diff --git a/public/locales/en.json b/public/locales/en.json
index d4920808..3f5a2d9a 100644
--- a/public/locales/en.json
+++ b/public/locales/en.json
@@ -426,6 +426,7 @@
   "Room": {
     "drag_to_close": "Drag up to close",
     "collapse_avatar": "Collapse avatar",
+    "expand_avatar": "Open avatar",
     "new_messages": "New Messages",
     "jump_to_unread": "Jump to Unread",
     "mark_as_read": "Mark as Read",
diff --git a/public/locales/ru.json b/public/locales/ru.json
index d626802a..3939bd0b 100644
--- a/public/locales/ru.json
+++ b/public/locales/ru.json
@@ -428,6 +428,7 @@
   "Room": {
     "drag_to_close": "Потянуть вверх чтобы закрыть",
     "collapse_avatar": "Свернуть аватар",
+    "expand_avatar": "Развернуть аватар",
     "new_messages": "Новые сообщения",
     "jump_to_unread": "К непрочитанным",
     "mark_as_read": "Отметить прочитанным",
diff --git a/src/app/components/user-profile/UserHero.tsx b/src/app/components/user-profile/UserHero.tsx
index f10d1f73..899ecd1e 100644
--- a/src/app/components/user-profile/UserHero.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/user-profile/UserHero.tsx
@@ -75,6 +75,12 @@ type UserHeroProps = {
   presence?: UserPresence;
   encrypted?: boolean;
   onAvatarClick?: () => void;
+  // Desktop side-pane only. When true the avatar stretches to fill
+  // the card width as a square; the rest of the hero (name / presence
+  // / e2ee chip) stays in flow below. The online dot is suppressed in
+  // this mode — it makes no sense as a tiny corner glyph on a
+  // ~340px avatar tile.
+  avatarExpanded?: boolean;
 };
 
 export function UserHero({
@@ -84,6 +90,7 @@ export function UserHero({
   presence,
   encrypted,
   onAvatarClick,
+  avatarExpanded,
 }: UserHeroProps) {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   const username = getMxIdLocalPart(userId);
@@ -124,7 +131,10 @@ export function UserHero({
   const fallbackBg = `linear-gradient(135deg, ${fallbackColor}, ${shadeHex(fallbackColor, -22)})`;
 
   const avatarNode = (
-    <span className={css.HeroAvatar} aria-hidden={onAvatarClick ? undefined : true}>
+    <span
+      className={classNames(css.HeroAvatar, avatarExpanded && css.HeroAvatarExpanded)}
+      aria-hidden={onAvatarClick ? undefined : true}
+    >
       <UserAvatar
         userId={userId}
         src={avatarUrl}
@@ -135,7 +145,7 @@ export function UserHero({
           </span>
         )}
       />
-      {online && <span className={css.HeroOnlineDot} aria-hidden />}
+      {online && !avatarExpanded && <span className={css.HeroOnlineDot} aria-hidden />}
     </span>
   );
 
@@ -145,8 +155,14 @@ export function UserHero({
         <button
           type="button"
           onClick={onAvatarClick}
-          className={css.HeroAvatarButton}
-          aria-label={t('Room.expand_avatar', { defaultValue: 'Open avatar' })}
+          className={classNames(
+            css.HeroAvatarButton,
+            avatarExpanded && css.HeroAvatarButtonExpanded
+          )}
+          aria-label={t(
+            avatarExpanded ? 'Room.collapse_avatar' : 'Room.expand_avatar',
+            { defaultValue: avatarExpanded ? 'Close avatar' : 'Open avatar' }
+          )}
         >
           {avatarNode}
         </button>
diff --git a/src/app/components/user-profile/UserRoomProfile.tsx b/src/app/components/user-profile/UserRoomProfile.tsx
index 1fff848d..02a95ca0 100644
--- a/src/app/components/user-profile/UserRoomProfile.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/user-profile/UserRoomProfile.tsx
@@ -45,9 +45,19 @@ import * as css from './styles.css';
 type UserRoomProfileProps = {
   userId: string;
   onAvatarClick?: () => void;
+  // Desktop side-pane only — forwarded straight to `UserHero` so the
+  // hero avatar can render in its inline-expanded mode while the
+  // rest of the card stays in flow. Mobile leaves this `undefined`
+  // and keeps using the full-rail avatar swap inside
+  // `RoomViewProfilePanel`.
+  avatarExpanded?: boolean;
 };
 
-export function UserRoomProfile({ userId, onAvatarClick }: UserRoomProfileProps) {
+export function UserRoomProfile({
+  userId,
+  onAvatarClick,
+  avatarExpanded,
+}: UserRoomProfileProps) {
   const mx = useMatrixClient();
   const useAuthentication = useMediaAuthentication();
   const navigate = useNavigate();
@@ -137,6 +147,7 @@ export function UserRoomProfile({ userId, onAvatarClick }: UserRoomProfileProps)
         presence={presence}
         encrypted={encrypted}
         onAvatarClick={onAvatarClick}
+        avatarExpanded={avatarExpanded}
       />
 
       <div className={css.InfoSection}>
diff --git a/src/app/components/user-profile/styles.css.ts b/src/app/components/user-profile/styles.css.ts
index 1b74ccc2..3d74b481 100644
--- a/src/app/components/user-profile/styles.css.ts
+++ b/src/app/components/user-profile/styles.css.ts
@@ -86,6 +86,29 @@ export const HeroAvatarButton = style({
   cursor: 'pointer',
 });
 
+// Desktop side-pane expanded avatar. Clicking the small hero avatar
+// in the right-side profile pane flips this on: the wrapper
+// stretches to the card width, squares up via `aspect-ratio` so the
+// server-side 1:1 avatar shows full-bleed without cropping, and the
+// rest of the card stays in flow below. Replaces the legacy full-pane
+// avatar swap which hid the name / presence / info rows entirely.
+// `border-radius: !important` is mandatory: the global override in
+// `components/user-avatar/UserAvatar.css.ts` uses `!important` to
+// force every avatar parent to 50%, so without matching specificity
+// the expanded square would render as a huge circle.
+export const HeroAvatarExpanded = style({
+  width: '100%',
+  height: 'auto',
+  aspectRatio: '1 / 1',
+  borderRadius: `${toRem(16)} !important`,
+  boxShadow: 'none',
+});
+
+export const HeroAvatarButtonExpanded = style({
+  display: 'flex',
+  width: '100%',
+});
+
 export const HeroIdentity = style({
   width: '100%',
 });
diff --git a/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.css.ts b/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.css.ts
index 33a79bfc..96c6578f 100644
--- a/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.css.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.css.ts
@@ -39,32 +39,3 @@ export const scrollWrap = style({
   },
 });
 
-export const avatarFullView = style({
-  flex: 1,
-  minHeight: 0,
-  display: 'flex',
-  alignItems: 'center',
-  justifyContent: 'center',
-  cursor: 'pointer',
-  background: 'transparent',
-  border: 'none',
-  padding: 0,
-});
-
-export const avatarFullImage = style({
-  width: '100%',
-  height: '100%',
-  objectFit: 'cover',
-});
-
-export const avatarFullFallback = style({
-  width: '100%',
-  height: '100%',
-  display: 'flex',
-  alignItems: 'center',
-  justifyContent: 'center',
-  fontSize: toRem(96),
-  fontWeight: 600,
-  color: color.Surface.Container,
-  textTransform: 'uppercase',
-});
diff --git a/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.tsx b/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.tsx
index ea8adca8..59e0c536 100644
--- a/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/room/RoomViewProfileSidePanel.tsx
@@ -14,13 +14,8 @@ import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 import { userRoomProfileAtom } from '../../state/userRoomProfile';
 import { useCloseUserRoomProfile } from '../../state/hooks/userRoomProfile';
 import { useRoom } from '../../hooks/useRoom';
-import { useMatrixClient } from '../../hooks/useMatrixClient';
-import { useMediaAuthentication } from '../../hooks/useMediaAuthentication';
-import { getMemberAvatarMxc } from '../../utils/room';
-import { getMxIdLocalPart, mxcUrlToHttp } from '../../utils/matrix';
 import { UserRoomProfile } from '../../components/user-profile/UserRoomProfile';
 import { stopPropagation } from '../../utils/keyboard';
-import colorMXID from '../../../util/colorMXID';
 import { PageHeader } from '../../components/page';
 import { ContainerColor } from '../../styles/ContainerColor.css';
 import * as css from './RoomViewProfileSidePanel.css';
@@ -30,11 +25,16 @@ export function RoomViewProfileSidePanel() {
   const profileState = useAtomValue(userRoomProfileAtom);
   const close = useCloseUserRoomProfile();
   const room = useRoom();
-  const mx = useMatrixClient();
-  const useAuthentication = useMediaAuthentication();
 
   const open = !!profileState;
-  const [avatarMode, setAvatarMode] = useState(false);
+  // Inline avatar-expanded mode: the hero avatar stretches to fill
+  // the card width as a square, pushing the rest of the card down in
+  // the scroll container. Replaces the legacy full-pane image swap
+  // which hid the name / presence / info rows. Mobile keeps the
+  // full-rail swap inside `RoomViewProfilePanel` — the rail there is
+  // short enough that pushing content down would just create a
+  // scroll well.
+  const [avatarExpanded, setAvatarExpanded] = useState(false);
 
   // Close profile when the room changes — atom is global state and
   // would otherwise carry the previous room's userId into this room
@@ -44,20 +44,13 @@ export function RoomViewProfileSidePanel() {
 
   // Reset avatar-zoom mode whenever the rendered user changes.
   useEffect(() => {
-    setAvatarMode(false);
+    setAvatarExpanded(false);
   }, [profileState?.userId]);
 
   const profileStateRef = useRef(profileState);
   profileStateRef.current = profileState;
 
   const renderUserId = profileState?.userId;
-  const renderUserAvatarMxc = renderUserId
-    ? getMemberAvatarMxc(room, renderUserId)
-    : undefined;
-  const renderUserAvatarUrl =
-    (renderUserAvatarMxc &&
-      mxcUrlToHttp(mx, renderUserAvatarMxc, useAuthentication, 720, 720, 'scale')) ??
-    undefined;
 
   if (!open || !renderUserId) return null;
 
@@ -96,39 +89,15 @@ export function RoomViewProfileSidePanel() {
           </Box>
         </PageHeader>
 
-        {avatarMode ? (
-          <button
-            type="button"
-            className={css.avatarFullView}
-            onClick={() => setAvatarMode(false)}
-            aria-label={t('Room.collapse_avatar')}
-          >
-            {renderUserAvatarUrl ? (
-              <img
-                className={css.avatarFullImage}
-                src={renderUserAvatarUrl}
-                alt={renderUserId}
-                draggable={false}
-              />
-            ) : (
-              <div
-                className={css.avatarFullFallback}
-                style={{ backgroundColor: colorMXID(renderUserId) }}
-              >
-                {getMxIdLocalPart(renderUserId)?.[0] ?? '?'}
-              </div>
-            )}
-          </button>
-        ) : (
-          <div className={css.scrollWrap}>
-            <div style={{ padding: config.space.S400 }}>
-              <UserRoomProfile
-                userId={renderUserId}
-                onAvatarClick={() => setAvatarMode(true)}
-              />
-            </div>
+        <div className={css.scrollWrap}>
+          <div style={{ padding: config.space.S400 }}>
+            <UserRoomProfile
+              userId={renderUserId}
+              onAvatarClick={() => setAvatarExpanded((prev) => !prev)}
+              avatarExpanded={avatarExpanded}
+            />
           </div>
-        )}
+        </div>
       </div>
     </FocusTrap>
   );