Power BI Card Visual Image Issues After November 2025 Update

What Happened

During the preview period, the new card visual handled images one way. When Microsoft released the GA (Generally Available) version in November 2025, the image handling changed significantly:

• Default image sizes increased dramatically
• Image settings moved to a different location in the Format pane
• New "Hero Image" option was added, causing confusion
• Layout proportions shifted

Where Image Settings Moved

The most confusing part: the settings you need aren't where they used to be. Image controls moved from being a top-level option to being nested under Callout.

Understanding the Two Image Types

The new card visual now has two different image settings. This is the source of most confusion:

For KPI cards with icons, you want the Callout Image. The top-level "Image" setting creates a large hero image, which is probably not what you want for a typical metric card.

Fix 1: Control Image Size and Fit

Once you find the Callout → Image settings, here's what to adjust:

Fix 2: Adjust Callout Size %

If your card uses a reference label (showing change vs. prior period), the default 50/50 split between callout and reference often looks wrong. Adjust the ratio:

Fix 3: Remove Reference Label Background

The new default adds a gray background behind reference labels. Most designs look cleaner without it:

Fix 4: Reduce Default Padding

The new card visual adds more padding by default, which can make cards feel cramped. Reducing padding gives your content more room to breathe:

Bulk Fix with Theme JSON

If you have many card visuals to fix, you can apply some of these settings via a theme file. This won't fix everything, but it handles padding and background transparency:

{
  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/powerbi-desktop-samples/main/Report%20Theme%20JSON%20Schema/reportThemeSchema-2.149.json",
  "name": "CardVisualFix",
  "visualStyles": {
    "cardVisual": {
      "*": {
        "*": [{
            "$id": "default",
            "paddingUniform": 0,
            "backgroundTransparency": 100
        }]
      }
    }
  }
}