		return
+	}
+
+	l.Info("successfully removed avatar from PDS")
+
+	profile, err := db.GetProfile(s.db, user.Did)
+	if err != nil {
+		l.Warn("getting profile data from DB", "err", err)
+		profile = &models.Profile{Did: user.Did}
+	}
+	profile.Avatar = ""
+
+	tx, err := s.db.BeginTx(r.Context(), nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		l.Error("failed to start transaction", "err", err)
+		s.pages.HxRefresh(w)
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		return
+	}
+
+	err = db.UpsertProfile(tx, profile)
+	if err != nil {
+		l.Error("failed to update profile in DB", "err", err)
+		s.pages.HxRefresh(w)
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		return
+	}
+
+	s.pages.HxRedirect(w, r.Header.Get("Referer"))
 }
diff --git a/appview/state/router.go b/appview/state/router.go
--- a/appview/state/router.go
+++ b/appview/state/router.go
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@
 		r.Post("/bio", s.UpdateProfileBio)
 		r.Post("/pins", s.UpdateProfilePins)
 		r.Post("/avatar", s.UploadProfileAvatar)
+		r.Delete("/avatar", s.RemoveProfileAvatar)
 	})
 
 	r.Mount("/settings", s.SettingsRouter())
diff --git a/appview/pages/templates/user/fragments/editAvatar.html b/appview/pages/templates/user/fragments/editAvatar.html
--- a/appview/pages/templates/user/fragments/editAvatar.html
+++ b/appview/pages/templates/user/fragments/editAvatar.html
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
   hx-swap="none"
   class="flex flex-col gap-2">
   <label for="avatar-file" class="uppercase p-0">
-    Upload avatar
+    Upload or Remove Avatar
   </label>
-  <p class="text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400">Select an image (PNG or JPEG, max 1MB)</p>
+  <p class="text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400">Upload a new image (PNG or JPEG, max 1MB) or remove your current avatar.</p>
   <input
     type="file"
     id="avatar-file"
@@ -23,21 +23,30 @@
       dark:file:bg-gray-700 dark:file:text-gray-300
       hover:file:bg-gray-200 dark:hover:file:bg-gray-600" />
   <div id="avatar-error" class="text-red-500 dark:text-red-400 text-sm min-h-5"></div>
-  <div class="flex gap-2 pt-2">
+  <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 pt-2">
+    <button type="submit" class="btn w-full flex items-center justify-center gap-2">
+      <span class="inline-flex gap-2 items-center">{{ i "upload" "size-4" }} upload</span>
+      <span id="spinner" class="group">
+        {{ i "loader-circle" "ml-2 w-4 h-4 animate-spin hidden group-[.htmx-request]:inline" }}
+      </span>
+    </button>
+    <button
+      type="button"
+      hx-delete="/profile/avatar"
+      hx-confirm="Are you sure you want to remove your profile picture?"
+      hx-swap="none"
+      class="btn w-full flex items-center justify-center gap-2">
+      {{ i "trash-2" "size-4" }}
+      remove avatar
+    </button>
     <button
       id="cancel-avatar-btn"
       type="button"
       popovertarget="avatar-upload-modal"
       popovertargetaction="hide"
-      class="btn w-1/2 flex items-center gap-2 text-red-500 hover:text-red-700 dark:text-red-400 dark:hover:text-red-300">
+      class="btn w-full flex items-center justify-center gap-2 text-gray-500 hover:text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 dark:hover:text-gray-300">
       {{ i "x" "size-4" }}
       cancel
-    </button>
-    <button type="submit" class="btn w-1/2 flex items-center">
-      <span class="inline-flex gap-2 items-center">{{ i "upload" "size-4" }} upload</span>
-      <span id="spinner" class="group">
-        {{ i "loader-circle" "ml-2 w-4 h-4 animate-spin hidden group-[.htmx-request]:inline" }}
-      </span>
     </button>
   </div>
 </form>