diff --git a/src/browser/base/zen-components/ZenViewSplitter.mjs b/src/browser/base/zen-components/ZenViewSplitter.mjs
index 98f57a56c..236110163 100644
--- a/src/browser/base/zen-components/ZenViewSplitter.mjs
+++ b/src/browser/base/zen-components/ZenViewSplitter.mjs
@@ -1359,8 +1359,7 @@ class ZenViewSplitter extends ZenDOMOperatedFeature {
    * @returns {TabGroup} The tab group for split view tabs
    */
   _getSplitViewGroup(tabs) {
-    // if any of tabs is pinned, return null
-    if (tabs.some((tab) => tab.pinned)) {
+    if (tabs.some((tab) => tab.hasAttribute('zen-essential'))) {
       return null;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser-js.patch b/src/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser-js.patch
index 53de592a2..a7848c359 100644
--- a/src/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser-js.patch
+++ b/src/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser-js.patch
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 diff --git a/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser.js b/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser.js
-index 628aa6596627c85efe361fc1ece8fd58f7ee653e..490762fa04b9d37d8d7dee3e8dc22e220fe02955 100644
+index 628aa6596627c85efe361fc1ece8fd58f7ee653e..fe746cd0e749308889173cbbb32b8a77a1dfe10f 100644
 --- a/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser.js
 +++ b/browser/components/tabbrowser/content/tabbrowser.js
 @@ -412,11 +412,50 @@
@@ -194,14 +194,19 @@ index 628aa6596627c85efe361fc1ece8fd58f7ee653e..490762fa04b9d37d8d7dee3e8dc22e22
        // Additionally send pinned tab events
        if (pinned) {
          this._notifyPinnedStatus(t);
-@@ -2918,6 +2982,7 @@
+@@ -2918,9 +2982,10 @@
          id = `${Date.now()}-${Math.round(Math.random() * 100)}`;
        }
        let group = this._createTabGroup(id, color, false, label);
+-      this.tabContainer.insertBefore(
 +      group.pinned = tabs.some(tab => tab.pinned);
-       this.tabContainer.insertBefore(
++      (group.pinned ? this.verticalPinnedTabsContainer : this.tabContainer).insertBefore(
          group,
-         insertBefore?.group ?? insertBefore
+-        insertBefore?.group ?? insertBefore
++        insertBefore?.group ?? tabs[tabs.length - 1].nextElementSibling
+       );
+       group.addTabs(tabs);
+ 
 @@ -3367,6 +3432,24 @@
          ) {
            tabWasReused = true;