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How to Create Website Thumbnails for a Notion Link Directory

Use a Notion Gallery view and choose a page cover, first content block, or Files & Media image for each directory card. A URL alone is not a documented thumbnail source.

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To show thumbnails in a Notion link directory, put the links in a database, switch to a Gallery view, then choose a card preview source under Layout → Card preview. Use a page cover, the page’s first content block, or an image in a Files & media property. A website URL by itself is not one of the documented card-preview sources, so add an image to the source you select.

Set up a gallery for your link directory

  1. Create a database entry for each website. Keep the page title and URL as useful directory fields.
  2. Add a Gallery view. You can create a database as a gallery or add a gallery view to an existing database. See Notion’s Gallery view instructions.
  3. Choose the card preview. Open the view settings and select Layout → Card preview.
  4. Select an image source and add an image to that source for each entry.

Choose where each thumbnail image comes from

Notion’s documented gallery preview choices are images associated with the database page—not automatic extraction from the website URL.

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Preview source Best for What to set up
Page cover Entries that need a deliberate, individually controlled cover Set or upload a cover on each database page, then select Page cover in Card preview.
Page content Pages that already begin with the image or video you want on the card Put that media first in the page, then select Page content.
Files & media property A directory with a dedicated image field alongside URLs, tags, or notes Add or use a Files & media property, populate it with an image, then choose that property as the card preview.

These sources and settings are covered in Notion’s Gallery view help. Notion also notes that you can use Unsplash to find custom page covers without leaving Notion in its gallery guide.

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Make the cards fit your directory

In the gallery layout, use Fit image to choose how the preview sits in the card. When enabled, the whole image fits inside the frame and can be repositioned. When disabled, the image is cropped to fill the frame.

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  • Turn Fit image on when the entire artwork or screenshot must remain visible.
  • Leave it off when a filled card matters more and cropping is acceptable.
  • Use a consistent image source, subject, and framing across entries so the gallery is easier to scan. This is a design recommendation, not a measured performance claim.

Notion documents the fit and crop behavior in its Gallery view help.

Website link previews are not the same as gallery thumbnails

A URL property stores the site address; the Gallery view’s Card preview setting chooses a page cover, the page’s first content block, or an image property. The official gallery instructions do not establish that Notion automatically fetches a website screenshot, Open Graph image, or favicon from the URL for the gallery card. If you want a site-specific thumbnail, create or capture an image and add it to one of the supported preview sources.

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If you need an actual website screenshot

You can capture a site in a browser and upload the resulting image to the chosen Notion source. For a repeatable capture workflow, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server; it can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF captures. Its clean-shot workflow accepts cookie banners and removes known consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Each step can be turned off, and responses identify page verdict and billing status.

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Or skip the browser setup

Make a GET request with the website URL to save a screenshot, then add that image to the Notion page cover or Files & media property. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots, and 1,000 screenshots a month are free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free 1,000 screenshots a month, with no card required.

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Troubleshoot a missing or unexpected thumbnail

  • The card shows no image: Check that the Gallery view’s Card preview points to the source you populated, and that the page actually has an image there.
  • The link is present but no site image appears: The URL alone is not a documented gallery preview source. Add an image as a page cover, the first page content block, or a Files & media property.
  • The wrong image appears: Confirm which source the view uses. For Page content, ensure the intended image or video is the first block; for a Files & media source, confirm the selected property contains the intended file.
  • The image is cropped: Enable Fit image to show the whole image, or reposition it. Disable Fit image if you prefer crop-to-fill.

For other view settings and the gallery’s Files & media preview option, see Notion’s database views, filters, sorts, and groups guide.

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