diff --git a/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.jsx b/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.jsx
index 994b5ed87..9dcdfde65 100644
--- a/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.jsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React, { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import classNames from "classnames";
-import { useSelector } from "react-redux";
+import { useDispatch, useSelector } from "react-redux";
 import { useMediaQuery } from "react-responsive";
 
 import FilePanel from "./FilePanel/FilePanel";
@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@ import FileIcon from "../../../utils/FileIcon";
 import DownloadPanel from "./DownloadPanel/DownloadPanel";
 import InstructionsPanel from "./InstructionsPanel/InstructionsPanel";
 import SidebarPanel from "./SidebarPanel";
+import { setSidebarOption } from "../../../redux/EditorSlice";
 
 const Sidebar = ({ options = [], plugins = [], allowMobileView = true }) => {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const dispatch = useDispatch();
   const projectType = useSelector((state) => state.editor.project.project_type);
   const projectImages = useSelector((state) => state.editor.project.image_list);
   const instructionsSteps = useSelector(
@@ -35,6 +37,9 @@ const Sidebar = ({ options = [], plugins = [], allowMobileView = true }) => {
   const instructionsEditable = useSelector(
     (state) => state.editor.instructionsEditable,
   );
+  const selectedSidebarOption = useSelector(
+    (state) => state.editor.selectedSidebarOption,
+  );
   const viewportIsMobile = useMediaQuery({ query: MOBILE_MEDIA_QUERY });
   const isMobile = allowMobileView && viewportIsMobile;
 
@@ -134,28 +139,45 @@ const Sidebar = ({ options = [], plugins = [], allowMobileView = true }) => {
   }
 
   const autoOpenPlugin = plugins?.find((plugin) => plugin.autoOpen);
-
-  const [option, setOption] = useState(
-    autoOpenPlugin
-      ? autoOpenPlugin.name
-      : instructionsEditable || instructionsSteps
-        ? "instructions"
-        : "file",
-  );
-
   const hasInstructions = instructionsSteps && instructionsSteps.length > 0;
+  let defaultOption = "file";
+  if (autoOpenPlugin) {
+    defaultOption = autoOpenPlugin.name;
+  } else if (instructionsEditable || hasInstructions) {
+    defaultOption = "instructions";
+  }
+  const defaultOptionIsAvailable = menuOptions.some(
+    (menuOption) => menuOption.name === defaultOption,
+  );
+  const nextDefaultOption = defaultOptionIsAvailable ? defaultOption : null;
+  const initialOption =
+    selectedSidebarOption === undefined
+      ? nextDefaultOption
+      : selectedSidebarOption;
+  const [option, setOption] = useState(initialOption);
+  const optionIsAvailable =
+    option === null ||
+    menuOptions.some((menuOption) => menuOption.name === option);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!autoOpenPlugin && (instructionsEditable || hasInstructions)) {
-      setOption("instructions");
+    if (selectedSidebarOption === undefined) {
+      setOption(nextDefaultOption);
+    } else if (!optionIsAvailable) {
+      setOption(nextDefaultOption);
+      dispatch(setSidebarOption(nextDefaultOption));
     }
-  }, [autoOpenPlugin, instructionsEditable, hasInstructions]);
+  }, [dispatch, nextDefaultOption, optionIsAvailable, selectedSidebarOption]);
+
+  const updateOption = (nextOption) => {
+    setOption(nextOption);
+    dispatch(setSidebarOption(nextOption));
+  };
 
   const toggleOption = (newOption) => {
     if (option !== newOption) {
-      setOption(newOption);
+      updateOption(newOption);
     } else if (!isMobile) {
-      setOption(null);
+      updateOption(null);
     }
   };
 
diff --git a/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.test.js b/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.test.js
index 5e28ab817..7b26990d0 100644
--- a/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.test.js
+++ b/src/components/Menus/Sidebar/Sidebar.test.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { fireEvent, render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
 import Sidebar from "./Sidebar";
 import configureStore from "redux-mock-store";
 import { Provider } from "react-redux";
+import { setSidebarOption } from "../../../redux/EditorSlice";
 
 let images = [
   {
@@ -24,10 +25,27 @@ const optionsWithDownload = [
   "info",
 ];
 
+const renderSidebarWithState = (initialState, props = {}) => {
+  const mockStore = configureStore([]);
+  const store = mockStore(initialState);
+
+  return {
+    store,
+    ...render(
+      <Provider store={store}>
+        <div id="app">
+          <Sidebar options={options} {...props} />
+        </div>
+      </Provider>,
+    ),
+  };
+};
+
 describe("When project has images", () => {
   describe("and no instructions", () => {
+    let store;
+
     beforeEach(() => {
-      const mockStore = configureStore([]);
       const initialState = {
         editor: {
           project: {
@@ -37,14 +55,7 @@ describe("When project has images", () => {
         },
         instructions: {},
       };
-      const store = mockStore(initialState);
-      render(
-        <Provider store={store}>
-          <div id="app">
-            <Sidebar options={options} />
-          </div>
-        </Provider>,
-      );
+      ({ store } = renderSidebarWithState(initialState));
     });
 
     test("Clicking expand opens the file pane", () => {
@@ -104,6 +115,7 @@ describe("When project has images", () => {
       const imageButton = screen.getByTitle("sidebar.images");
       fireEvent.click(imageButton);
       expect(screen.queryByText("imagePanel.gallery")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(store.getActions()).toEqual([setSidebarOption("images")]);
     });
   });
 
@@ -324,6 +336,86 @@ describe("When the project has no instructions", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("When sidebar state is persisted", () => {
+  test("Renders the stored sidebar state", () => {
+    const initialState = {
+      editor: {
+        project: {
+          components: [],
+          image_list: images,
+        },
+        selectedSidebarOption: "images",
+      },
+      instructions: {},
+    };
+    const { unmount } = renderSidebarWithState(initialState);
+
+    expect(screen.queryByText("imagePanel.gallery")).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    unmount();
+
+    renderSidebarWithState({
+      editor: {
+        project: {
+          components: [],
+          image_list: images,
+        },
+        selectedSidebarOption: null,
+      },
+      instructions: {},
+    });
+
+    expect(screen.queryByTitle("sidebar.expand")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("filePanel.files")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("When no sidebar option is stored", () => {
+  const mockStore = configureStore([]);
+
+  test("Switches to a new default option after mount", () => {
+    const initialState = {
+      editor: {
+        project: {
+          components: [],
+          image_list: [],
+        },
+        instructionsEditable: false,
+      },
+      instructions: {},
+    };
+    const nextState = {
+      editor: {
+        project: {
+          components: [],
+          image_list: [],
+        },
+        instructionsEditable: true,
+      },
+      instructions: {},
+    };
+
+    const { rerender } = renderSidebarWithState(initialState, {
+      options: ["file", "instructions"],
+    });
+
+    expect(screen.queryByText("filePanel.files")).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    rerender(
+      <Provider store={mockStore(nextState)}>
+        <div id="app">
+          <Sidebar options={["file", "instructions"]} />
+        </div>
+      </Provider>,
+    );
+
+    expect(
+      screen.queryByText("instructionsPanel.projectSteps"),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("filePanel.files")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
+
 describe("When plugins are provided", () => {
   const initialState = {
     editor: {
diff --git a/src/components/WebComponentProject/WebComponentProject.test.js b/src/components/WebComponentProject/WebComponentProject.test.js
index 3c7800a58..a673d6255 100644
--- a/src/components/WebComponentProject/WebComponentProject.test.js
+++ b/src/components/WebComponentProject/WebComponentProject.test.js
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ let store;
 const renderWebComponentProject = ({
   projectType,
   instructions,
+  imageList = [],
   permitOverride = true,
   loading,
   codeRunTriggered = false,
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ const renderWebComponentProject = ({
         components: [
           { name: "main", extension: "py", content: "print('hello')" },
         ],
-        image_list: [],
+        image_list: imageList,
         instructions,
       },
       loading,
@@ -55,7 +56,7 @@ const renderWebComponentProject = ({
   };
   store = mockStore(initialState);
 
-  render(
+  return render(
     <Provider store={store}>
       <WebComponentProject {...props} />
     </Provider>,
diff --git a/src/redux/EditorSlice.js b/src/redux/EditorSlice.js
index c3ac922cd..096189265 100644
--- a/src/redux/EditorSlice.js
+++ b/src/redux/EditorSlice.js
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ export const editorInitialState = {
   newFileModalShowing: false,
   renameFileModalShowing: false,
   sidebarShowing: true,
+  selectedSidebarOption: undefined,
   modals: {},
   errorDetails: {},
   runnerBeingLoaded: null | "pyodide" | "skulpt",
@@ -374,6 +375,9 @@ export const EditorSlice = createSlice({
     hideSidebar: (state) => {
       state.sidebarShowing = false;
     },
+    setSidebarOption: (state, action) => {
+      state.selectedSidebarOption = action.payload;
+    },
     disableTheming: (state) => {
       state.isThemeable = false;
     },
@@ -495,6 +499,7 @@ export const {
   closeRenameFileModal,
   showSidebar,
   hideSidebar,
+  setSidebarOption,
   disableTheming,
   setErrorDetails,
 } = EditorSlice.actions;