diff --git a/packages/excalidraw/appState.ts b/packages/excalidraw/appState.ts
index dcc3fba11b..895a829fa6 100644
--- a/packages/excalidraw/appState.ts
+++ b/packages/excalidraw/appState.ts
@@ -124,6 +124,11 @@ export const getDefaultAppState = (): Omit<
     searchMatches: null,
     lockedMultiSelections: {},
     activeLockedId: null,
+    cropPositionMovement: {
+      enabled: false,
+      croppingElementId: undefined,
+      directionLock: null,
+    },
   };
 };
 
@@ -249,6 +254,7 @@ const APP_STATE_STORAGE_CONF = (<
   searchMatches: { browser: false, export: false, server: false },
   lockedMultiSelections: { browser: true, export: true, server: true },
   activeLockedId: { browser: false, export: false, server: false },
+  cropPositionMovement: { browser: false, export: false, server: false },
 });
 
 const _clearAppStateForStorage = <
diff --git a/packages/excalidraw/components/App.tsx b/packages/excalidraw/components/App.tsx
index 304b19c57f..350b36d9ac 100644
--- a/packages/excalidraw/components/App.tsx
+++ b/packages/excalidraw/components/App.tsx
@@ -6994,6 +6994,8 @@ class App extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
       },
       cropPositionMovement: {
         enabled: false,
+        croppingElementId: undefined,
+        directionLock: null,
       },
     };
   }
@@ -8134,20 +8136,47 @@ class App extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
               };
 
               // apply shift key constraint for directional movement
+              const threshold = 20;
+              let snappingToOrigin = false;
               if (event.shiftKey) {
-                const distanceX = Math.abs(totalDragOffset.x);
-                const distanceY = Math.abs(totalDragOffset.y);
-
-                const lockX = distanceX < distanceY;
-                const lockY = distanceX > distanceY;
-
-                if (lockX) {
-                  totalDragOffset.x = 0;
+                if (!pointerDownState.cropPositionMovement.directionLock) {
+                  if (
+                    Math.abs(totalDragOffset.x) > threshold ||
+                    Math.abs(totalDragOffset.y) > threshold
+                  ) {
+                    pointerDownState.cropPositionMovement.directionLock =
+                      Math.abs(totalDragOffset.x) > Math.abs(totalDragOffset.y)
+                        ? "x"
+                        : "y";
+                  } else {
+                    // if within threshold and not locked, always snap to origin
+                    snappingToOrigin = true;
+                  }
+                } else {
+                  // if user moves back within threshold, unlock and snap back
+                  if (
+                    Math.abs(totalDragOffset.x) < threshold &&
+                    Math.abs(totalDragOffset.y) < threshold
+                  ) {
+                    pointerDownState.cropPositionMovement.directionLock = null;
+                    snappingToOrigin = true;
+                  }
                 }
+              } else {
+                pointerDownState.cropPositionMovement.directionLock = null;
+              }
 
-                if (lockY) {
-                  totalDragOffset.y = 0;
-                }
+              if (snappingToOrigin) {
+                totalDragOffset.x = 0;
+                totalDragOffset.y = 0;
+              }
+
+              if (pointerDownState.cropPositionMovement.directionLock === "x") {
+                totalDragOffset.y = 0;
+              } else if (
+                pointerDownState.cropPositionMovement.directionLock === "y"
+              ) {
+                totalDragOffset.x = 0;
               }
 
               // scale the drag offset
diff --git a/packages/excalidraw/types.ts b/packages/excalidraw/types.ts
index 85294893b4..d6112984dc 100644
--- a/packages/excalidraw/types.ts
+++ b/packages/excalidraw/types.ts
@@ -444,6 +444,11 @@ export interface AppState {
   // as elements are unlocked, we remove the groupId from the elements
   // and also remove groupId from this map
   lockedMultiSelections: { [groupId: string]: true };
+  cropPositionMovement: {
+    croppingElementId?: string;
+    enabled: boolean;
+    directionLock: "x" | "y" | null;
+  };
 }
 
 export type SearchMatch = {
@@ -800,6 +805,7 @@ export type PointerDownState = Readonly<{
   cropPositionMovement: {
     croppingElementId?: string;
     enabled: boolean;
+    directionLock: "x" | "y" | null;
   };
 }>;