diff --git a/bookwyrm/management/commands/remove_remote_user_preview_images.py b/bookwyrm/management/commands/remove_remote_user_preview_images.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a298e152c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bookwyrm/management/commands/remove_remote_user_preview_images.py
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+""" Generate preview images """
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
+from django.db.models import Q
+
+from bookwyrm import models, preview_images
+
+
+# pylint: disable=line-too-long
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    """Remove preview images for remote users"""
+
+    help = "Remove preview images for remote users"
+
+    # pylint: disable=no-self-use,unused-argument
+    def handle(self, *args, **options):
+        """generate preview images"""
+        self.stdout.write(
+            "   | Hello! I will be removing preview images from remote users."
+        )
+        self.stdout.write(
+            "🧑‍🚒 ⎨ This might take quite long if your instance has a lot of remote users."
+        )
+        self.stdout.write("   | ✧ Thank you for your patience ✧")
+
+        users = models.User.objects.filter(local=False).exclude(Q(preview_image='')|Q(preview_image=None))
+
+        if len(users) > 0:
+            self.stdout.write(
+                f"   → Remote user preview images ({len(users)}): ", ending=""
+            )
+            for user in users:
+                preview_images.remove_user_preview_image_task.delay(user.id)
+                self.stdout.write(".", ending="")
+            self.stdout.write(" OK 🖼")
+        else:
+            self.stdout.write(
+                f"   | There was no remote users with preview images."
+            )
+
+        self.stdout.write("🧑‍🚒 ⎨ I’m all done! ✧ Enjoy ✧")
diff --git a/bookwyrm/preview_images.py b/bookwyrm/preview_images.py
index 7c108237d..1a3e7f152 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/preview_images.py
+++ b/bookwyrm/preview_images.py
@@ -475,3 +475,25 @@ def generate_user_preview_image_task(user_id):
     image = generate_preview_image(texts=texts, picture=avatar)
 
     save_and_cleanup(image, instance=user)
+
+
+@app.task(queue=LOW)
+def remove_user_preview_image_task(user_id):
+    """remove preview_image for a user"""
+    if not settings.ENABLE_PREVIEW_IMAGES:
+        return
+
+    user = models.User.objects.get(id=user_id)
+
+    try:
+        file_name = user.preview_image.name
+    except ValueError:
+        file_name = None
+
+    # Delete image in model
+    user.preview_image.delete(save=False)
+    user.save(broadcast=False, update_fields=["preview_image"])
+
+    # Delete image file
+    if file_name and default_storage.exists(file_name):
+        default_storage.delete(file_name)
diff --git a/bw-dev b/bw-dev
index ef5dec813..28510d15c 100755
--- a/bw-dev
+++ b/bw-dev
@@ -223,6 +223,9 @@ case "$CMD" in
     generate_preview_images)
         runweb python manage.py generate_preview_images "$@"
         ;;
+    remove_remote_user_preview_images)
+        runweb python manage.py remove_remote_user_preview_images
+        ;;
     copy_media_to_s3)
         awscommand "bookwyrm_media_volume:/images"\
             "s3 cp /images s3://${AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME}/images\
@@ -300,6 +303,7 @@ case "$CMD" in
         echo "    populate_suggestions"
         echo "    generate_thumbnails"
         echo "    generate_preview_images [--all]"
+        echo "    remove_remote_user_preview_images"
         echo "    copy_media_to_s3"
         echo "    sync_media_to_s3"
         echo "    set_cors_to_s3 [cors file]"