diff --git a/lib/folder-list-cache.ts b/lib/folder-list-cache.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..48312c648
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/folder-list-cache.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import type { Email } from '@/lib/jmap/types';
+
+/**
+ * The last list seen in each folder, so opening a folder paints the rows it
+ * had a moment ago while the fresh page loads behind them - and keeps them if
+ * that load fails. On a slow server or a large folder the difference is an
+ * instant folder against seconds of the previous folder's mail under a
+ * spinner.
+ *
+ * In memory only: mail does not outlive the tab here, unlike the one-list boot
+ * snapshot in the email store, and the live fetch always runs.
+ */
+export interface FolderList {
+  emails: Email[];
+  totalEmails: number;
+  hasMoreEmails: boolean;
+}
+
+/** Folders remembered per tab; the oldest visited is dropped first. */
+const MAX_FOLDERS = 30;
+
+const lists = new Map<string, FolderList>();
+
+/**
+ * What a remembered list belongs to. Folder ids repeat across accounts and
+ * servers, and a category tab or another sort
+ * order is another list of the same folder.
+ */
+export function folderListKey(parts: {
+  login: string | null;
+  viewingAccountId: string | null;
+  accountId: string;
+  mailboxId: string;
+  filter: unknown;
+  order: unknown;
+}): string {
+  return JSON.stringify([
+    parts.login ?? '',
+    parts.viewingAccountId ?? '',
+    parts.accountId,
+    parts.mailboxId,
+    parts.filter ?? null,
+    parts.order ?? null,
+  ]);
+}
+
+export function rememberedFolderList(key: string): FolderList | undefined {
+  return lists.get(key);
+}
+
+export function rememberFolderList(key: string, list: FolderList, pageSize: number): void {
+  lists.delete(key);
+  lists.set(key, {
+    // One page is what a folder opens on; load-more fetches the rest again.
+    emails: list.emails.slice(0, pageSize),
+    totalEmails: list.totalEmails,
+    hasMoreEmails: list.hasMoreEmails || list.emails.length > pageSize,
+  });
+  while (lists.size > MAX_FOLDERS) {
+    const oldest = lists.keys().next().value;
+    if (oldest === undefined) break;
+    lists.delete(oldest);
+  }
+}
+
+export function forgetFolderLists(): void {
+  lists.clear();
+}
diff --git a/stores/__tests__/email-store-folder-list-cache.test.ts b/stores/__tests__/email-store-folder-list-cache.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dbf38bd1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stores/__tests__/email-store-folder-list-cache.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { useEmailStore } from '../email-store';
+import { useSettingsStore } from '../settings-store';
+import { forgetFolderLists } from '@/lib/folder-list-cache';
+import type { Email, Mailbox } from '@/lib/jmap/types';
+import type { IJMAPClient } from '@/lib/jmap/client-interface';
+
+/**
+ * Opening a folder paints the rows it showed last time and loads the fresh
+ * page behind them, so a slow server does
+ * not hold the previous folder's mail under a spinner - and a failed load
+ * does not empty a folder that had mail a moment ago.
+ */
+
+const makeEmail = (id: string, extra: Partial<Email> = {}): Email =>
+  ({
+    id,
+    threadId: `t-${id}`,
+    mailboxIds: { inbox: true },
+    keywords: {},
+    from: [{ email: 'a@example.com' }],
+    to: [{ email: 'b@example.com' }],
+    subject: `mail ${id}`,
+    receivedAt: '2026-10-08T10:00:00Z',
+    preview: '',
+    hasAttachment: false,
+    size: 1,
+    ...extra,
+  }) as unknown as Email;
+
+const folder = (id: string, role: string | null) =>
+  ({
+    id,
+    originalId: id,
+    name: id,
+    role,
+    accountId: 'acc',
+    totalEmails: 2,
+    unreadEmails: 0,
+    totalThreads: 2,
+    unreadThreads: 0,
+    sortOrder: 0,
+    isSubscribed: true,
+    myRights: {},
+  }) as unknown as Mailbox;
+
+type Page = { emails: Email[]; hasMore: boolean; total: number; state?: string };
+
+function makeClient(pages: Record<string, () => Promise<Page>>) {
+  const getEmails = vi.fn((mailboxId: string) => pages[mailboxId]());
+  return {
+    client: {
+      getEmails,
+      getAccountId: () => 'acc',
+      getThreadEmails: vi.fn(async () => []),
+    } as unknown as IJMAPClient,
+    getEmails,
+  };
+}
+
+function deferred<T>() {
+  let resolve!: (value: T) => void;
+  let reject!: (error: unknown) => void;
+  const promise = new Promise<T>((res, rej) => {
+    resolve = res;
+    reject = rej;
+  });
+  return { promise, resolve, reject };
+}
+
+const ids = () => useEmailStore.getState().emails.map((e) => e.id);
+
+async function open(client: IJMAPClient, mailboxId: string) {
+  useEmailStore.getState().selectMailbox(mailboxId);
+  return useEmailStore.getState().fetchEmails(client, mailboxId);
+}
+
+describe('remembered folder lists', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    forgetFolderLists();
+    useSettingsStore.setState({ emailsPerPage: 50 });
+    useEmailStore.setState({
+      selectedMailbox: 'inbox',
+      mailboxes: [folder('inbox', 'inbox'), folder('work', null)],
+      accountMailboxes: {},
+      viewingAccountId: null,
+      emails: [],
+      totalEmails: 0,
+      hasMoreEmails: false,
+      emailListSync: null,
+      isUnifiedView: false,
+      isScheduledView: false,
+      selectedKeyword: null,
+      searchQuery: '',
+      isLoading: false,
+      error: null,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('paints a visited folder at once and replaces it when the fresh page lands', async () => {
+    const fresh = deferred<Page>();
+    let inboxCalls = 0;
+    const { client } = makeClient({
+      inbox: () =>
+        ++inboxCalls === 1
+          ? Promise.resolve({ emails: [makeEmail('a'), makeEmail('b')], hasMore: false, total: 2, state: 's1' })
+          : fresh.promise,
+      work: async () => ({ emails: [makeEmail('w')], hasMore: false, total: 1, state: 's1' }),
+    });
+
+    await open(client, 'inbox');
+    await open(client, 'work');
+    expect(ids()).toEqual(['w']);
+
+    const loading = open(client, 'inbox');
+    expect(ids()).toEqual(['a', 'b']);
+    expect(useEmailStore.getState().isLoading).toBe(false);
+
+    fresh.resolve({ emails: [makeEmail('new'), makeEmail('a'), makeEmail('b')], hasMore: false, total: 3, state: 's2' });
+    await loading;
+    expect(ids()).toEqual(['new', 'a', 'b']);
+    expect(useEmailStore.getState().emailListSync?.state).toBe('s2');
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the remembered rows when the refresh fails', async () => {
+    let inboxCalls = 0;
+    const { client } = makeClient({
+      inbox: async () => {
+        if (++inboxCalls > 1) throw new Error('rate limited; retry later');
+        return { emails: [makeEmail('a')], hasMore: false, total: 1, state: 's1' };
+      },
+      work: async () => ({ emails: [makeEmail('w')], hasMore: false, total: 1, state: 's1' }),
+    });
+    vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    await open(client, 'inbox');
+    await open(client, 'work');
+    await open(client, 'inbox');
+
+    expect(ids()).toEqual(['a']);
+    expect(useEmailStore.getState().error).toBe('rate limited; retry later');
+  });
+
+  it('remembers what happened to the list on screen, not the list as it was loaded', async () => {
+    const { client } = makeClient({
+      inbox: async () => ({ emails: [makeEmail('a'), makeEmail('b')], hasMore: false, total: 2, state: 's1' }),
+      work: async () => ({ emails: [makeEmail('w')], hasMore: false, total: 1, state: 's1' }),
+    });
+
+    await open(client, 'inbox');
+    useEmailStore.setState({ emails: [makeEmail('a', { keywords: { $seen: true } })], totalEmails: 1 });
+    await open(client, 'work');
+
+    useEmailStore.getState().selectMailbox('inbox');
+    void useEmailStore.getState().fetchEmails(client, 'inbox');
+    expect(ids()).toEqual(['a']);
+    expect(useEmailStore.getState().emails[0].keywords).toEqual({ $seen: true });
+  });
+
+  it('shows the spinner for a folder never opened in this tab', async () => {
+    const fresh = deferred<Page>();
+    const { client } = makeClient({
+      inbox: async () => ({ emails: [makeEmail('a')], hasMore: false, total: 1, state: 's1' }),
+      work: () => fresh.promise,
+    });
+
+    await open(client, 'inbox');
+    const loading = open(client, 'work');
+    expect(useEmailStore.getState().isLoading).toBe(true);
+    // The inbox rows stay up during the transition but are not this folder's.
+    fresh.resolve({ emails: [makeEmail('w')], hasMore: false, total: 1, state: 's1' });
+    await loading;
+    expect(ids()).toEqual(['w']);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/stores/email-store.ts b/stores/email-store.ts
index 38e881cad..acae4e44a 100644
--- a/stores/email-store.ts
+++ b/stores/email-store.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { defaultSearchScopeFor, isAllFoldersSearchScope, SEARCH_SCOPE_ALL_FOLDER
 import { useAuthStore } from "@/stores/auth-store";
 import { pathNamesMailFolder } from "@/lib/deep-links";
 import { currentStoreEpoch } from "@/lib/store-epoch";
+import { folderListKey, forgetFolderLists, rememberFolderList, rememberedFolderList } from "@/lib/folder-list-cache";
 import { keywordPointer } from "@/lib/jmap/patch-pointer";
 import { useAccountStore } from "@/stores/account-store";
 import { useMessageListTabsStore } from "@/stores/message-list-tabs-store";
@@ -826,6 +827,13 @@ export function resolveEmailBlobContext(
 
 // List requests can finish after navigation. Never apply an old folder/tag
 // response (or error) to the view the user has since selected.
+/**
+ * The plain folder list on screen and the key it is remembered under (see
+ * lib/folder-list-cache). Null while the rows showing belong to no folder
+ * list - a search, a tag, a unified view, or a folder still loading.
+ */
+let shownFolderList: { key: string; mailboxId: string; pageSize: number } | null = null;
+
 function captureEmailListView(): () => boolean {
   const view = useEmailStore.getState();
   const activeAccountId = useAuthStore.getState().activeAccountId;
@@ -2037,7 +2045,7 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
     // A background refresh (e.g. after an account switch restored a cached list)
     // repopulates the list without showing the loading overlay, so switching to
     // an already-visited account doesn't flash a spinner over the visible mail.
-    const background = opts?.background ?? false;
+    let background = opts?.background ?? false;
     // Loading a real mailbox is a fresh navigation (leaving any cross view), so
     // drop the unread/starred retain set and the held row.
     set(background ? { error: null, retainedInViewIds: new Set(), listHold: null } : { isLoading: true, error: null, retainedInViewIds: new Set(), listHold: null }); // Keep previous emails visible during transition
@@ -2154,6 +2162,38 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
       // The configured list order (#718).
       const order = getMessageListOrderFor(mailbox?.role);
 
+      // Paint what this folder showed last time and load behind it: the rows
+      // are there at once, the fresh page replaces them when it lands, and a
+      // failed load leaves them in place instead of emptying the folder.
+      const listKey = folderListKey({
+        login: useAuthStore.getState().activeAccountId,
+        viewingAccountId: get().viewingAccountId,
+        // The login tells own accounts apart; a shared folder adds its owner.
+        accountId: accountId ?? '',
+        mailboxId: targetMailboxId,
+        filter: categoryFilter,
+        order,
+      });
+      const remembered = background ? undefined : rememberedFolderList(listKey);
+      if (remembered) {
+        background = true;
+        set({
+          emails: annotateScheduledEmails(remembered.emails, get().scheduledSubmissionByEmailId),
+          hasMoreEmails: remembered.hasMoreEmails,
+          totalEmails: remembered.totalEmails,
+          listOrder: order,
+          // The remembered page has no state a push delta could start from.
+          emailListSync: null,
+          threadEmailsCache: new Map(),
+          expandedThreadIds: new Set(),
+          isLoadingThread: null,
+          isLoading: false,
+        });
+      }
+      // Until this folder's rows are on screen, edits to the list belong to
+      // whatever was showing before and must not be remembered under this key.
+      shownFolderList = remembered ? { key: listKey, mailboxId: targetMailboxId, pageSize: emailsPerPage } : null;
+
       const result = await effectiveClient.getEmails(
         jmapMailboxId,
         accountId,
@@ -2189,6 +2229,8 @@ export const useEmailStore = create<EmailStore>((set, get) => ({
         isLoadingThread: null,
         isLoading: false
       });
+      shownFolderList = { key: listKey, mailboxId: targetMailboxId, pageSize: emailsPerPage };
+      rememberFolderList(listKey, get(), emailsPerPage);
       // Fetch full thread counts in the background (non-blocking)
       void get().fetchThreadEmailCounts(client);
     } catch (error) {
@@ -5980,6 +6022,30 @@ useEmailStore.subscribe((state, prev) => {
   state.holdListRow(listRowKey(email, state.isScheduledView));
 });
 
+// A folder's remembered list follows what happens to it on screen - a message
+// read, archived or deleted here is shown that way when the folder is opened
+// again, rather than as it was when the folder was loaded.
+useEmailStore.subscribe((state, prev) => {
+  if (state.mailboxes.length === 0 && state.emails.length === 0) {
+    shownFolderList = null;
+    forgetFolderLists();
+    return;
+  }
+  if (state.emails === prev.emails || !shownFolderList) return;
+  if (
+    state.selectedMailbox !== shownFolderList.mailboxId ||
+    state.searchQuery ||
+    !isFilterEmpty(state.searchFilters) ||
+    state.selectedKeyword ||
+    state.isUnifiedView ||
+    state.isScheduledView
+  ) {
+    shownFolderList = null;
+    return;
+  }
+  rememberFolderList(shownFolderList.key, state, shownFolderList.pageSize);
+});
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Boot snapshot: persist the mailbox list and the first page of the current
 // list so a returning visit paints rows the moment auth resolves, instead of