diff --git a/src/applications/people/config/PhabricatorUserConfigOptions.php b/src/applications/people/config/PhabricatorUserConfigOptions.php
--- a/src/applications/people/config/PhabricatorUserConfigOptions.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/config/PhabricatorUserConfigOptions.php
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@
             pht('Make real names required'),
             pht('Make real names optional'),
           )),
+      $this->newOption('user.default-avatar', 'string', '')
+        ->setDescription(pht('Default File to use as user avatar.'))
+        ->addExample('F4', 'Use {{{F4}}} as default avatar'),
     );
   }
 
diff --git a/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleProfilePictureController.php b/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleProfilePictureController.php
--- a/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleProfilePictureController.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleProfilePictureController.php
@@ -98,8 +98,6 @@
     $form = id(new PHUIFormLayoutView())
       ->setUser($viewer);
 
-    $default_image = PhabricatorFile::loadBuiltin($viewer, 'profile.png');
-
     $images = array();
 
     $current = $user->getProfileImagePHID();
@@ -157,7 +155,7 @@
     }
 
     $images[PhabricatorPHIDConstants::PHID_VOID] = array(
-      'uri' => $default_image->getBestURI(),
+      'uri' => PhabricatorUser::getDefaultProfileImageURI(),
       'tip' => pht('Default Picture'),
     );
 
diff --git a/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php b/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php
--- a/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php
@@ -654,6 +654,14 @@
   }
 
   public static function getDefaultProfileImageURI() {
+    $defaultAvatar = PhabricatorEnv::getEnvConfig('user.default-avatar');
+    if (0 === strncmp($defaultAvatar, 'F', 1)) {
+        $file = id(new PhabricatorFile())
+          ->loadOneWhere('id = %s', substr($defaultAvatar, 1));
+        if ($file) {
+            return $file->getBestURI();
+        }
+    }
     return celerity_get_resource_uri('/rsrc/image/avatar.png');
   }