SharePoint Document Issues

How to Hide Empty Image Previews in Microsoft Lists Gallery View

Nimra Malik Oct 15, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are looking for a way to hide the empty preview boxes that appear when an item does not have an image in the Gallery View.

How to Hide Empty Image Previews in Microsoft Lists Gallery View

Product: Microsoft Lists
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Displaying list items in Gallery View with an active image column, where some items lack uploaded images.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Lists displays a blank or empty preview box on the card for items without an image, cluttering the visual layout. There is no standard conditional setting to hide it.

Before you start

Ensure you have 'Edit' or 'Design' permissions for the Microsoft List or SharePoint site to modify the view settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Apply Custom JSON Formatting to the View

Since there is no default toggle, advanced users can use SharePoint's JSON view formatting to conditionally hide the image element when it is empty.

While standard sorting, filtering, and calculated columns cannot hide the empty image preview, you can override the default Gallery card structure using 'Advanced mode' in the view formatter.

Access View Formatting

Open your Microsoft List, click on the view name in the top right corner, and select 'Format current view' from the dropdown.

Enable Advanced Mode

At the bottom of the format pane, click on 'Advanced mode' to reveal the JSON code that defines how the Gallery cards are rendered.

Add Conditional Display Logic

Locate the block of code responsible for the image thumbnail. Add a conditional display style that checks the image column's value. For example, add a style property: "display": "=if([$YourImageColumnName] == '', 'none', 'block')". Replace 'YourImageColumnName' with the internal name of your image column.

Save and Apply

Click the 'Preview' button to ensure the empty boxes disappear, then click 'Save' to apply the changes to the view.

Apply Custom JSON Formatting to the View

Knowledge Requirement: Using JSON formatting requires a basic understanding of SharePoint's list column internal names and view schema.

Solution 2

Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft

If custom JSON formatting is not an option in your environment, submit feedback to Microsoft to encourage the development of an out-of-the-box setting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use calculated columns to hide the empty image preview?

No, standard SharePoint calculated columns do not support modifying the structural layout of a Gallery View card to hide the empty image preview block.

Why does Gallery View show a blank box when an image is missing?

By default, Gallery View allocates a fixed amount of space for the configured image column to keep the card sizes uniform. If no image is uploaded, it displays a blank placeholder space to maintain that uniformity.

Is it possible to conditionally hide an entire card if the image is missing?

Yes, you can filter the entire view. Click the column header for your image column, select 'Filter by', and choose to exclude empty or blank values. This will hide the entire item card, not just the empty image box.

Does this issue apply to standard SharePoint Document Libraries as well?

Yes, standard SharePoint Document Libraries utilizing Gallery View behave similarly. If a thumbnail or preview image is unavailable, the view will typically display a generic file icon or a blank preview space.

Document & File Issues