diff --git a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.css.tsx b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.css.tsx
index 3192dc49b6..8ec366eec7 100644
--- a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.css.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.css.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ export const UrlPreview = style([
   DefaultReset,
   {
     width: toRem(400),
-    minHeight: toRem(102),
+    display: 'flex',
+    flexDirection: 'column',
     backgroundColor: color.SurfaceVariant.Container,
     color: color.SurfaceVariant.OnContainer,
     border: `${config.borderWidth.B300} solid ${color.SurfaceVariant.ContainerLine}`,
@@ -18,11 +19,23 @@ export const UrlPreviewImg = style([
   DefaultReset,
   {
     width: toRem(100),
-    height: toRem(100),
+    minHeight: toRem(100),
+    height: '100%',
     objectFit: 'cover',
     objectPosition: 'center',
     flexShrink: 0,
-    overflow: 'hidden',
+    cursor: 'pointer',
+  },
+]);
+
+export const UrlPreviewHeroImg = style([
+  DefaultReset,
+  {
+    width: '100%',
+    maxHeight: toRem(300),
+    objectFit: 'contain',
+    backgroundColor: '#000',
+    cursor: 'pointer',
   },
 ]);
 
@@ -30,9 +43,16 @@ export const UrlPreviewContent = style([
   DefaultReset,
   {
     padding: config.space.S200,
+    flexGrow: 1,
   },
 ]);
 
+export const UrlPreviewCardRow = style({
+  display: 'flex',
+  flexDirection: 'row',
+  alignItems: 'stretch',
+});
+
 export const UrlPreviewDescription = style([
   DefaultReset,
   {
diff --git a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.tsx b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.tsx
index 4ba3e4e224..9711ac8232 100644
--- a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreview.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ export const UrlPreviewImg = as<'img'>(({ className, alt, ...props }, ref) => (
   <img className={classNames(css.UrlPreviewImg, className)} alt={alt} {...props} ref={ref} />
 ));
 
+export const UrlPreviewHeroImg = as<'img'>(({ className, alt, ...props }, ref) => (
+  <img className={classNames(css.UrlPreviewHeroImg, className)} alt={alt} {...props} ref={ref} />
+));
+
 export const UrlPreviewContent = as<'div'>(({ className, ...props }, ref) => (
   <Box
     grow="Yes"
diff --git a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.css.tsx b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.css.tsx
index ff711549e8..8499c5fefc 100644
--- a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.css.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.css.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { recipe } from '@vanilla-extract/recipes';
+import { style } from '@vanilla-extract/css';
 import { DefaultReset, color, toRem } from 'folds';
 
 export const UrlPreviewHolderGradient = recipe({
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ export const UrlPreviewHolderGradient = recipe({
     },
   },
 });
+
 export const UrlPreviewHolderBtn = recipe({
   base: [
     DefaultReset,
@@ -45,3 +47,17 @@ export const UrlPreviewHolderBtn = recipe({
     },
   },
 });
+
+export const UrlPreviewModal = style([
+  DefaultReset,
+  {
+    width: '90vw',
+    height: '85vh',
+    maxWidth: toRem(1200),
+    maxHeight: toRem(1000),
+    display: 'flex',
+    flexDirection: 'column',
+    overflow: 'hidden',
+    backgroundColor: color.Background.Container,
+  },
+]);
diff --git a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.tsx b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.tsx
index 2a51969a61..d12c268a1f 100644
--- a/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/url-preview/UrlPreviewCard.tsx
@@ -1,17 +1,42 @@
 import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { IPreviewUrlResponse } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
-import { Box, Icon, IconButton, Icons, Scroll, Spinner, Text, as, color, config } from 'folds';
+import {
+  Box,
+  Icon,
+  IconButton,
+  Icons,
+  Modal,
+  Overlay,
+  OverlayBackdrop,
+  OverlayCenter,
+  Scroll,
+  Spinner,
+  Text,
+  as,
+  color,
+  config,
+} from 'folds';
+import FocusTrap from 'focus-trap-react';
 import { AsyncStatus, useAsyncCallback } from '../../hooks/useAsyncCallback';
 import { useMatrixClient } from '../../hooks/useMatrixClient';
-import { UrlPreview, UrlPreviewContent, UrlPreviewDescription, UrlPreviewImg } from './UrlPreview';
+import {
+  UrlPreview,
+  UrlPreviewContent,
+  UrlPreviewDescription,
+  UrlPreviewHeroImg,
+  UrlPreviewImg,
+} from './UrlPreview';
 import {
   getIntersectionObserverEntry,
   useIntersectionObserver,
 } from '../../hooks/useIntersectionObserver';
 import * as css from './UrlPreviewCard.css';
+import * as baseCss from './UrlPreview.css';
 import { tryDecodeURIComponent } from '../../utils/dom';
 import { mxcUrlToHttp } from '../../utils/matrix';
 import { useMediaAuthentication } from '../../hooks/useMediaAuthentication';
+import { ImageViewer } from '../image-viewer';
+import { stopPropagation } from '../../utils/keyboard';
 
 const linkStyles = { color: color.Success.Main };
 
@@ -19,6 +44,8 @@ export const UrlPreviewCard = as<'div', { url: string; ts: number }>(
   ({ url, ts, ...props }, ref) => {
     const mx = useMatrixClient();
     const useAuthentication = useMediaAuthentication();
+    const [viewImage, setViewImage] = useState<string | null>(null);
+
     const [previewStatus, loadPreview] = useAsyncCallback(
       useCallback(() => mx.getUrlPreview(url, ts), [url, ts, mx])
     );
@@ -31,10 +58,53 @@ export const UrlPreviewCard = as<'div', { url: string; ts: number }>(
 
     const renderContent = (prev: IPreviewUrlResponse) => {
       const imgUrl = mxcUrlToHttp(mx, prev['og:image'] || '', useAuthentication, 256, 256, 'scale', false);
+      const rawImgUrl = prev['og:image'] ? mxcUrlToHttp(mx, prev['og:image'], useAuthentication) : null;
+
+      const title = prev['og:title'];
+      const description = prev['og:description'];
+      const siteName = prev['og:site_name'];
+
+      const isHeroImage =
+        rawImgUrl &&
+        (prev['og:type']?.startsWith('image') || !description || title === url);
+
+      if (isHeroImage) {
+        return (
+          <>
+            <UrlPreviewHeroImg
+              src={rawImgUrl ?? ''}
+              alt={title}
+              title={title}
+              onClick={() => setViewImage(rawImgUrl)}
+            />
+            <UrlPreviewContent>
+              <Text
+                style={linkStyles}
+                truncate
+                as="a"
+                href={url}
+                target="_blank"
+                rel="no-referrer"
+                size="T200"
+                priority="300"
+              >
+                {tryDecodeURIComponent(url)}
+              </Text>
+            </UrlPreviewContent>
+          </>
+        );
+      }
 
       return (
-        <>
-          {imgUrl && <UrlPreviewImg src={imgUrl} alt={prev['og:title']} title={prev['og:title']} />}
+        <div className={baseCss.UrlPreviewCardRow}>
+          {imgUrl && (
+            <UrlPreviewImg
+              src={imgUrl}
+              alt={title}
+              title={title}
+              onClick={() => setViewImage(rawImgUrl || imgUrl)}
+            />
+          )}
           <UrlPreviewContent>
             <Text
               style={linkStyles}
@@ -46,30 +116,58 @@ export const UrlPreviewCard = as<'div', { url: string; ts: number }>(
               size="T200"
               priority="300"
             >
-              {typeof prev['og:site_name'] === 'string' && `${prev['og:site_name']} | `}
+              {typeof siteName === 'string' && `${siteName} | `}
               {tryDecodeURIComponent(url)}
             </Text>
             <Text truncate priority="400">
-              <b>{prev['og:title']}</b>
+              <b>{title}</b>
             </Text>
             <Text size="T200" priority="300">
-              <UrlPreviewDescription>{prev['og:description']}</UrlPreviewDescription>
+              <UrlPreviewDescription>{description}</UrlPreviewDescription>
             </Text>
           </UrlPreviewContent>
-        </>
+        </div>
       );
     };
 
     return (
-      <UrlPreview {...props} ref={ref}>
-        {previewStatus.status === AsyncStatus.Success ? (
-          renderContent(previewStatus.data)
-        ) : (
-          <Box grow="Yes" alignItems="Center" justifyContent="Center">
-            <Spinner variant="Secondary" size="400" />
-          </Box>
+      <>
+        <UrlPreview {...props} ref={ref}>
+          {previewStatus.status === AsyncStatus.Success ? (
+            renderContent(previewStatus.data)
+          ) : (
+            <Box grow="Yes" alignItems="Center" justifyContent="Center" style={{ minHeight: '102px' }}>
+              <Spinner variant="Secondary" size="400" />
+            </Box>
+          )}
+        </UrlPreview>
+
+        {viewImage && (
+          <Overlay open backdrop={<OverlayBackdrop />}>
+            <OverlayCenter>
+              <FocusTrap
+                focusTrapOptions={{
+                  initialFocus: false,
+                  onDeactivate: () => setViewImage(null),
+                  clickOutsideDeactivates: true,
+                  escapeDeactivates: stopPropagation,
+                }}
+              >
+                <Modal
+                  className={css.UrlPreviewModal}
+                  onContextMenu={(evt: React.MouseEvent) => evt.stopPropagation()}
+                >
+                  <ImageViewer
+                    src={viewImage}
+                    alt="Image Preview"
+                    requestClose={() => setViewImage(null)}
+                  />
+                </Modal>
+              </FocusTrap>
+            </OverlayCenter>
+          </Overlay>
         )}
-      </UrlPreview>
+      </>
     );
   }
 );