diff --git a/src/components/Avatar.tsx b/src/components/Avatar.tsx
index 222790c..4dcffc9 100644
--- a/src/components/Avatar.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Avatar.tsx
@@ -16,13 +16,16 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import classNames from 'classnames';
-import { Group, Room, User } from '../matrix-cypher';
 
-import { getMediaQueryFromMCX } from '../utils/cypher-wrapper';
+import { Group, Room, User } from '../matrix-cypher';
+import useHSs from '../utils/getHS';
+import { getThumbnailURI } from '../utils/cypher-wrapper';
 import logo from '../imgs/chat-icon.svg';
 
 import './Avatar.scss';
 
+const AVATAR_SIZE = 96;
+
 interface IProps {
     className?: string;
     avatarUrl: string;
@@ -56,12 +59,20 @@ interface IPropsUserAvatar {
 export const UserAvatar: React.FC<IPropsUserAvatar> = ({
     user,
     userId,
-}: IPropsUserAvatar) => (
-    <Avatar
-        avatarUrl={getMediaQueryFromMCX(user.avatar_url)}
-        label={user.displayname ? user.displayname : userId}
-    />
-);
+}: IPropsUserAvatar) => {
+    const [hs] = useHSs({ identifier: userId });
+    return (
+        <Avatar
+            avatarUrl={getThumbnailURI(
+                hs,
+                AVATAR_SIZE,
+                AVATAR_SIZE,
+                user.avatar_url
+            )}
+            label={user.displayname ? user.displayname : userId}
+        />
+    );
+};
 
 interface IPropsRoomAvatar {
     room: Room;
@@ -69,24 +80,42 @@ interface IPropsRoomAvatar {
 
 export const RoomAvatar: React.FC<IPropsRoomAvatar> = ({
     room,
-}: IPropsRoomAvatar) => (
-    <Avatar
-        avatarUrl={getMediaQueryFromMCX(room.avatar_url)}
-        label={room.name || room.room_id}
-    />
-);
+}: IPropsRoomAvatar) => {
+    const [hs] = useHSs({ identifier: room.room_id });
+    return (
+        <Avatar
+            avatarUrl={getThumbnailURI(
+                hs,
+                AVATAR_SIZE,
+                AVATAR_SIZE,
+                room.avatar_url
+            )}
+            label={room.name || room.room_id}
+        />
+    );
+};
 
 interface IPropsGroupAvatar {
     group: Group;
+    groupId: string;
 }
 
 export const GroupAvatar: React.FC<IPropsGroupAvatar> = ({
     group,
-}: IPropsGroupAvatar) => (
-    <Avatar
-        avatarUrl={getMediaQueryFromMCX(group.avatar_url)}
-        label={group.name}
-    />
-);
+    groupId,
+}: IPropsGroupAvatar) => {
+    const [hs] = useHSs({ identifier: groupId });
+    return (
+        <Avatar
+            avatarUrl={getThumbnailURI(
+                hs,
+                AVATAR_SIZE,
+                AVATAR_SIZE,
+                group.avatar_url
+            )}
+            label={group.name}
+        />
+    );
+};
 
 export default Avatar;
diff --git a/src/components/GroupPreview.tsx b/src/components/GroupPreview.tsx
index f90ecf2..49a2c22 100644
--- a/src/components/GroupPreview.tsx
+++ b/src/components/GroupPreview.tsx
@@ -23,9 +23,10 @@ import './GroupPreview.scss';
 
 interface IProps {
     group: Group;
+    groupId: string;
 }
 
-const GroupPreview: React.FC<IProps> = ({ group }: IProps) => {
+const GroupPreview: React.FC<IProps> = ({ group, groupId }: IProps) => {
     const description = group.long_description
         ? group.long_description
         : group.short_description
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ const GroupPreview: React.FC<IProps> = ({ group }: IProps) => {
 
     return (
         <div className="groupPreview">
-            <GroupAvatar group={group} />
+            <GroupAvatar group={group} groupId={groupId}/>
             <h1>{group.name}</h1>
             {description ? <p>{description}</p> : null}
         </div>
diff --git a/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx b/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx
index 0372221..d063f81 100644
--- a/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx
+++ b/src/components/LinkPreview.tsx
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ const invite = async ({
             return (
                 <GroupPreview
                     group={await getGroup(clientAddress, link.identifier)}
+                    groupId={link.identifier}
                 />
             );
 
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ const LinkPreview: React.FC<IProps> = ({ link }: IProps) => {
     let content: JSX.Element;
     const [showHSOptions, setShowHSOPtions] = useState(false);
 
-    const hses = useHSs(link);
+    const hses = useHSs({link});
 
     if (!hses.length) {
         content = (
diff --git a/src/components/UserPreview.tsx b/src/components/UserPreview.tsx
index f0928c8..6122977 100644
--- a/src/components/UserPreview.tsx
+++ b/src/components/UserPreview.tsx
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ export const WrappedInviterPreview: React.FC<WrappedInviterProps> = ({
     link,
 }: WrappedInviterProps) => {
     const [user, setUser] = useState<User | undefined>(undefined);
-    const hss = useHSs(link);
+    const hss = useHSs({link});
     useEffect(() => {
         if (hss.length) {
             client(hss[0])
diff --git a/src/matrix-cypher/matrix-cypher.ts b/src/matrix-cypher/matrix-cypher.ts
index c24947a..7697200 100644
--- a/src/matrix-cypher/matrix-cypher.ts
+++ b/src/matrix-cypher/matrix-cypher.ts
@@ -182,6 +182,21 @@ export async function getGroupDetails(
         .then(GroupSchema.parse);
 }
 
+export function getThumbnailURI(
+  clientURL: string,
+  mxcId: string,
+  height: number,
+  width: number,
+): string {
+    const mxcParse = mxcId.match(/mxc:\/\/(?<server>.+)\/(?<mediaId>.+)/);
+    if (!mxcParse || !mxcParse.groups) {
+      throw new Error(`mxc invalid. mxc: ${mxcId}`); 
+    }
+    // eslint-disable-next-line max-len
+    return `https://${clientURL}/_matrix/media/r0/thumbnail/${mxcParse.groups.server}/${mxcParse.groups.mediaId}?height=${height}&width=${width}&method=crop`;
+}
+
+
 /*
  * Gets an mxc resource
  */
diff --git a/src/utils/cypher-wrapper.ts b/src/utils/cypher-wrapper.ts
index 0e30ba0..4fb939f 100644
--- a/src/utils/cypher-wrapper.ts
+++ b/src/utils/cypher-wrapper.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import {
     getUserDetails,
     convertMXCtoMediaQuery,
     getGroupDetails,
+    getThumbnailURI as cypherGetThumbnailURI,
 } from '../matrix-cypher';
 import { LinkKind, Permalink } from '../parser/types';
 
@@ -177,6 +178,24 @@ export function getMediaQueryFromMCX(mxc?: string): string {
     }
 }
 
+export function getThumbnailURI(
+  clientURL: string,
+  height: number,
+  width: number,
+  mxcId?: string,
+): string {
+  if (!mxcId) {
+    return '';
+  }
+
+  try {
+    return cypherGetThumbnailURI(clientURL, mxcId, height, width);
+  } catch (e){
+    console.error(e);
+    return '';
+  }
+}
+
 export async function getGroup(
     clientURL: string,
     groupId: string
diff --git a/src/utils/getHS.ts b/src/utils/getHS.ts
index b8239da..237ef4f 100644
--- a/src/utils/getHS.ts
+++ b/src/utils/getHS.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,34 @@ import HSContext, {
 } from '../contexts/HSContext';
 import { SafeLink } from '../parser/types';
 
-function selectedClient(link: SafeLink, hsOptions: State): string[] {
+function selectedClient({ link, identifier, hsOptions }: {
+  link?: SafeLink,
+  identifier?: string;
+  hsOptions: State
+}): string[] {
+    const linkHSs = link ? [
+        ...link.identifier
+            .split('/')
+            .map((i) => 'https://' + i.split(':')[1]),
+        ...link.arguments.vias,
+    ] : [];
+    const identifierHS: string[] = [];
+
+    try {
+      if (identifier) {
+        const match = identifier.match(/^.*:(?<server>.*)$/);
+        if (match && match.groups) {
+          const server = match.groups.server;
+          if (server) {
+            identifierHS.push(server);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.error(`Could parse user identifier: ${identifier}`);
+      console.error(e);
+    }
+
     switch (hsOptions.option) {
         case HSOptions.Unset:
             return [];
@@ -30,22 +57,31 @@ function selectedClient(link: SafeLink, hsOptions: State): string[] {
             return [hsOptions.hs];
         case HSOptions.Any:
             return [
-                ...link.identifier
-                    .split('/')
-                    .map((i) => 'https://' + i.split(':')[1]),
-                ...link.arguments.vias,
+              ...linkHSs,
+              ...identifierHS,
             ];
     }
 }
 
-export default function useHSs(link: SafeLink): string[] {
+export default function useHSs({ link, identifier }: {
+  link?: SafeLink,
+  identifier?: string,
+}): string[] {
     const [HSState] = useContext(HSContext);
     const [TempHSState] = useContext(TempHSContext);
 
     if (HSState.option !== HSOptions.Unset) {
-        return selectedClient(link, HSState);
+        return selectedClient({
+          link, 
+          identifier,
+          hsOptions: HSState
+        });
     } else if (TempHSState.option !== HSOptions.Unset) {
-        return selectedClient(link, TempHSState);
+        return selectedClient({
+          link,
+          identifier,
+          hsOptions: TempHSState
+        });
     } else {
         return [];
     }