diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api/endpoints/folders.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api/endpoints/folders.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..703ed19f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/endpoints/folders.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
+
+vi.mock('$lib/api/client', () => ({ apiFetch: vi.fn(), apiJson: vi.fn() }));
+
+import { apiFetch } from '$lib/api/client';
+import {
+	fetchFolderListing,
+	getCachedFolder,
+	cacheFolder,
+	invalidateFolderCache,
+	type FolderListing
+} from './folders';
+
+type RawListing = {
+	folders?: unknown[];
+	files?: unknown[];
+	favorite_ids?: string[];
+	shared_ids?: string[];
+};
+
+function fakeRes(opts: { status: number; body?: RawListing; etag?: string }): Response {
+	return {
+		status: opts.status,
+		ok: opts.status >= 200 && opts.status < 300,
+		json: async () => opts.body ?? {},
+		headers: { get: (k: string) => (k.toLowerCase() === 'etag' ? (opts.etag ?? null) : null) }
+	} as unknown as Response;
+}
+
+const emptyListing = (): FolderListing => ({
+	folders: [],
+	files: [],
+	favoriteIds: [],
+	sharedIds: []
+});
+
+const initHeaders = (call: number): Record<string, string> =>
+	(vi.mocked(apiFetch).mock.calls[call][1]?.headers ?? {}) as Record<string, string>;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+	vi.clearAllMocks();
+	invalidateFolderCache();
+});
+
+describe('fetchFolderListing (conditional)', () => {
+	it('parses a 200, returns the ETag, and sends no If-None-Match without one', async () => {
+		vi.mocked(apiFetch).mockResolvedValue(
+			fakeRes({
+				status: 200,
+				body: { folders: [], files: [], favorite_ids: ['a'], shared_ids: ['b'] },
+				etag: '"v1"'
+			})
+		);
+		const r = await fetchFolderListing('f1');
+		expect(r.status).toBe(200);
+		expect(r.etag).toBe('"v1"');
+		expect(r.listing?.favoriteIds).toEqual(['a']);
+		expect(r.listing?.sharedIds).toEqual(['b']);
+		expect(initHeaders(0)['If-None-Match']).toBeUndefined();
+		// No cache-busting query param — the URL must be stable for revalidation.
+		expect(vi.mocked(apiFetch).mock.calls[0][0]).toBe('/api/folders/f1/listing');
+	});
+
+	it('sends If-None-Match and surfaces a 304 with no body', async () => {
+		vi.mocked(apiFetch).mockResolvedValue(fakeRes({ status: 304 }));
+		const r = await fetchFolderListing('f1', { etag: '"v1"' });
+		expect(r.status).toBe(304);
+		expect(r.listing).toBeUndefined();
+		expect(initHeaders(0)['If-None-Match']).toBe('"v1"');
+	});
+
+	it('throws a 403 carrying its status', async () => {
+		vi.mocked(apiFetch).mockResolvedValue(fakeRes({ status: 403 }));
+		await expect(fetchFolderListing('f1')).rejects.toMatchObject({ status: 403 });
+	});
+});
+
+describe('folder listing cache (LRU + invalidation)', () => {
+	it('stores and retrieves a listing + its ETag', () => {
+		cacheFolder('a', emptyListing(), '"1"');
+		expect(getCachedFolder('a')?.etag).toBe('"1"');
+		expect(getCachedFolder('missing')).toBeUndefined();
+	});
+
+	it('evicts the least-recently-used entry past the cap', () => {
+		for (let i = 0; i < 45; i++) cacheFolder(`f${i}`, emptyListing());
+		expect(getCachedFolder('f0')).toBeUndefined(); // evicted (cap is 40)
+		expect(getCachedFolder('f44')).toBeDefined();
+	});
+
+	it('a read bumps recency so the touched entry survives eviction', () => {
+		for (let i = 0; i < 40; i++) cacheFolder(`f${i}`, emptyListing());
+		getCachedFolder('f0'); // bump f0 to most-recent
+		cacheFolder('extra', emptyListing()); // forces one eviction
+		expect(getCachedFolder('f0')).toBeDefined();
+		expect(getCachedFolder('f1')).toBeUndefined(); // f1 was now the oldest
+	});
+
+	it('invalidates a single folder, or the whole cache', () => {
+		cacheFolder('a', emptyListing());
+		cacheFolder('b', emptyListing());
+		invalidateFolderCache('a');
+		expect(getCachedFolder('a')).toBeUndefined();
+		expect(getCachedFolder('b')).toBeDefined();
+		invalidateFolderCache();
+		expect(getCachedFolder('b')).toBeUndefined();
+	});
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api/endpoints/folders.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api/endpoints/folders.ts
index f2863b01..ae9feefa 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/endpoints/folders.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/endpoints/folders.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,66 @@ export interface FolderListing {
 	sharedIds: string[];
 }
 
+/** Result of a (possibly conditional) listing fetch. */
+export interface FolderListingResult {
+	/** 200 with a fresh `listing`, or 304 → the caller should keep its cache. */
+	status: number;
+	listing?: FolderListing;
+	etag?: string;
+}
+
+// ── In-memory listing cache (stale-while-revalidate) ─────────────────────────
+// Lets the files view paint a previously-visited folder instantly on
+// back/forward navigation, then revalidate with `If-None-Match` (304 = no body).
+interface CachedFolder {
+	listing: FolderListing;
+	etag?: string;
+}
+const FOLDER_CACHE_MAX = 40;
+const folderCache = new Map<string, CachedFolder>();
+
+/** Cached listing for a folder, bumped to most-recently-used. */
+export function getCachedFolder(folderId: string): CachedFolder | undefined {
+	const hit = folderCache.get(folderId);
+	if (hit) {
+		folderCache.delete(folderId);
+		folderCache.set(folderId, hit);
+	}
+	return hit;
+}
+
+export function cacheFolder(folderId: string, listing: FolderListing, etag?: string): void {
+	folderCache.delete(folderId);
+	folderCache.set(folderId, { listing, etag });
+	// Evict the least-recently-used entries past the cap.
+	while (folderCache.size > FOLDER_CACHE_MAX) {
+		const oldest = folderCache.keys().next().value;
+		if (oldest === undefined) break;
+		folderCache.delete(oldest);
+	}
+}
+
+/** Drop one folder, or the whole cache (no id), after a mutation. */
+export function invalidateFolderCache(folderId?: string): void {
+	if (folderId === undefined) folderCache.clear();
+	else folderCache.delete(folderId);
+}
+
+function parseListing(raw: unknown): FolderListing {
+	const o = (raw ?? {}) as {
+		folders?: FolderItem[];
+		files?: FileItem[];
+		favorite_ids?: string[];
+		shared_ids?: string[];
+	};
+	return {
+		folders: Array.isArray(o.folders) ? o.folders : [],
+		files: Array.isArray(o.files) ? o.files : [],
+		favoriteIds: Array.isArray(o.favorite_ids) ? o.favorite_ids : [],
+		sharedIds: Array.isArray(o.shared_ids) ? o.shared_ids : []
+	};
+}
+
 /** Top-level folders for the user; the first entry is the home folder. */
 export function listRootFolders(): Promise<FolderItem[]> {
 	return apiJson<FolderItem[]>('/api/folders', { credentials: 'same-origin' });
@@ -28,33 +88,41 @@ export function getFolder(id: string): Promise<FolderItem> {
 	return apiJson<FolderItem>(`/api/folders/${id}`, NO_CACHE);
 }
 
-export async function listFolder(folderId: string, forceRefresh = false): Promise<FolderListing> {
-	const ts = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
-	let url = `/api/folders/${folderId}/listing?t=${ts}`;
-	const headers: Record<string, string> = {
-		'Cache-Control': 'no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate'
-	};
-	if (forceRefresh) {
-		url += '&force_refresh=true';
+/**
+ * Fetch a folder listing, optionally conditionally. With `etag` set it sends
+ * `If-None-Match`; the server replies 304 (empty body) when nothing changed —
+ * the ETag covers folders + files + favorite/share badges — so the caller can
+ * keep its cached copy. `cache: 'no-store'` keeps the browser HTTP cache out of
+ * the way; revalidation is driven entirely by our own ETag.
+ */
+export async function fetchFolderListing(
+	folderId: string,
+	opts: { etag?: string; forceRefresh?: boolean } = {}
+): Promise<FolderListingResult> {
+	const headers: Record<string, string> = {};
+	if (opts.etag) headers['If-None-Match'] = opts.etag;
+	let url = `/api/folders/${folderId}/listing`;
+	if (opts.forceRefresh) {
+		url += '?force_refresh=true';
 		headers['X-Force-Refresh'] = 'true';
 	}
 	const res = await apiFetch(url, { credentials: 'same-origin', cache: 'no-store', headers });
+	if (res.status === 304) return { status: 304 };
 	if (res.status === 403) throw Object.assign(new Error('Forbidden'), { status: 403 });
 	if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`listing failed: ${res.status}`);
-	const listing = (await res.json()) as {
-		folders?: FolderItem[];
-		files?: FileItem[];
-		favorite_ids?: string[];
-		shared_ids?: string[];
-	};
 	return {
-		folders: Array.isArray(listing.folders) ? listing.folders : [],
-		files: Array.isArray(listing.files) ? listing.files : [],
-		favoriteIds: Array.isArray(listing.favorite_ids) ? listing.favorite_ids : [],
-		sharedIds: Array.isArray(listing.shared_ids) ? listing.shared_ids : []
+		status: 200,
+		listing: parseListing(await res.json()),
+		etag: res.headers.get('ETag') ?? undefined
 	};
 }
 
+/** Non-conditional listing fetch (e.g. the move-dialog folder tree). */
+export async function listFolder(folderId: string, forceRefresh = false): Promise<FolderListing> {
+	const res = await fetchFolderListing(folderId, { forceRefresh });
+	return res.listing ?? { folders: [], files: [], favoriteIds: [], sharedIds: [] };
+}
+
 export async function createFolder(name: string, parentId: string | null): Promise<FolderItem> {
 	const res = await apiFetch('/api/folders', {
 		method: 'POST',
diff --git a/frontend/src/routes/files/[...path]/+page.svelte b/frontend/src/routes/files/[...path]/+page.svelte
index 09842a51..0f9e9c0a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/routes/files/[...path]/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/files/[...path]/+page.svelte
@@ -6,10 +6,13 @@
 	import { page } from '$app/state';
 	import Icon from '$lib/icons/Icon.svelte';
 	import {
+		cacheFolder,
 		createFolder,
 		deleteFolder,
+		fetchFolderListing,
+		getCachedFolder,
 		getFolder,
-		listFolder,
+		invalidateFolderCache,
 		moveFolder,
 		renameFolder,
 		type FolderListing
@@ -133,50 +136,91 @@
 		return metas;
 	}
 
+	// Bumped on every load; a stale in-flight response checks this before it
+	// writes state, so a fast navigation can't be clobbered by an older fetch.
+	let loadSeq = 0;
+
+	function applyListing(data: FolderListing) {
+		listing = data;
+		favoriteIds = new Set(data.favoriteIds);
+		sharedIds = new Set(data.sharedIds);
+	}
+
 	async function load() {
-		loading = true;
 		error = null;
-		// Arm the delayed skeleton; cancel it the moment the load settles so fast
-		// loads never flash placeholders (mirrors filesView.js' 100ms timer).
+		const seq = ++loadSeq;
+
+		// External users have no home folder; send them to shared-with-me.
+		if (session.isExternalUser && pathSegments.length === 0) {
+			await goto('/shared-with-me', { replaceState: true });
+			return;
+		}
+		const home = await session.loadHomeFolder();
+		const folderId = pathSegments.at(-1) ?? home;
+		if (!folderId) {
+			error = t('files.no_home', 'No home folder available.');
+			return;
+		}
+		currentId = folderId;
+		filesStore.currentFolder = folderId;
+
+		// Stale-while-revalidate: paint a previously-visited folder instantly,
+		// then revalidate with If-None-Match (304 = keep what's shown).
+		const cached = getCachedFolder(folderId);
+		if (cached) {
+			applyListing(cached.listing);
+			loading = false;
+			showSkeleton = false;
+		} else {
+			loading = true;
+		}
+		// Delayed skeleton, only when there's nothing cached to show yet.
 		const skeletonTimer = setTimeout(() => {
 			if (loading) showSkeleton = true;
 		}, 100);
+
+		// Breadcrumbs resolve independently so they never block the grid paint.
+		void buildCrumbs(pathSegments).then((trail) => {
+			if (seq === loadSeq) crumbs = trail;
+		});
+
 		try {
-			// External users have no home folder; send them to shared-with-me.
-			if (session.isExternalUser && pathSegments.length === 0) {
-				await goto('/shared-with-me', { replaceState: true });
-				return;
+			const res = await fetchFolderListing(folderId, { etag: cached?.etag });
+			if (seq !== loadSeq) return; // superseded by a newer navigation
+			if (res.status === 200 && res.listing) {
+				applyListing(res.listing);
+				cacheFolder(folderId, res.listing, res.etag);
 			}
-			const home = await session.loadHomeFolder();
-			const folderId = pathSegments.at(-1) ?? home;
-			if (!folderId) {
-				error = t('files.no_home', 'No home folder available.');
-				return;
-			}
-			currentId = folderId;
-			filesStore.currentFolder = folderId;
-			const [data, trail] = await Promise.all([listFolder(folderId), buildCrumbs(pathSegments)]);
-			listing = data;
-			crumbs = trail;
-			favoriteIds = new Set(data.favoriteIds);
-			sharedIds = new Set(data.sharedIds);
+			// 304 → the cached copy already on screen is current.
+			error = null;
 			maybeOpenDeepLink();
 		} catch (e) {
-			// 403 → friendly message rather than the raw "Forbidden" error string.
-			const status = (e as { status?: number })?.status;
-			error =
-				status === 403
-					? t('errors.forbidden', 'Could not load files')
-					: e instanceof Error
-						? e.message
-						: String(e);
+			if (seq !== loadSeq) return;
+			// With a cached view already shown, keep it on a transient failure.
+			if (!cached) {
+				const status = (e as { status?: number })?.status;
+				error =
+					status === 403
+						? t('errors.forbidden', 'Could not load files')
+						: e instanceof Error
+							? e.message
+							: String(e);
+			}
 		} finally {
 			clearTimeout(skeletonTimer);
-			loading = false;
-			showSkeleton = false;
+			if (seq === loadSeq) {
+				loading = false;
+				showSkeleton = false;
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
+	/** Data changed — drop cached listings and reload the current folder fresh. */
+	async function reload() {
+		invalidateFolderCache();
+		await load();
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Deep-link auto-open: when the URL carries `?file=<id>` and that file is in
 	 * the freshly loaded listing, open it in the viewer (ported from
@@ -207,7 +251,7 @@
 		if (!name) return;
 		try {
 			await createFolder(name, currentId);
-			await load();
+			await reload();
 		} catch (e) {
 			errorToast(e);
 		}
@@ -253,7 +297,7 @@
 						)
 					: t('files.uploaded', 'Upload complete');
 			ui.finishProgress(nid, done, 'success');
-			await load();
+			await reload();
 		} catch (err) {
 			ui.finishProgress(nid, errorMessage(err), 'error');
 		} finally {
@@ -286,7 +330,7 @@
 		try {
 			if (kind === 'file') await renameFile(id, name);
 			else await renameFolder(id, name);
-			await load();
+			await reload();
 		} catch (e) {
 			errorToast(e);
 		}
@@ -303,7 +347,7 @@
 		try {
 			if (kind === 'file') await deleteFile(id);
 			else await deleteFolder(id);
-			await load();
+			await reload();
 		} catch (e) {
 			errorToast(e);
 		}
@@ -522,7 +566,7 @@
 			}
 		}
 		clearSelection();
-		await load();
+		await reload();
 	}
 
 	// ── Drag-to-move ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -561,7 +605,7 @@
 				else await moveFolder(it.id, targetFolderId);
 			}
 			clearSelection();
-			await load();
+			await reload();
 		} catch (err) {
 			errorToast(err);
 		}
@@ -738,7 +782,7 @@
 				await uploadFile(dirId, file);
 			}
 			ui.notify(t('files.uploaded', 'Upload complete'), 'success');
-			await load();
+			await reload();
 		} catch (err) {
 			errorToast(err);
 		} finally {
@@ -1418,7 +1462,7 @@
 	mode={moveMode}
 	onmoved={() => {
 		clearSelection();
-		void load();
+		void reload();
 	}}
 />
 <ShareDialog