diff --git a/web/e2e/specs/masonry-live-grid.spec.ts b/web/e2e/specs/masonry-live-grid.spec.ts
index c00ff10124..76c3f6246a 100644
--- a/web/e2e/specs/masonry-live-grid.spec.ts
+++ b/web/e2e/specs/masonry-live-grid.spec.ts
@@ -38,8 +38,7 @@ test.describe("Masonry live grid @critical", () => {
   test("tiles render at their camera's natural aspect ratio", async ({
     frigateApp,
   }) => {
-    // front_door stays 16:9; backyard is overridden to portrait so the two
-    // tiles must render with opposite orientations.
+    // backyard is 9:16, which bucketed mode would snap to an 8:9 tile
     await frigateApp.installDefaults({
       config: {
         cameras: { backyard: { detect: { width: 720, height: 1280 } } },
@@ -47,20 +46,24 @@ test.describe("Masonry live grid @critical", () => {
     });
     await frigateApp.goto(`/?group=${GROUP}`);
     const live = new LivePage(frigateApp.page, true);
-
     await expect(live.cameraCard("front_door").first()).toBeVisible({
       timeout: 10_000,
     });
 
+    await seedLayout(frigateApp.page, "naturalAspectLayout:admin", true);
+    await frigateApp.page.reload();
+    await expect(live.cameraCard("backyard").first()).toBeVisible({
+      timeout: 10_000,
+    });
+
     const { front_door: landscape, backyard: portrait } = await cameraBoxes(
       frigateApp.page,
       ["front_door", "backyard"] as const,
       "card",
     );
 
-    // 16:9 tile is clearly wider than tall; portrait tile is taller than wide.
-    expect(landscape.w / landscape.h).toBeGreaterThan(1.4);
-    expect(portrait.w / portrait.h).toBeLessThan(1);
+    expect(landscape.w / landscape.h).toBeCloseTo(16 / 9, 1);
+    expect(portrait.w / portrait.h).toBeCloseTo(9 / 16, 1);
   });
 
   test("dragging a tile does not shove other tiles far away", async ({
@@ -210,6 +213,32 @@ test.describe("Masonry live grid @critical", () => {
       .toBeLessThanOrEqual(fresh! + 2);
   });
 
+  test("a camera added to a saved layout fills an open column", async ({
+    frigateApp,
+  }) => {
+    await frigateApp.goto(`/?group=${GROUP}`);
+    const live = new LivePage(frigateApp.page, true);
+    await expect(live.cameraCard("front_door").first()).toBeVisible({
+      timeout: 10_000,
+    });
+
+    // one tall tile in the first column; backyard is missing from the layout
+    const key = await persistedLayoutKey(frigateApp.page, GROUP);
+    await seedLayout(frigateApp.page, key, {
+      version: 2,
+      naturalAspect: false,
+      layout: [{ i: "front_door", x: 0, y: 0, w: 32, h: 400 }],
+    });
+    await frigateApp.page.reload();
+
+    await expect
+      .poll(async () => {
+        const stored = await readLayout(frigateApp.page, key);
+        return stored?.layout.find((item) => item.i === "backyard");
+      })
+      .toMatchObject({ x: 32, y: 0 });
+  });
+
   test("saved layout from an unreadable version regenerates without error", async ({
     frigateApp,
   }) => {
diff --git a/web/e2e/specs/settings/ui-settings-transfer.spec.ts b/web/e2e/specs/settings/ui-settings-transfer.spec.ts
index bcae868054..2716482a3c 100644
--- a/web/e2e/specs/settings/ui-settings-transfer.spec.ts
+++ b/web/e2e/specs/settings/ui-settings-transfer.spec.ts
@@ -178,6 +178,52 @@ test.describe("UI settings import/export @medium", () => {
     expect(payload.sections.preferences.playbackRate).toBe(2);
   });
 
+  test("exports only layouts built for the current tile sizing mode", async ({
+    frigateApp,
+  }) => {
+    // a group not opened since the mode changed still holds a layout from
+    // the other mode, which would import into a mode that cannot show it
+    await frigateApp.goto("/settings?page=uiSettings");
+
+    await writeIdb(frigateApp.page, {
+      [OUTDOOR_LAYOUT_KEY]: OUTDOOR_LAYOUT,
+      "default-draggable-layout:admin": NATURAL_OUTDOOR_LAYOUT,
+      "naturalAspectLayout:admin": true,
+    });
+
+    const downloadPromise = frigateApp.page.waitForEvent("download");
+    await frigateApp.page
+      .getByRole("button", { name: "Export Settings" })
+      .click();
+    const download = await downloadPromise;
+    const payload = JSON.parse(readFileSync((await download.path())!, "utf-8"));
+
+    expect(payload.sections.layouts).toEqual({
+      default: NATURAL_OUTDOOR_LAYOUT,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("toggling tile sizing mode clears stored layouts", async ({
+    frigateApp,
+  }) => {
+    test.skip(frigateApp.isMobile, "The setting is hidden on phones");
+    await frigateApp.goto("/settings?page=uiSettings");
+    await writeIdb(frigateApp.page, { [OUTDOOR_LAYOUT_KEY]: OUTDOOR_LAYOUT });
+
+    await frigateApp.page.locator("#natural-aspect-desktop").click();
+    await frigateApp.page
+      .getByRole("alertdialog")
+      .getByRole("button", { name: "Enable" })
+      .click();
+
+    await expect
+      .poll(() => readIdb(frigateApp.page, OUTDOOR_LAYOUT_KEY))
+      .toBeNull();
+    expect(await readIdb(frigateApp.page, "naturalAspectLayout:admin")).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+  });
+
   test("round-trips a layout left unconverted by an upgrade", async ({
     frigateApp,
   }) => {
diff --git a/web/src/utils/uiSettingsTransfer.ts b/web/src/utils/uiSettingsTransfer.ts
index e9e7a6b01e..388d209a4a 100644
--- a/web/src/utils/uiSettingsTransfer.ts
+++ b/web/src/utils/uiSettingsTransfer.ts
@@ -219,6 +219,8 @@ export async function buildExportPayload(
   const layouts: UiSettingsFile["sections"]["layouts"] = {};
   let streaming: UiSettingsFile["sections"]["streaming"] = {};
   const preferences: UiSettingsFile["sections"]["preferences"] = {};
+  const naturalAspect =
+    (await readTransferable("naturalAspectLayout", true, username)) === true;
 
   await Promise.all(
     groupNames.map(async (group) => {
@@ -228,7 +230,9 @@ export async function buildExportPayload(
         username,
       );
 
-      if (value !== undefined) {
+      // a group not opened since the mode changed still holds a layout from
+      // the other mode, which the grid discards, so leave it out of the file
+      if (value !== undefined && layoutIsNatural(value) === naturalAspect) {
         layouts[group] = value;
       }
     }),
@@ -399,8 +403,18 @@ export function summarizeImport(
   };
 }
 
-// Bare arrays are pre-masonry bucketed layouts. A layout only renders under
-// the mode that built it, so importing layouts applies this mode too.
+// Bare arrays are pre-masonry bucketed layouts
+function layoutIsNatural(layout: unknown): boolean {
+  return (
+    typeof layout === "object" &&
+    layout !== null &&
+    !Array.isArray(layout) &&
+    (layout as { naturalAspect?: unknown }).naturalAspect === true
+  );
+}
+
+// A layout only renders under the mode that built it, so importing layouts
+// applies this mode too. Exports hold a single mode.
 export function importedLayoutsNaturalAspect(
   file: UiSettingsFile,
 ): boolean | null {
@@ -410,9 +424,7 @@ export function importedLayoutsNaturalAspect(
     return null;
   }
 
-  return layouts.some(
-    (layout) => !Array.isArray(layout) && layout.naturalAspect === true,
-  );
+  return layouts.some(layoutIsNatural);
 }
 
 export function hasImportableContent(summary: ImportSummary): boolean {
diff --git a/web/src/views/live/DraggableGridLayout.tsx b/web/src/views/live/DraggableGridLayout.tsx
index 8eb93d655c..c3bb468c0e 100644
--- a/web/src/views/live/DraggableGridLayout.tsx
+++ b/web/src/views/live/DraggableGridLayout.tsx
@@ -369,12 +369,18 @@ export default function DraggableGridLayout({
       const placed = new Set(existing.map((layout) => layout.i));
 
       const tileColumns = GRID_COLS / TILE_BASE_W; // 3 standard columns
-      // Start below existing items so new cameras never overlap the user's.
-      const maxBottom = existing.reduce(
-        (max, layout) => Math.max(max, layout.y + layout.h),
-        0,
+      // Each column starts below every existing tile that overlaps it, so new
+      // cameras fill open columns without overlapping the user's tiles.
+      const colBottoms = Array.from({ length: tileColumns }, (_, c) =>
+        existing.reduce(
+          (max, layout) =>
+            layout.x < (c + 1) * TILE_BASE_W &&
+            layout.x + layout.w > c * TILE_BASE_W
+              ? Math.max(max, layout.y + layout.h)
+              : max,
+          0,
+        ),
       );
-      const colBottoms = new Array(tileColumns).fill(maxBottom);
 
       const result: LayoutItem[] = [...existing];
 
diff --git a/web/src/views/settings/UiSettingsView.tsx b/web/src/views/settings/UiSettingsView.tsx
index 38dc5bb2ca..c6c4e81917 100644
--- a/web/src/views/settings/UiSettingsView.tsx
+++ b/web/src/views/settings/UiSettingsView.tsx
@@ -392,7 +392,9 @@ export default function UiSettingsView() {
         clearStreamingSettings();
         break;
       case "naturalAspect":
+        // a layout only renders in the mode that built it
         setNaturalAspect(!naturalAspect);
+        clearStoredLayouts();
         break;
     }