diff --git a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/MusicPlayerHost.tsx b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/MusicPlayerHost.tsx
index 96190a80..a507360e 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/MusicPlayerHost.tsx
+++ b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/MusicPlayerHost.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { useClient } from 'hooks/useClient';
 import { Play, Pause, SkipBack, SkipForward, X, Volume2, VolumeX } from 'lucide-react';
 import { useSeekBar, SeekBar } from '../apps/FileViewer/renderers/SeekBar';
 import { MusicHeart } from '../apps/Music/MusicHeart';
-import { trackHomePath } from '../apps/Music/shared';
+import { sortTracks, trackHomePath, type AlbumMeta, type NowPlaying } from '../apps/Music/shared';
 import { useMusicPlayer, type PlayerTrack } from './useMusicPlayer';
 
 // Mounted once in the persistent DashboardLayout (outside <Routes>), so it owns the single <audio>
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ const fmt = (s: number): string =>
   Number.isFinite(s) && s >= 0 ? `${Math.floor(s / 60)}:${String(Math.floor(s % 60)).padStart(2, '0')}` : '0:00';
 
 export const MusicPlayerHost = () => {
-  const { token } = useClient();
-  const { current, index, queue, playing, toggle, next, prev, setPlaying, close } = useMusicPlayer();
+  const { token, get, put } = useClient();
+  const { current, index, queue, playing, toggle, next, prev, setPlaying, close, loadQueue } = useMusicPlayer();
   const audioRef = useRef<HTMLAudioElement>(null);
   const [position, setPosition] = useState(0);
   const [duration, setDuration] = useState(0);
@@ -26,13 +26,74 @@ export const MusicPlayerHost = () => {
   const [muted, setMuted] = useState(false);
   const { barRef, onSeekDown } = useSeekBar(audioRef, duration);
 
+  const trackKey = current ? `${current.albumRel}/${current.file}` : '';
+
+  // Latest position/duration in refs so persist reads fresh values without re-subscribing. seekToRef
+  // holds a pending seek (restore); isRestoringRef suppresses persist during the restore load so it
+  // doesn't clobber the saved position with 0; restoredRef makes restore run once.
+  const positionRef = useRef(0);
+  positionRef.current = position;
+  const durationRef = useRef(0);
+  durationRef.current = duration;
+  const restoredRef = useRef(false);
+  const isRestoringRef = useRef(false);
+  const seekToRef = useRef<number | null>(null);
+
+  const persist = () => {
+    if (!current) return;
+    put('/music/now-playing', {
+      homePath: trackHomePath(current.albumRel, current.file),
+      dir: `Music/${current.albumRel}`,
+      title: current.title ?? '',
+      artist: current.artist ?? '',
+      album: current.albumRel.split('/').pop() ?? '',
+      durationSec: Math.round(durationRef.current) || 0,
+      positionSec: Math.round(positionRef.current) || 0,
+    }).catch(() => {});
+  };
+
+  // Restore the saved "currently playing" on first load — paused, at its position — so a reload/return
+  // lands back on the track. Skipped when a queue already exists (an in-app nav kept player state).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (restoredRef.current) return;
+    restoredRef.current = true;
+    if (queue.length) return;
+    (async () => {
+      const snap = await get<NowPlaying | null>('/music/now-playing').catch(() => null);
+      if (!snap?.homePath) return;
+      const albumRel = (snap.dir || snap.homePath.split('/').slice(0, -1).join('/')).replace(/^Music\//, '');
+      const file = snap.homePath.split('/').pop() ?? '';
+      const meta = await get<AlbumMeta>(`/music/meta?path=${encodeURIComponent(albumRel)}`).catch(() => null);
+      if (!meta) return;
+      const q: PlayerTrack[] = sortTracks(meta.tracks).map((t) => ({ albumRel, file: t.file, title: t.title, artist: t.artist }));
+      const idx = Math.max(0, q.findIndex((t) => t.file === file));
+      isRestoringRef.current = true;
+      seekToRef.current = snap.positionSec > 0 ? snap.positionSec : null;
+      loadQueue(q, idx);
+    })();
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, []);
+
+  // Persist on play/pause + track change (not during the restore load).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (isRestoringRef.current) return;
+    persist();
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [trackKey, playing]);
+
+  // Heartbeat while playing, so the saved position keeps up.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!playing || !current) return;
+    const id = setInterval(persist, 10000);
+    return () => clearInterval(id);
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [playing, trackKey]);
+
   const withToken = (u: string) => (token ? `${u}${u.includes('?') ? '&' : '?'}token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}` : u);
   const streamUrl = (t: PlayerTrack) =>
     withToken(`${MUSIC_API}/stream?path=${encodeURIComponent(`Music/${t.albumRel}/${t.file}`)}`);
   const coverUrl = (rel: string) => withToken(`${MUSIC_API}/cover?path=${encodeURIComponent(rel)}`);
 
-  const trackKey = current ? `${current.albumRel}/${current.file}` : '';
-
   // Load the current track when it changes.
   useEffect(() => {
     const a = audioRef.current;
@@ -73,7 +134,16 @@ export const MusicPlayerHost = () => {
         ref={audioRef}
         preload="metadata"
         onTimeUpdate={(e) => setPosition(e.currentTarget.currentTime)}
-        onLoadedMetadata={(e) => setDuration(e.currentTarget.duration)}
+        onLoadedMetadata={(e) => {
+          setDuration(e.currentTarget.duration);
+          // Apply a pending restore seek once the track's duration is known, then re-enable persist.
+          if (seekToRef.current != null) {
+            e.currentTarget.currentTime = seekToRef.current;
+            setPosition(seekToRef.current);
+            seekToRef.current = null;
+          }
+          isRestoringRef.current = false;
+        }}
         onEnded={() => next()}
       />
       {current && (
diff --git a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/useMusicPlayer.ts b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/useMusicPlayer.ts
index 590ee1ac..ebef30ed 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/useMusicPlayer.ts
+++ b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/MusicPlayer/useMusicPlayer.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ export function useMusicPlayer() {
 
   const playQueue = (queue: PlayerTrack[], index = 0) =>
     setState({ queue, index: Math.max(0, Math.min(index, Math.max(0, queue.length - 1))), playing: true });
+  // Like playQueue but paused — for restoring a saved "currently playing" on load without auto-playing
+  // (browsers block autoplay on reload anyway; the user resumes with a click).
+  const loadQueue = (queue: PlayerTrack[], index = 0) =>
+    setState({ queue, index: Math.max(0, Math.min(index, Math.max(0, queue.length - 1))), playing: false });
   const toggle = () => setState((s) => ({ ...s, playing: !s.playing }));
   const setPlaying = (playing: boolean) => setState((s) => ({ ...s, playing }));
   const jump = (index: number) =>
@@ -37,5 +41,5 @@ export function useMusicPlayer() {
   const close = () => setState(INITIAL);
 
   const current = state.queue[state.index];
-  return { ...state, current, playQueue, toggle, setPlaying, jump, next, prev, close };
+  return { ...state, current, playQueue, loadQueue, toggle, setPlaying, jump, next, prev, close };
 }
diff --git a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/MusicDetail.tsx b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/MusicDetail.tsx
index 8aee160d..75dd1a36 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/MusicDetail.tsx
+++ b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/MusicDetail.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useState, useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 import { useClient } from 'hooks/useClient';
 import { usePanelChannel } from 'hooks/usePanelChannel';
 import { Play, ChevronLeft } from 'lucide-react';
@@ -37,6 +37,22 @@ export const MusicDetail = () => {
   const [disco, setDisco] = useState<Discography | null>(null);
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
 
+  // On first mount with no location yet, open the currently-playing album — so a reload/return lands on
+  // the track you were listening to (the player itself restores via the saved now-playing snapshot).
+  // Once only, so it never yanks you back after you navigate away (e.g. up to the library root).
+  const autoNavRef = useRef(false);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (autoNavRef.current) return;
+    if (cwd) {
+      autoNavRef.current = true;
+      return;
+    }
+    if (player.current) {
+      autoNavRef.current = true;
+      setCwd(`${MUSIC_ROOT}/${player.current.albumRel}`);
+    }
+  }, [player.current, cwd, setCwd]);
+
   useEffect(() => {
     get<Manifest>('/music/manifest')
       .then((m) => setManifest(m.albums))
diff --git a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/shared.ts b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/shared.ts
index b308a224..e6349110 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/shared.ts
+++ b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/Music/shared.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,18 @@ export type Discography = { artist: string; albums: Record<string, string> };
 export type FavoriteKind = 'track' | 'album' | 'artist';
 export type GroupedFavorites = { tracks: string[]; albums: string[]; artists: string[] };
 
+/** Per-user "currently playing" snapshot (GET/PUT /api/music/now-playing). */
+export type NowPlaying = {
+  homePath: string;
+  dir: string;
+  title: string;
+  artist: string;
+  album: string;
+  durationSec: number;
+  positionSec: number;
+  updatedAt: string;
+};
+
 /** homePath ("Music/<rel>/<file>") for a track — its favorite key + /stream path. */
 export const trackHomePath = (rel: string, file: string) => `${MUSIC_ROOT}/${rel}/${file}`;