diff --git a/client/src/api/index.ts b/client/src/api/index.ts
index d96eaedc56f8..d1dbc8854bbb 100644
--- a/client/src/api/index.ts
+++ b/client/src/api/index.ts
@@ -211,6 +211,10 @@ export function isHistorySummaryExtended(history: AnyHistory): history is Histor
     return "contents_active" in history && "user_id" in history;
 }
 
+export function isHistoryItem(item: object): item is HistoryItemSummary {
+    return item && "history_content_type" in item;
+}
+
 type QuotaUsageResponse = components["schemas"]["UserQuotaUsage"];
 
 /** Represents a registered user.**/
diff --git a/client/src/components/History/CurrentHistory/HistoryPanel.vue b/client/src/components/History/CurrentHistory/HistoryPanel.vue
index 0d4cd40d8fd4..f1e94fd4ea68 100644
--- a/client/src/components/History/CurrentHistory/HistoryPanel.vue
+++ b/client/src/components/History/CurrentHistory/HistoryPanel.vue
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { BAlert } from "bootstrap-vue";
 import { storeToRefs } from "pinia";
 import { computed, onMounted, type Ref, ref, set as VueSet, unref, watch } from "vue";
 
-import { type HistoryItemSummary, type HistorySummaryExtended, userOwnsHistory } from "@/api";
+import { type HistoryItemSummary, type HistorySummaryExtended, isHistoryItem, userOwnsHistory } from "@/api";
 import { copyDataset } from "@/api/datasets";
 import ExpandedItems from "@/components/History/Content/ExpandedItems";
 import SelectedItems from "@/components/History/Content/SelectedItems";
@@ -225,28 +225,11 @@ function dragSameHistory() {
 
 function getDragData() {
     const eventStore = useEventStore();
-    const multiple = eventStore.multipleDragData;
-    let data: HistoryItemSummary[] | undefined;
-    let historyId: string | undefined;
-    try {
-        if (multiple) {
-            const dragData = eventStore.getDragData() as Record<string, HistoryItemSummary>;
-            // set historyId to the first history_id in the multiple drag data
-            const firstItem = Object.values(dragData)[0];
-            if (firstItem) {
-                historyId = firstItem.history_id;
-            }
-            data = Object.values(dragData);
-        } else {
-            data = [eventStore.getDragData() as HistoryItemSummary];
-            if (data[0]) {
-                historyId = data[0].history_id;
-            }
-        }
-    } catch (error) {
-        // this was not a valid object for this dropzone, ignore
-    }
-    return { data, sameHistory: historyId === props.history.id, multiple };
+    const dragItems = eventStore.getDragItems();
+    // Filter out any non-history items
+    const historyItems = dragItems?.filter((item: any) => isHistoryItem(item)) as HistoryItemSummary[];
+    const historyId = historyItems?.[0]?.history_id;
+    return { data: historyItems, sameHistory: historyId === props.history.id, multiple: historyItems?.length > 1 };
 }
 
 function getHighlight(item: HistoryItemSummary) {
diff --git a/client/src/components/History/Multiple/MultipleViewList.vue b/client/src/components/History/Multiple/MultipleViewList.vue
index ea7d8da600cc..36eaac0e68cb 100644
--- a/client/src/components/History/Multiple/MultipleViewList.vue
+++ b/client/src/components/History/Multiple/MultipleViewList.vue
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { computed, type Ref, ref } from "vue";
 //@ts-ignore missing typedefs
 import VirtualList from "vue-virtual-scroll-list";
 
-import { HistoryItemSummary } from "@/api";
+import { HistoryItemSummary, isHistoryItem } from "@/api";
 import { copyDataset } from "@/api/datasets";
 import { useAnimationFrameResizeObserver } from "@/composables/sensors/animationFrameResizeObserver";
 import { useAnimationFrameScroll } from "@/composables/sensors/animationFrameScroll";
@@ -75,29 +75,13 @@ async function onDrop(evt: any) {
     }
     processingDrop.value = true;
     showDropZone.value = false;
-    let data: HistoryItemSummary[] | undefined;
-    let originalHistoryId: string | undefined;
-    const multiple = eventStore.multipleDragData;
-    try {
-        if (multiple) {
-            const dragData = eventStore.getDragData() as Record<string, HistoryItemSummary>;
-            // set originalHistoryId to the first history_id in the multiple drag data
-            const firstItem = Object.values(dragData)[0];
-            if (firstItem) {
-                originalHistoryId = firstItem.history_id;
-            }
-            data = Object.values(dragData);
-        } else {
-            data = [eventStore.getDragData() as HistoryItemSummary];
-            if (data[0]) {
-                originalHistoryId = data[0].history_id;
-            }
-        }
-    } catch (error) {
-        // this was not a valid object for this dropzone, ignore
-    }
+    const dragItems = eventStore.getDragItems();
+    // Filter out any non-history items
+    const historyItems = dragItems?.filter((item: any) => isHistoryItem(item)) as HistoryItemSummary[];
+    const multiple = historyItems.length > 1;
+    const originalHistoryId = historyItems?.[0]?.history_id;
 
-    if (data && originalHistoryId) {
+    if (historyItems && originalHistoryId) {
         await historyStore.createNewHistory();
         const currentHistoryId = historyStore.currentHistoryId;
 
@@ -105,7 +89,7 @@ async function onDrop(evt: any) {
         let collectionCount = 0;
         if (currentHistoryId) {
             // iterate over the data array and copy each item to the new history
-            for (const item of data) {
+            for (const item of historyItems) {
                 const dataSource = item.history_content_type === "dataset" ? "hda" : "hdca";
                 await copyDataset(item.id, currentHistoryId, item.history_content_type, dataSource)
                     .then(() => {
diff --git a/client/src/stores/eventStore.ts b/client/src/stores/eventStore.ts
index 16ec29b74b7b..2b9b8e61dd3b 100644
--- a/client/src/stores/eventStore.ts
+++ b/client/src/stores/eventStore.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,13 @@ export const useEventStore = defineStore("eventStore", () => {
         return dragData.value;
     }
 
+    function getDragItems(): EventData[] {
+        if (!dragData.value) {
+            return [];
+        }
+        return multipleDragData.value ? (Object.values(dragData.value) as EventData[]) : [dragData.value];
+    }
+
     function setDragData(data: EventData, multiple = false) {
         dragData.value = data;
         multipleDragData.value = multiple;
@@ -32,6 +39,7 @@ export const useEventStore = defineStore("eventStore", () => {
         multipleDragData,
         clearDragData,
         getDragData,
+        getDragItems,
         setDragData,
     };
 });
diff --git a/client/src/utils/setDrag.ts b/client/src/utils/setDrag.ts
index fef754a15995..baa079764f36 100644
--- a/client/src/utils/setDrag.ts
+++ b/client/src/utils/setDrag.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 /**
  * Helper to configure datatransfer for drag & drop operations
  */
-import { useEventStore } from "@/stores/eventStore";
+import { type EventData, useEventStore } from "@/stores/eventStore";
 
-export function setDrag(evt: DragEvent, data = null, multiple = false) {
+export function setDrag(evt: DragEvent, data?: EventData, multiple = false) {
     const eventStore = useEventStore();
     if (data) {
         evt.dataTransfer?.setData("text", JSON.stringify([data]));