diff --git a/src/components/multiview/MultiviewLayoutMixin.ts b/src/components/multiview/MultiviewLayoutMixin.ts
index dc8a3c1b4..16c67e6f2 100644
--- a/src/components/multiview/MultiviewLayoutMixin.ts
+++ b/src/components/multiview/MultiviewLayoutMixin.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { Content } from "@/utils/mv-utils";
-import { decodeLayout, sortLayout } from "@/utils/mv-utils";
+import { decodeLayout, generateContentId, sortLayout } from "@/utils/mv-utils";
 import { mapGetters } from "vuex";
 
 export default {
@@ -178,18 +178,24 @@ export default {
             if (mergeContent) {
                 const contentsToMerge = {};
                 let videoIndex = 0;
-                const currentVideos = Object.values(this.layoutContent as Content[]).filter((o) => o.type === "video");
+                // Maintain the original layout ordering when chosing new videos.
+                const currentVideoContents = this.layout.filter(({ i }) => this.layoutContent[i]?.type === "video");
                 const newVideoIdToIndex = {};
                 // Loop through the incoming layout, and fill with current content
                 layout.filter((item) => !content[item.i]).forEach((item) => {
                     // For empty cells fill until there's no more current videos
                     if (videoIndex < this.activeVideos.length) {
                         // get next video to fill this item's cell
-                        const key = item.i;
-                        contentsToMerge[key] = currentVideos[videoIndex];
+                        const key = currentVideoContents[videoIndex].i;
+                        // Re-use the original video's index so that the component is not re-mounted.
+                        item.i = key;
+                        contentsToMerge[key] = this.layoutContent[key];
                         // Infer next activeVideos to be used in auto chat tabbing below
-                        newVideoIdToIndex[currentVideos[videoIndex].video.id] = videoIndex;
+                        newVideoIdToIndex[this.layoutContent[key].video.id] = videoIndex;
                         videoIndex += 1;
+                    } else {
+                        // Create a new id because the templates are cached with re-used ids that would otherwise cause issues.
+                        item.i = generateContentId();
                     }
                 });
 
diff --git a/src/store/multiview.module.ts b/src/store/multiview.module.ts
index 7781f3346..648831130 100644
--- a/src/store/multiview.module.ts
+++ b/src/store/multiview.module.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type { LayoutItem } from "@/external/vue-grid-layout/src/helpers/utils";
 import { getFirstCollision } from "@/external/vue-grid-layout/src/helpers/utils";
 import {
  getDesktopDefaults, desktopPresets, mobilePresets, decodeLayout,
+ generateContentId,
 } from "@/utils/mv-utils";
 import type { Content } from "@/utils/mv-utils";
 import api from "@/utils/backend-api";
@@ -128,7 +129,6 @@ const mutations = {
     },
     addLayoutItem(state) {
         // Increment the counter to ensure key is always unique.
-        state.index = new Date().getTime();
         let newLayoutItem: LayoutItem;
 
         // try to find a good location for it:
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ const mutations = {
                     y,
                     w: 4,
                     h: 6,
-                    i: state.index,
+                    i: generateContentId(),
                     isResizable: true,
                     isDraggable: true,
                 };
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ const mutations = {
                 y: 24, // puts it at the bottom
                 w: 4,
                 h: 6,
-                i: state.index,
+                i: generateContentId(),
                 isResizable: true,
                 isDraggable: true,
             };
diff --git a/src/utils/mv-utils.ts b/src/utils/mv-utils.ts
index 22e2a7b27..034453940 100644
--- a/src/utils/mv-utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils/mv-utils.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ const b64 = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789-_.";
 export const sortLayout = (a, b) => a.x - b.x || a.y - b.y;
 // export const sortLayout = (a, b) => a.y - b.y || a.x - b.x;
 
+export const generateContentId = () => Array.from({ length: 8 })
+    .map(() => b64[Math.floor(Math.random() * b64.length)])
+    .join("");
+
 /**
  * Encodes a layout array and contents to a compact URI
  * @param {{layout, contents, includeVideo?}} layout and layout contents
@@ -68,7 +72,8 @@ export function decodeLayout(encodedStr) {
     let videoCellCount = 0;
     const parts = encodedStr.split(",");
     parts.sort(); // DO NOT TOUCH THIS LINE
-    parts.forEach((str, index) => {
+    parts.forEach((str) => {
+        const index = generateContentId();
         const xywh = str.substring(0, 4);
         const idOrChat = str.substring(4, 15);
         const isChat = idOrChat.substring(0, 4) === "chat";
diff --git a/src/views/MultiView.vue b/src/views/MultiView.vue
index 56736e556..7473c4278 100644
--- a/src/views/MultiView.vue
+++ b/src/views/MultiView.vue
@@ -81,41 +81,44 @@
       :margin="[1, 1]"
       @layout-updated="onLayoutUpdated"
     >
-      <grid-item
-        v-for="item in layout"
-        :key="'mvgrid' + item.i"
-        :static="item.static"
-        :x="item.x"
-        :y="item.y"
-        :w="item.w"
-        :h="item.h"
-        :i="item.i"
-        :is-draggable="item.isDraggable !== false"
-        :is-resizable="item.isResizable !== false"
-        :style="showReorderLayout && {'pointer-events': 'none'}"
-      >
-        <cell-container :item="item">
-          <ChatCell
-            v-if="layoutContent[item.i] && layoutContent[item.i].type === 'chat'"
-            :item="item"
-            :tl="layoutContent[item.i].initAsTL"
-            :cell-width="columnWidth * item.w"
-            @delete="handleDelete"
-          />
-          <VideoCell
-            v-else-if="layoutContent[item.i] && layoutContent[item.i].type === 'video'"
-            ref="videoCell"
-            :item="item"
-            @delete="handleDelete"
-          />
-          <EmptyCell
-            v-else
-            :item="item"
-            @showSelector="showSelectorForId = item.i"
-            @delete="handleDelete"
-          />
-        </cell-container>
-      </grid-item>
+      <!-- This tells Vue not to try to re-order the elements but instead to create/delete them as required -->
+      <TransitionGroup>
+        <grid-item
+          v-for="item in layout"
+          :key="'mvitem' + item.i"
+          :static="item.static"
+          :x="item.x"
+          :y="item.y"
+          :w="item.w"
+          :h="item.h"
+          :i="item.i"
+          :is-draggable="item.isDraggable !== false"
+          :is-resizable="item.isResizable !== false"
+          :style="showReorderLayout && {'pointer-events': 'none'}"
+        >
+          <cell-container :item="item">
+            <ChatCell
+              v-if="layoutContent[item.i] && layoutContent[item.i].type === 'chat'"
+              :item="item"
+              :tl="layoutContent[item.i].initAsTL"
+              :cell-width="columnWidth * item.w"
+              @delete="handleDelete"
+            />
+            <VideoCell
+              v-else-if="layoutContent[item.i] && layoutContent[item.i].type === 'video'"
+              ref="videoCell"
+              :item="item"
+              @delete="handleDelete"
+            />
+            <EmptyCell
+              v-else
+              :item="item"
+              @showSelector="showSelectorForId = item.i"
+              @delete="handleDelete"
+            />
+          </cell-container>
+        </grid-item>
+      </TransitionGroup>
     </grid-layout>
 
     <!-- Video Selector -->