SharePoint Document Issues

How to Fix SharePoint Image Column Formatting for New Images

Partner Editor Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to fix a SharePoint list where JSON column formatting fails to display newly uploaded images.

How to Fix SharePoint Image Column Formatting for New Images

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Applying custom JSON column formatting to an image column in a SharePoint list or document library.
Observed behavior: Older images display correctly based on the JSON formatting, but newly uploaded images are hidden or fail to render, likely due to different URL formats or storage paths.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Designer permissions to edit column formatting in the SharePoint list, and verify that the newly uploaded images are not corrupted.

Solution 1Recommended

Review JSON formatting and verify image URL paths

Check if the newly uploaded images generate a different URL property that your current JSON code does not support.

SharePoint occasionally updates how it handles image columns, which can result in newly uploaded files being stored in a different location or generating distinct URL formats compared to older files. If your custom JSON formatting relies on an outdated URL pattern, it will fail to render the new images.

Inspect the current JSON code

Navigate to your SharePoint list, click the column header for your image column, select 'Column settings', and then click 'Format this column'. Review the JSON code applied to the column.

Verify the serverRelativeUrl variable

Check if your JSON code relies on the @currentField.serverRelativeUrl property. Temporarily modify the JSON to display this property as text to confirm whether it returns the correct file path for the newly uploaded images.

Consult Microsoft Developer Q&A

Because this involves advanced JSON customization rather than standard out-of-the-box features, post your JSON snippet and findings to the Microsoft Q&A forum using the 'SharePoint Development' tag for specialized developer assistance.

Review JSON formatting and verify image URL paths

Developer Support: The standard Microsoft Community typically handles basic SharePoint Online features. For JSON column customization, the SharePoint developer documentation repository on GitHub or Microsoft Q&A are the correct platforms for support.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do older images show in SharePoint but new ones don't?

This usually happens because newer image uploads in SharePoint might be routed to a different storage location (such as Site Assets) or use a different internal URL structure. If your custom JSON formatting is hardcoded to expect the old structure, it will fail to render the new images.

How do I check the serverRelativeUrl of an image in SharePoint?

You can temporarily change your column formatting to output the text value of `@currentField.serverRelativeUrl` instead of an image tag. This allows you to visually inspect exactly what path SharePoint is returning for both old and new images.

Where can I find official help or templates for SharePoint JSON formatting?

Because JSON column formatting involves developer-level customization, the best place to find support is the Microsoft Q&A forums using the 'SharePoint Development' tag. You can also explore the official Microsoft SharePoint developer documentation repository on GitHub for community-driven templates.

Document & File Issues