diff --git a/main.js b/main.js
index d58cb01e..525134e7 100644
--- a/main.js
+++ b/main.js
@@ -489,7 +489,7 @@ const SETTINGS_DEFAULTS = {
   // means a session leaves no trace on disk unless the user opts in per-type.
   clearCookiesOnQuit: true,  // drop cookies + logins + saved-form data
   clearCacheOnQuit: true,    // drop HTTP cache (images, scripts, etc.)
-  clearHistoryOnQuit: true,  // drop navigation history + saved tabs
+  clearHistoryOnQuit: true,  // drop navigation history (+ saved tabs unless restoreSession)
   clearStorageOnQuit: true,  // drop localStorage / IndexedDB / service workers / cache API
   // Anti-fingerprinting — each: show (real) | hide (neutral) | spoof (auto decoy) | manual (user value)
   timezoneMode: "show",  timezoneValue: "Europe/Berlin",       // IANA zone for manual
@@ -1134,11 +1134,14 @@ async function clearBrowsingData({ cookies = false, cache = false, storage = fal
   // navigation history lives in each webContents; drop it too when history-clear was asked.
   // (called separately by the before-quit hook, since history-clear also deletes session.json)
 }
-async function clearHistoryNow() {
+// keepSession: leave session.json (the open tabs) in place. The quit clear
+// passes it while "Open previous windows and tabs" is on — both default to on,
+// and deleting the tab list made the restore setting a no-op for everyone.
+async function clearHistoryNow({ keepSession = false } = {}) {
   for (const t of tabs) {
     try { t.view.webContents.navigationHistory.clear(); } catch {}
   }
-  try { fs.unlinkSync(sessionFile()); } catch {}
+  if (!keepSession) { try { fs.unlinkSync(sessionFile()); } catch {} }
   // Address-bar suggestions history — wipe both in-memory + on-disk.
   history = [];
   clearTimeout(historySaveTimer); historySaveTimer = null;
@@ -8144,9 +8147,9 @@ if (!process.env.THESEUS_NO_AUTOSTART && !app.requestSingleInstanceLock()) {
     if (quitClearing) return;
     quitClearing = true;
     flushAddonStores(); // add-on stores write coalesced; land them now
-    // Auto-clear per user settings. saveSession() runs first so restoreSession
-    // still works UNLESS the user asked to drop history — in which case we
-    // wipe the session file too so the next launch is genuinely blank.
+    // Auto-clear per user settings. saveSession() runs first; clearing
+    // history keeps that tab list while restoreSession is on, and deletes it
+    // otherwise so the next launch is genuinely blank.
     saveSession();
     stopTor();
     stopBnsPolling();  // silence the background delta refresh before exit
@@ -8158,7 +8161,11 @@ if (!process.env.THESEUS_NO_AUTOSTART && !app.requestSingleInstanceLock()) {
         storage: settings.clearStorageOnQuit,
       });
       // Session file AND the address-bar history (history.json).
-      if (settings.clearHistoryOnQuit) { await clearHistoryNow(); sessionDroppedForQuit = true; }
+      if (settings.clearHistoryOnQuit) {
+        const keepSession = !!settings.restoreSession;
+        await clearHistoryNow({ keepSession });
+        if (!keepSession) sessionDroppedForQuit = true;
+      }
     })().catch((err) => console.error("before-quit clear failed:", err?.message));
     Promise.race([clear, new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 5000))])
       .finally(() => { quitCleared = true; app.quit(); });
diff --git a/settings.html b/settings.html
index 7489ec2f..87278f15 100644
--- a/settings.html
+++ b/settings.html
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@
       <p class="lede">Changes apply immediately and are saved for next time.</p>
       <h2 class="sub" style="border-top:0;padding-top:0;margin-top:0">Startup</h2>
       <div class="row">
-        <div class="txt"><div class="t">Open previous windows and tabs</div><div class="d">Restore the tabs from your last session when Theseus starts.</div></div>
+        <div class="txt"><div class="t">Open previous windows and tabs</div><div class="d">Restore the tabs from your last session when Theseus starts, even when history is cleared on quit.</div></div>
         <label class="sw"><input type="checkbox" id="restoreSession"><span class="track"><span class="knob"></span></span></label>
       </div>
       <div class="row" style="flex-direction:column;align-items:stretch;gap:8px">
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@
         <label class="sw"><input type="checkbox" id="clearStorageOnQuit"><span class="track"><span class="knob"></span></span></label>
       </div>
       <div class="row">
-        <div class="txt"><div class="t">Clear history on quit</div><div class="d">Drops navigation history + the saved-tabs session file (overrides "Reopen previous tabs").</div></div>
+        <div class="txt"><div class="t">Clear history on quit</div><div class="d">Drops back/forward history and address-bar history. With "Open previous windows and tabs" on, the tabs themselves still reopen.</div></div>
         <label class="sw"><input type="checkbox" id="clearHistoryOnQuit"><span class="track"><span class="knob"></span></span></label>
       </div>
       <div class="row" style="justify-content:flex-end">