diff --git a/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx b/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx
index 82181f9c19..45ddd4660f 100644
--- a/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx
+++ b/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import throttle from "lodash.throttle";
 import { newElementWith } from "../../src/element/mutateElement";
 import { BroadcastedExcalidrawElement } from "./reconciliation";
 import { encryptData } from "../../src/data/encryption";
-import { normalizeFractionalIndexing } from "../../src/zindex";
 
 class Portal {
   collab: TCollabClass;
@@ -160,7 +159,7 @@ class Portal {
     const data: SocketUpdateDataSource[typeof updateType] = {
       type: updateType,
       payload: {
-        elements: normalizeFractionalIndexing(syncableElements),
+        elements: syncableElements,
       },
     };
 
diff --git a/excalidraw-app/collab/reconciliation.ts b/excalidraw-app/collab/reconciliation.ts
index 8c873f1023..f65fb91c88 100644
--- a/excalidraw-app/collab/reconciliation.ts
+++ b/excalidraw-app/collab/reconciliation.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { ExcalidrawElement } from "../../src/element/types";
 import { AppState } from "../../src/types";
 import { arrayToMap, arrayToMapWithIndex } from "../../src/utils";
-import { orderByFractionalIndex } from "../../src/zindex";
+import { orderByFractionalIndex } from "../../src/fractionalIndex";
 
 export type ReconciledElements = readonly ExcalidrawElement[] & {
   _brand: "reconciledElements";
diff --git a/src/fractionalIndex.ts b/src/fractionalIndex.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9320379944
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/fractionalIndex.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+import { mutateElement } from "./element/mutateElement";
+import { ExcalidrawElement } from "./element/types";
+import { generateKeyBetween } from "fractional-indexing";
+
+type FractionalIndex = ExcalidrawElement["fractionalIndex"];
+
+const isValidFractionalIndex = (
+  index: FractionalIndex,
+  predecessor: FractionalIndex,
+  successor: FractionalIndex,
+) => {
+  if (index) {
+    if (!predecessor && !successor) {
+      return index.length > 0;
+    }
+
+    if (!predecessor) {
+      // first element
+      return index < successor!;
+    }
+
+    if (!successor) {
+      // last element
+      return predecessor! < index;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+};
+
+const generateFractionalIndex = (
+  index: FractionalIndex,
+  predecessor: FractionalIndex,
+  successor: FractionalIndex,
+) => {
+  if (index) {
+    if (!predecessor && !successor) {
+      return index;
+    }
+
+    if (!predecessor) {
+      // first element in the array
+      // insert before successor
+      return generateKeyBetween(null, successor);
+    }
+
+    if (!successor) {
+      // last element in the array
+      // insert after predecessor
+      return generateKeyBetween(predecessor, null);
+    }
+
+    // both predecessor and successor exist
+    // insert after predecessor
+    return generateKeyBetween(predecessor, null);
+  }
+
+  return generateKeyBetween(null, null);
+};
+
+const compareStrings = (a: string, b: string) => {
+  return a < b ? -1 : 1;
+};
+
+export const orderByFractionalIndex = (allElements: ExcalidrawElement[]) => {
+  return allElements.sort((a, b) => {
+    if (a.fractionalIndex && b.fractionalIndex) {
+      if (a.fractionalIndex < b.fractionalIndex) {
+        return -1;
+      } else if (a.fractionalIndex > b.fractionalIndex) {
+        return 1;
+      }
+      return compareStrings(a.id, b.id);
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+  });
+};
+
+/**
+ * normalize the fractional indicies of the elements in the given array such that
+ * every element in the array has a fractional index smaller than its successor's
+ *
+ * note that this function is not pure, it mutates elements whose fractional indicies
+ * need updating
+ */
+export const normalizeFractionalIndicies = (
+  allElements: readonly ExcalidrawElement[],
+) => {
+  let pre = -1;
+  let suc = 1;
+
+  for (const element of allElements) {
+    const predecessor = allElements[pre]?.fractionalIndex || null;
+    const successor = allElements[suc]?.fractionalIndex || null;
+
+    if (
+      !isValidFractionalIndex(element.fractionalIndex, predecessor, successor)
+    ) {
+      try {
+        const nextFractionalIndex = generateFractionalIndex(
+          element.fractionalIndex,
+          predecessor,
+          successor,
+        );
+
+        mutateElement(
+          element,
+          {
+            fractionalIndex: nextFractionalIndex,
+          },
+          false,
+        );
+      } catch (e) {
+        console.error("normalizing fractional index", e);
+      }
+    }
+    pre++;
+    suc++;
+  }
+
+  return allElements;
+};
diff --git a/src/scene/Scene.ts b/src/scene/Scene.ts
index 7b5599fa8e..9399a15c3d 100644
--- a/src/scene/Scene.ts
+++ b/src/scene/Scene.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { getSelectedElements } from "./selection";
 import { AppState } from "../types";
 import { Assert, SameType } from "../utility-types";
 import { randomInteger } from "../random";
-import { normalizeFractionalIndexing } from "../zindex";
+import { normalizeFractionalIndicies } from "../fractionalIndex";
 
 type ElementIdKey = InstanceType<typeof LinearElementEditor>["elementId"];
 type ElementKey = ExcalidrawElement | ElementIdKey;
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ class Scene {
     nextElements: readonly ExcalidrawElement[],
     mapElementIds = true,
   ) {
-    const _nextElements = normalizeFractionalIndexing(nextElements);
+    const _nextElements = normalizeFractionalIndicies(nextElements);
 
     this.elements = _nextElements;
     const nextFrameLikes: ExcalidrawFrameLikeElement[] = [];
diff --git a/src/zindex.ts b/src/zindex.ts
index 4345e53917..a46c8b9a7c 100644
--- a/src/zindex.ts
+++ b/src/zindex.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { bumpVersion, mutateElement } from "./element/mutateElement";
+import { bumpVersion } from "./element/mutateElement";
 import { isFrameLikeElement } from "./element/typeChecks";
 import { ExcalidrawElement, ExcalidrawFrameLikeElement } from "./element/types";
 import { getElementsInGroup } from "./groups";
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import { getSelectedElements } from "./scene";
 import Scene from "./scene/Scene";
 import { AppState } from "./types";
 import { arrayToMap, findIndex, findLastIndex } from "./utils";
-import { generateKeyBetween } from "fractional-indexing";
 
 const isOfTargetFrame = (element: ExcalidrawElement, frameId: string) => {
   return element.frameId === frameId || element.id === frameId;
@@ -486,124 +485,6 @@ function shiftElementsAccountingForFrames(
   );
 }
 
-// fractional indexing
-// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-type FractionalIndex = ExcalidrawElement["fractionalIndex"];
-
-const isValidFractionalIndex = (
-  index: FractionalIndex,
-  predecessor: FractionalIndex,
-  successor: FractionalIndex,
-) => {
-  if (index) {
-    if (!predecessor && !successor) {
-      return index.length > 0;
-    }
-
-    if (!predecessor) {
-      // first element
-      return index < successor!;
-    }
-
-    if (!successor) {
-      // last element
-      return predecessor! < index;
-    }
-  }
-
-  return false;
-};
-
-const generateFractionalIndex = (
-  index: FractionalIndex,
-  predecessor: FractionalIndex,
-  successor: FractionalIndex,
-) => {
-  if (index) {
-    if (!predecessor && !successor) {
-      return index;
-    }
-
-    if (!predecessor) {
-      // first element in the array
-      return generateKeyBetween(null, successor);
-    }
-
-    if (!successor) {
-      // last element in the array
-      return generateKeyBetween(predecessor, null);
-    }
-
-    // both predecessor and successor exist
-    // insert after predecessor
-    return generateKeyBetween(predecessor, null);
-  }
-
-  return generateKeyBetween(null, null);
-};
-
-const compareStrings = (a: string, b: string) => {
-  return a < b ? -1 : 1;
-};
-
-export const orderByFractionalIndex = (allElements: ExcalidrawElement[]) => {
-  return allElements.sort((a, b) => {
-    if (a.fractionalIndex && b.fractionalIndex) {
-      if (a.fractionalIndex < b.fractionalIndex) {
-        return -1;
-      } else if (a.fractionalIndex > b.fractionalIndex) {
-        return 1;
-      }
-      return compareStrings(a.id, b.id);
-    }
-
-    return 0;
-  });
-};
-
-/**
- * normalize the fractional indicies of the elements in the given array such that
- * a. all elements have a fraction index between floor and ceiling as defined above
- * b. for every element, its fractional index is greater than its predecessor's and smaller than its successor's
- */
-export const normalizeFractionalIndexing = (
-  allElements: readonly ExcalidrawElement[],
-) => {
-  let pre = -1;
-  let suc = 1;
-
-  for (const element of allElements) {
-    const predecessor = allElements[pre]?.fractionalIndex || null;
-    const successor = allElements[suc]?.fractionalIndex || null;
-
-    if (
-      !isValidFractionalIndex(element.fractionalIndex, predecessor, successor)
-    ) {
-      try {
-        const nextFractionalIndex = generateFractionalIndex(
-          element.fractionalIndex,
-          predecessor,
-          successor,
-        );
-
-        mutateElement(
-          element,
-          {
-            fractionalIndex: nextFractionalIndex,
-          },
-          false,
-        );
-      } catch (e) {
-        console.error(e);
-      }
-    }
-    pre++;
-    suc++;
-  }
-
-  return allElements;
-};
-
 // public API
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------