diff --git a/src/lib/models/user.ts b/src/lib/models/user.ts
index d9ec8098a..aecfbb740 100644
--- a/src/lib/models/user.ts
+++ b/src/lib/models/user.ts
@@ -13,109 +13,8 @@ import {
   Table,
   Unique
 } from 'sequelize-typescript'
-import { generateAvatarURL } from '../letter-avatars'
-import { logger } from '../logger'
-import { PassportProfile, ProviderEnum } from '../web/auth/utils'
 import { Note } from './note'
 
-export class PhotoProfile {
-  name: string
-  photo: string
-  biggerphoto: string
-
-  static fromUser (user: User): PhotoProfile | null {
-    if (!user) return null
-    if (user.profile) return PhotoProfile.fromJSON(user.profile)
-    if (user.email) return PhotoProfile.fromEmail(user.email)
-    return null
-  }
-
-  private static fromJSON (jsonProfile: string): PhotoProfile | null {
-    try {
-      const parsedProfile: PassportProfile = JSON.parse(jsonProfile)
-      return {
-        name: parsedProfile.displayName || parsedProfile.username,
-        photo: PhotoProfile.generatePhotoURL(parsedProfile, false),
-        biggerphoto: PhotoProfile.generatePhotoURL(parsedProfile, true)
-      }
-    } catch (err) {
-      logger.error(err)
-      return null
-    }
-  }
-
-  private static fromEmail (email: string): PhotoProfile {
-    return {
-      name: email.substring(0, email.lastIndexOf('@')),
-      photo: generateAvatarURL('', email, false),
-      biggerphoto: generateAvatarURL('', email, true)
-    }
-  }
-
-  private static generatePhotoURL (profile: PassportProfile, bigger: boolean): string {
-    let photo: string
-    switch (profile.provider) {
-      case ProviderEnum.facebook:
-        photo = 'https://graph.facebook.com/' + profile.id + '/picture'
-        if (bigger) {
-          photo += '?width=400'
-        } else {
-          photo += '?width=96'
-        }
-        break
-      case ProviderEnum.twitter:
-        photo = 'https://twitter.com/' + profile.username + '/profile_image'
-        if (bigger) {
-          photo += '?size=original'
-        } else {
-          photo += '?size=bigger'
-        }
-        break
-      case ProviderEnum.github:
-        photo = 'https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/' + profile.id
-        if (bigger) {
-          photo += '?s=400'
-        } else {
-          photo += '?s=96'
-        }
-        break
-      case ProviderEnum.gitlab:
-        photo = profile.avatarUrl
-        if (photo) {
-          if (bigger) {
-            photo = photo.replace(/(\?s=)\d*$/i, '$1400')
-          } else {
-            photo = photo.replace(/(\?s=)\d*$/i, '$196')
-          }
-        } else {
-          photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username)
-        }
-        break
-      case ProviderEnum.dropbox:
-        photo = generateAvatarURL('', profile.emails[0], bigger)
-        break
-      case ProviderEnum.google:
-        photo = profile.photos[0].value
-        if (bigger) {
-          photo = photo.replace(/(\?sz=)\d*$/i, '$1400')
-        } else {
-          photo = photo.replace(/(\?sz=)\d*$/i, '$196')
-        }
-        break
-      case ProviderEnum.ldap:
-        photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username, profile.emails[0], bigger)
-        break
-      case ProviderEnum.saml:
-        photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username, profile.emails[0], bigger)
-        break
-      default:
-        photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username)
-        break
-    }
-    return photo
-  }
-}
-
 @Table
 export class User extends Model<User> {
   @PrimaryKey
diff --git a/src/lib/realtime.ts b/src/lib/realtime.ts
index d16e474ee..eb87cd4fa 100644
--- a/src/lib/realtime.ts
+++ b/src/lib/realtime.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { History } from './history'
 import { logger } from './logger'
 import { Author, Note, Revision, User } from './models'
 import { NoteAuthorship } from './models/note'
-import { PhotoProfile } from './models/user'
+import { PhotoProfile } from './utils/PhotoProfile'
 import { EditorSocketIOServer } from './ot/editor-socketio-server'
 import { mapToObject } from './utils'
 
diff --git a/src/lib/utils/PhotoProfile.ts b/src/lib/utils/PhotoProfile.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..85c534dc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/utils/PhotoProfile.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+import { generateAvatarURL } from '../letter-avatars'
+import { logger } from '../logger'
+import { PassportProfile, ProviderEnum } from '../web/auth/utils'
+import { User } from '../models'
+
+export class PhotoProfile {
+  name: string
+  photo: string
+  biggerphoto: string
+
+  static fromUser (user: User): PhotoProfile | null {
+    if (!user) return null
+    if (user.profile) return PhotoProfile.fromJSON(user.profile)
+    if (user.email) return PhotoProfile.fromEmail(user.email)
+    return null
+  }
+
+  private static fromJSON (jsonProfile: string): PhotoProfile | null {
+    try {
+      const parsedProfile: PassportProfile = JSON.parse(jsonProfile)
+      return {
+        name: parsedProfile.displayName || parsedProfile.username,
+        photo: PhotoProfile.generatePhotoURL(parsedProfile, false),
+        biggerphoto: PhotoProfile.generatePhotoURL(parsedProfile, true)
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      logger.error(err)
+      return null
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static fromEmail (email: string): PhotoProfile {
+    return {
+      name: email.substring(0, email.lastIndexOf('@')),
+      photo: generateAvatarURL('', email, false),
+      biggerphoto: generateAvatarURL('', email, true)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static generatePhotoURL (profile: PassportProfile, bigger: boolean): string {
+    let photo: string
+    switch (profile.provider) {
+      case ProviderEnum.facebook:
+        photo = 'https://graph.facebook.com/' + profile.id + '/picture'
+        if (bigger) {
+          photo += '?width=400'
+        } else {
+          photo += '?width=96'
+        }
+        break
+      case ProviderEnum.twitter:
+        photo = 'https://twitter.com/' + profile.username + '/profile_image'
+        if (bigger) {
+          photo += '?size=original'
+        } else {
+          photo += '?size=bigger'
+        }
+        break
+      case ProviderEnum.github:
+        photo = 'https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/' + profile.id
+        if (bigger) {
+          photo += '?s=400'
+        } else {
+          photo += '?s=96'
+        }
+        break
+      case ProviderEnum.gitlab:
+        photo = profile.avatarUrl
+        if (photo) {
+          if (bigger) {
+            photo = photo.replace(/(\?s=)\d*$/i, '$1400')
+          } else {
+            photo = photo.replace(/(\?s=)\d*$/i, '$196')
+          }
+        } else {
+          photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username)
+        }
+        break
+      case ProviderEnum.dropbox:
+        photo = generateAvatarURL('', profile.emails[0], bigger)
+        break
+      case ProviderEnum.google:
+        photo = profile.photos[0].value
+        if (bigger) {
+          photo = photo.replace(/(\?sz=)\d*$/i, '$1400')
+        } else {
+          photo = photo.replace(/(\?sz=)\d*$/i, '$196')
+        }
+        break
+      case ProviderEnum.ldap:
+        photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username, profile.emails[0], bigger)
+        break
+      case ProviderEnum.saml:
+        photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username, profile.emails[0], bigger)
+        break
+      default:
+        photo = generateAvatarURL(profile.username)
+        break
+    }
+    return photo
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/web/note/util.ts b/src/lib/web/note/util.ts
index ca54c1780..ea52f08af 100644
--- a/src/lib/web/note/util.ts
+++ b/src/lib/web/note/util.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { config } from '../../config'
 import { errors } from '../../errors'
 import { logger } from '../../logger'
 import { Note } from '../../models'
-import { PhotoProfile } from '../../models/user'
+import { PhotoProfile } from '../../utils/PhotoProfile'
 
 export function newNote (req, res: Response, body: string | null): void {
   let owner = null
diff --git a/src/lib/web/userRouter.ts b/src/lib/web/userRouter.ts
index 6abb77b62..819573511 100644
--- a/src/lib/web/userRouter.ts
+++ b/src/lib/web/userRouter.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { Note, User } from '../models'
 import { logger } from '../logger'
 import { generateAvatar } from '../letter-avatars'
 import { config } from '../config'
-import { PhotoProfile } from '../models/user'
+import { PhotoProfile } from '../utils/PhotoProfile'
 
 const UserRouter = Router()