diff --git a/static/js/app/main.js b/static/js/app/main.js
index 8e1e6678..2972b8ae 100644
--- a/static/js/app/main.js
+++ b/static/js/app/main.js
@@ -540,8 +540,15 @@ function initApp() {
         grants.fetchIncomingGrants();
         grants.fetchOutgoingGrants();
 
-        switchSectionTo(hashContext.section);
         if (hashContext.section === 'files') {
+            // Capture the URL-derived path BEFORE the section switch.
+            // `switchToFilesSection` resets `app.currentPath` to home
+            // by default and kicks off its own `loadFiles()` — if we
+            // wrote the hash-derived path AFTER the switch, our write
+            // would race the load-already-in-flight and lose, taking
+            // the user back to root on every other refresh. Setting
+            // first + `preservePath: true` makes the switch's load
+            // start with the correct path.
             if (hashContext.path) {
                 console.log(`init: reusing folder from hash URL: ${hashContext.path}`);
                 app.currentPath = hashContext.path;
@@ -551,7 +558,11 @@ function initApp() {
                 app.viewFile = hashContext.file;
             }
 
-            loadFiles();
+            switchToFilesSection({ preservePath: true });
+            // `switchToFilesSection` already calls `loadFiles()` — do
+            // not call it again here, that would race itself.
+        } else {
+            switchSectionTo(hashContext.section);
         }
     });
 
diff --git a/static/js/app/navigation.js b/static/js/app/navigation.js
index 88b0e64a..a3791bf2 100644
--- a/static/js/app/navigation.js
+++ b/static/js/app/navigation.js
@@ -270,7 +270,20 @@ function switchToSharedWithMeSection() {
     sharedWithMeView.init();
 }
 
-function switchToFilesSection() {
+/**
+ * Switch the UI into the Files section.
+ *
+ * @param {Object}  [options]
+ * @param {boolean} [options.preservePath=false]
+ *   When true, keep the current `app.currentPath` instead of resetting
+ *   to the home folder. Used on initial page load with a hash-driven
+ *   path (e.g. `#/files/folder/<uuid>`) so the section switch doesn't
+ *   clobber the path the caller has just set from the URL. Without
+ *   this flag, the unconditional reset races with `loadFiles()`
+ *   (which is also kicked off from here) and the home-folder URL
+ *   wins, redirecting the user back to root on every other refresh.
+ */
+function switchToFilesSection({ preservePath = false } = {}) {
     if (!setCurrentSection('files')) return;
 
     // Set actions bar mode
@@ -299,12 +312,13 @@ function switchToFilesSection() {
     //reset files view + remove any error
     ui.resetFilesList();
 
-    // Reset to home folder and update breadcrumb. External users have no
-    // home — leave `currentPath` as the caller set it (e.g. the magic-link
+    // Reset to home folder unless the caller has pre-set a path (the
+    // `preservePath` opt-in). External users have no home — leave
+    // `currentPath` as the caller set it (e.g. the magic-link
     // landing's hash context) so loadFiles() doesn't fall through to
-    // `/api/folders//resources`. If `currentPath` is still empty by the
-    // time loadFiles() runs, it self-redirects to /#/sharedwithme.
-    if (!app.isExternalUser) {
+    // `/api/folders//resources`. If `currentPath` is still empty by
+    // the time loadFiles() runs, it self-redirects to /#/sharedwithme.
+    if (!app.isExternalUser && !preservePath) {
         app.currentPath = app.userHomeFolderId || '';
         app.breadcrumbPath = [];
     }