<commit_before>---
description: How to use the user_metadata to change a user's picture field and how to change the default picture for all users.
---

# User Picture

Auth0 [normalizes](/user-profile/normalized) common profile properties in the User Profile, this includes the `name` and `picture` field and more. The picture field is populated by either the social provider profile picture or the Gravatar image associated with the user's email address. By default all database users will have a placeholder image with their initials. When you authenticate the user, this picture field is referred by as `user.picture`.

![User Picture](/media/articles/user-profile/user-picture.png)

## Change a User's Picture

The `user.picture` attribute is not directly editable. As an alternative, you can use the [User Metadata](/metadata) to store a picture attribute which you can then use in your front-end as desired. The `user_metadata` field can be updated by [calling the Management API v2 endpoint](/api/management/v2#!/Users/patch_users_by_id) with the `id` of the specified user.

For example, if your app provides a way to upload profile pictures, once the picture is uploaded, you can set the URL to the picture in `user.user_metadata.picture`:

```har
{
  "method": "PATCH",
  "url": "https://${account.namespace}/api/v2/users/{id}",
  "httpVersion": "HTTP/1.1",
  "cookies": [],
  "headers": [{
    "name": "Authorization",
    "value": "Bearer ABCD"
  }, {
    "name": "Content-Type",
    "value": "application/json"<commit_msg>Proofread fixes<commit_after>---
description: How to use the user_metadata to change a user's picture field and how to change the default picture for all users.
---

# User Picture

Auth0 [normalizes](/user-profile/normalized) common profile properties in the User Profile, this includes the `name` and `picture` field and more. The picture field is populated by either the social provider profile picture or the Gravatar image associated with the user's email address. By default all database users will have a placeholder image with their initials. When you authenticate the user, this picture field is referred by as `user.picture`.

![User Picture](/media/articles/user-profile/user-picture.png)

## Change a User's Picture

The `user.picture` attribute is not directly editable. As an alternative, you can use the [User Metadata](/metadata) to store a picture attribute which you can then use in your application as desired. The `user_metadata` field can be updated by [calling the Management API v2 endpoint](/api/management/v2#!/Users/patch_users_by_id) with the `id` of the specified user.

For example, if your app provides a way to upload profile pictures, once the picture is uploaded, you can set the URL to the picture in `user.user_metadata.picture`:

```har
{
  "method": "PATCH",
  "url": "https://${account.namespace}/api/v2/users/\{id\}",
  "httpVersion": "HTTP/1.1",
  "cookies": [],
  "headers": [{
    "name": "Authorization",
    "value": "Bearer ABCD"
  }, {
    "name": "Content-Type",
    "value": "application/json"
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