diff --git a/src/components/comment-media/__tests__/comment-media.test.tsx b/src/components/comment-media/__tests__/comment-media.test.tsx
index d5407c05..8ebcd1b2 100644
--- a/src/components/comment-media/__tests__/comment-media.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/comment-media/__tests__/comment-media.test.tsx
@@ -128,6 +128,29 @@ describe('CommentMedia', () => {
     expect(container.textContent).toContain('640x480');
   });
 
+  it('marks expanded reply images so virtualized feed rows use live height', async () => {
+    await renderMedia({
+      commentMediaInfo: {
+        linkHeight: 300,
+        linkWidth: 600,
+        type: 'image',
+        url: 'https://cdn.example.com/reply-image.jpg',
+      },
+      parentCid: 'parent-cid',
+      setShowThumbnail: setShowThumbnailMock,
+      showThumbnail: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-expanded-media="true"]')).toBeNull();
+
+    const image = container.querySelector('img[src="https://cdn.example.com/reply-image.jpg"]');
+    await act(async () => {
+      image?.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent('click', { bubbles: true }));
+    });
+
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-expanded-media="true"]')).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
   it('falls back to the deleted-file placeholder when an image fails to load', async () => {
     await renderMedia({
       commentMediaInfo: {
diff --git a/src/components/comment-media/comment-media.tsx b/src/components/comment-media/comment-media.tsx
index 490ecf1d..4f1bc0c3 100644
--- a/src/components/comment-media/comment-media.tsx
+++ b/src/components/comment-media/comment-media.tsx
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ const Media = ({ commentMediaInfo, disableToggle, isReply, setShowThumbnail }: M
   const mediaDimensions = getMediaDimensions(commentMediaInfo);
 
   return (
-    <span className={mediaClass}>
+    <span className={mediaClass} data-expanded-media='true'>
       {type === 'iframe' && url ? (
         <Embed url={url} />
       ) : type === 'gif' ? (
@@ -307,6 +307,8 @@ const Image = ({ commentMediaInfo, disableToggle = false, displayHeight, display
   }`;
   const thumbnailSmallPadding = isMobile ? styles.thumbnailMobile : styles.thumbnailReplyDesktop;
   const thumbnailDimensions = { '--width': displayWidth, '--height': displayHeight } as React.CSSProperties;
+  const expandedMediaAttribute = isImageExpanded ? 'true' : undefined;
+  const imageMediaStyle = isImageExpanded ? undefined : thumbnailDimensions;
 
   const [hasError, setHasError] = useState(false);
   const handleError = () => setHasError(true);
@@ -340,7 +342,8 @@ const Image = ({ commentMediaInfo, disableToggle = false, displayHeight, display
     <span className={`${styles.thumbnail} ${isImageExpanded && isMobile ? styles.removeFloat : ''}`}>
       <span
         className={isImageExpanded ? mediaClass : `${isOutOfFeed ? styles.communityAvatar : styles.thumbnailSmall} ${thumbnailSmallPadding}`}
-        style={isImageExpanded ? {} : thumbnailDimensions}
+        data-expanded-media={expandedMediaAttribute}
+        style={imageMediaStyle}
       >
         {hasError ? (
           <img src='assets/filedeleted-res.gif' alt='File deleted' />
@@ -379,7 +382,8 @@ const Image = ({ commentMediaInfo, disableToggle = false, displayHeight, display
   ) : (
     <span
       className={isImageExpanded ? mediaClass : `${isOutOfFeed ? styles.communityAvatar : styles.thumbnailBig} ${styles.thumbnail}`}
-      style={isImageExpanded ? {} : thumbnailDimensions}
+      data-expanded-media={expandedMediaAttribute}
+      style={imageMediaStyle}
     >
       {hasError ? (
         <img src='assets/filedeleted-res.gif' alt='File deleted' />
diff --git a/src/lib/utils/__tests__/pretext-height-estimates.test.ts b/src/lib/utils/__tests__/pretext-height-estimates.test.ts
index 03c5f6f3..076d2e46 100644
--- a/src/lib/utils/__tests__/pretext-height-estimates.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/utils/__tests__/pretext-height-estimates.test.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   resolveFeedVirtualizationMode,
   resolveReplyVirtualizationMode,
 } from '../pretext-height-estimates';
+import { EXPANDED_MEDIA_DATA_ATTRIBUTE } from '../measurement-attributes';
 
 describe('pretext-height-estimates', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -81,6 +82,18 @@ describe('pretext-height-estimates', () => {
     expect(getReplyItemSizeFromElement(element, 'offsetHeight')).toBe(222);
   });
 
+  it('uses live DOM height when expanded media is inside an estimated item', () => {
+    const element = document.createElement('div');
+    const child = document.createElement('div');
+
+    Object.defineProperty(element, 'offsetHeight', { configurable: true, value: 421 });
+    element.dataset.pretextHeight = '123';
+    child.setAttribute(EXPANDED_MEDIA_DATA_ATTRIBUTE, 'true');
+    element.appendChild(child);
+
+    expect(getReplyItemSizeFromElement(element, 'offsetHeight')).toBe(421);
+  });
+
   it('adds desktop board-label height for multiboard text posts without media', () => {
     const metrics = {
       abbrFontSizePx: 13,
diff --git a/src/lib/utils/measurement-attributes.ts b/src/lib/utils/measurement-attributes.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a4d3c344
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/utils/measurement-attributes.ts
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export const EXPANDED_MEDIA_DATA_ATTRIBUTE = 'data-expanded-media';
diff --git a/src/lib/utils/pretext-height-estimates.ts b/src/lib/utils/pretext-height-estimates.ts
index 43e72212..35c1efbb 100644
--- a/src/lib/utils/pretext-height-estimates.ts
+++ b/src/lib/utils/pretext-height-estimates.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type { Comment } from '@bitsocial/bitsocial-react-hooks';
 import { layout, layoutNextLine, prepare, prepareWithSegments } from '@chenglou/pretext';
 import { getCommentMediaInfo, getHasThumbnail } from './media-utils';
+import { EXPANDED_MEDIA_DATA_ATTRIBUTE } from './measurement-attributes';
 import { removeMarkdown } from './post-utils';
 import { getRenderableMobileBacklinks } from './reply-backlink-utils';
 
@@ -839,6 +840,10 @@ export const getPretextItemSizeFromElement = (element: HTMLElement, field: 'offs
     return element.offsetWidth;
   }
 
+  if (element.dataset.expandedMedia === 'true' || element.querySelector(`[${EXPANDED_MEDIA_DATA_ATTRIBUTE}="true"]`)) {
+    return element.offsetHeight;
+  }
+
   const ownEstimatedHeight = Number.parseFloat(element.dataset.pretextHeight || '');
   if (Number.isFinite(ownEstimatedHeight) && ownEstimatedHeight > 0) {
     return ownEstimatedHeight;