Notion Database Cover Image Per Row: How to Set

You want to display a unique cover image for each row in a Notion database, such as a product photo, team member portrait, or project banner. Notion does not provide a built-in per-row cover image field in database views like Gallery or Board. This article explains how to work around this limitation by using a dedicated image property and customizing your database layout to show a distinct image for every entry.

How Notion Database Views Handle Images

Notion databases store data in properties (columns). Each row can have text, numbers, dates, or file attachments. The cover image you see at the top of a full-page database entry is a separate system-level image. This cover is not a property and cannot be set individually for each row in a table or board view. To show a unique image per row, you must use a Files & Media property to attach an image file to each row. Then you configure a Gallery view to use that property as the card cover.

The Gallery view is the only built-in view type that can display a per-row image as the main visual element. Table, Board, List, and Calendar views show images only as small icons or thumbnails within the row. If you need per-row images in those views, you must open each page to see the full image. The method described below focuses on Gallery view because it gives the most useful result.

Steps to Set a Cover Image for Each Database Row

Follow these steps to add a unique cover image to every row in your Notion database using a Gallery view.

1. Open your database and add a Files & Media property
   Open your Notion database page. Click the + button in the last column header of the table. Select Files & Media from the property type list. Name the property, for example “Cover Image” or “Photo.” This property will hold one image file per row.
2. Upload an image to each row
   Click inside the new property cell for a row. Click Upload and select an image file from your computer. You can also paste an image URL or drag and drop an image onto the cell. Repeat this for every row that needs a cover image. Notion supports common image formats: PNG, JPG, GIF, and WebP.
3. Add a Gallery view to your database
   Click the + Add a view button at the top-left of your database. Select Gallery from the view type list. Give the view a name such as “Gallery with Covers” and click Create. The new Gallery view appears as a tab next to your existing views.
4. Set the card preview to show the image property
   In the Gallery view, click the … (More) menu in the top-right corner of the view. Choose Layout from the menu. Under Card preview, select the Files & Media property you created earlier (e.g., “Cover Image”). This tells Notion to display that property’s image as the card cover.
5. Adjust card size and preview order
   In the same Layout panel, set Card size to Medium or Large so the image is prominent. Under Preview order, drag your image property to the top of the list if you have multiple media properties. This ensures the cover image appears first on each card.
6. Customize which properties show on the card
   In the Layout panel, scroll to Card preview and check the box for Show title if you want the row name to appear below the image. You can also add other properties by clicking + Add property under Card preview. This controls what text appears on each card alongside the cover image.

After completing these steps, each row in your Gallery view displays its own cover image. The image is stored in the database as a property, so it appears in Table view as a small thumbnail and can be used in filters and sorts.

Common Issues When Setting Per-Row Cover Images

Gallery view shows no image or a blank card

If a card appears blank, the selected Card preview property may not contain an image. Open the row and check the property cell. The cell must contain an image file, not a link to a page or a text value. If the property is empty, upload an image to that row. Also verify that the property type is Files & Media and not Text or URL.

Image appears stretched or cropped poorly

Notion automatically crops images to fit the card’s aspect ratio. To reduce distortion, use images with a similar aspect ratio, such as 16:9 or 4:3. You cannot manually adjust the crop area inside Notion. If the image is too wide or tall, resize it with an external image editor before uploading.

Per-row images do not appear in Table or Board views

Table, Board, List, and Calendar views show the Files & Media property as a small thumbnail icon or a file name. They do not display a large cover image. This is a view limitation. To see the full image, click the row to open its page, or use the Gallery view exclusively for browsing by image.

Image property cannot be used as a page cover

The system-level cover image at the top of a full-page database entry is separate from the Files & Media property. You cannot automatically set the page cover to match the property image. To set the page cover, open the page, hover over the cover area, click Change cover, and upload or select the same image manually.

Gallery View vs Table View for Per-Row Images

Feature	Gallery View	Table View
Image display	Large card cover for each row	Small thumbnail or file name in cell
Image property required	Yes	Yes
Multiple images per row	Shows only the first image in preview	Lists all files as clickable links
Filter by image existence	Yes	Yes
Sort by image name	No	No

Gallery view is the best choice when you want each row to have a distinct cover image. Table view is better for data-heavy tasks where you need to see all properties at once. You can use both views in the same database by adding multiple view tabs.

You now know how to set a unique cover image for each row in a Notion database by adding a Files & Media property and configuring a Gallery view. To refine your layout further, experiment with the Card size and Preview order settings under the Layout menu. For databases with hundreds of rows, consider using Notion’s Sort feature to order rows by image name or upload date, which helps keep your gallery organized.