SumatraPDF Remember Last Page Not Working: How to Fix It

If SumatraPDF reopens a PDF or eBook at the beginning instead of returning to the last page, zoom level, or scroll position, the problem usually falls into one of four categories: per-document state is disabled, the saved state for that file is stale or damaged, SumatraPDF cannot write to its settings file, or the document is being opened from a different path each time. This guide focuses specifically on per-document state. It does not cover restoring every tab or reopening an entire previous session.

1. Confirm the Symptom With a Local PDF Test

Start with a controlled test before editing settings or reinstalling anything. A simple local PDF separates a SumatraPDF state problem from complications involving browsers, email attachments, cloud services, archives, network locations, or less common document formats.

1.1 Run the basic test

1. Save a normal, unrestricted PDF in a permanent local folder such as Documents.
2. Open it directly in SumatraPDF.
3. Move to a page well beyond the first page.
4. Change the zoom level and scroll partway down the page.
5. Close SumatraPDF normally.
6. Open the same PDF from the same saved path.

Success means the PDF returns to approximately the same page, zoom, and scroll position. If that happens, stop changing SumatraPDF settings. The original problem is probably tied to the source document, its changing path, or its format rather than SumatraPDF's general ability to save state.

If the local PDF also opens at the beginning, continue with the setting and settings-file checks below.

1.2 Make sure you are testing the same application copy

Windows can have an installed copy of SumatraPDF and one or more portable copies at the same time. Each copy may use a different settings file. Double-clicking a PDF might launch the installed application, while a pinned shortcut might launch a portable copy.

During testing, open SumatraPDF first and then open the PDF from within that same window. This prevents a Windows file association from silently starting another copy. If the test works this way but fails when you double-click the document, inspect the PDF file association and your shortcuts. They should point to the SumatraPDF executable whose settings you are changing.

2. Check the Settings That Control Per-Document State

The most important advanced setting for this symptom is RememberStatePerDocument. It controls whether SumatraPDF preserves state associated with individual documents.

2.1 Verify RememberStatePerDocument

Open SumatraPDF's advanced settings through its settings menu and look for this line:

RememberStatePerDocument = true

If it is set to false, change it to true, save the file, and restart SumatraPDF if necessary. Then repeat the local PDF test.

Success means reopening the same PDF from the same path returns to its saved page or position. Once this works, no additional reset or reinstall is needed.

2.2 Understand RememberOpenedFiles

You may also see this setting:

RememberOpenedFiles = true

This setting concerns SumatraPDF's record of opened files and related history behavior. It is not the same as restoring an entire previous session, and it should not be treated as a substitute for RememberStatePerDocument. For straightforward troubleshooting, leave both settings enabled while testing.

The important distinction is that per-document state answers, “Where was I in this particular file?” Session restoration answers, “Which windows or tabs were open?” This article addresses the first question.

2.3 Do not assume a global default replaces saved file state

SumatraPDF can retain state for a file that has already been opened. That state can include its page number, zoom, display mode, and scroll position. As a result, changing a global default may appear to do nothing for previously opened documents because their individual saved entries take precedence.

Test a never-before-opened local PDF after changing a global display default. If the new file follows the default but an old file does not, SumatraPDF is probably working as designed. Reset the old file's saved entry instead of repeatedly changing global settings.

3. Check the Document Path and Launch Method

SumatraPDF needs to recognize the document as the same file. A document that has the same visible name but appears at a new path may be treated as a different document with no prior reading position.

3.1 Avoid temporary attachment and browser paths

Files opened directly from a browser, email program, messaging application, archive utility, or document-management system may be copied into a temporary folder. The temporary filename or folder can change on the next opening. SumatraPDF then sees a new path and cannot match it to the previously stored state.

Save the document to a permanent local folder and open that saved copy every time. If it now remembers the page, the original temporary path was the cause. Stop troubleshooting the reader because its state storage is functioning.

3.2 Watch for renamed, moved, or synchronized files

Renaming or moving a document can give it a new identity in the saved file-state list. Cloud synchronization tools may also expose a file through different paths, especially when switching between a synchronized folder, a shortcut, and a downloaded copy.

Use one stable path during the test. Also confirm that the file is fully available locally rather than represented only by an online placeholder. The key question is not whether the content looks identical, but whether SumatraPDF receives the same persistent path.

3.3 Confirm the correct Windows file association

If opening from inside SumatraPDF remembers the position but double-clicking does not, Windows may be launching another executable. Check the default application assigned to the affected extension, such as .pdf, .epub, .djvu, or .chm.

Portable copies are especially easy to move or duplicate. Update the default application or consistently launch documents from the intended copy. Success means both opening methods use the same SumatraPDF configuration and produce the same remembered position.

4. Rule Out Format and External Tool Factors

A local PDF is the best baseline because it avoids many format-specific variables. If state works for that PDF but not for another document type, focus on that format and the way the document is opened.

4.1 Compare the affected format with a PDF

SumatraPDF supports multiple formats, including PDFs, eBooks, comics, CHM, DjVu, XPS, images, and other documents. Their internal navigation models differ. Some are page-based, while reflowable eBooks may calculate locations according to layout, window size, font settings, or rendering conditions.

Repeat the test with two files:

• A stable local PDF with several pages
• A stable local copy of the affected eBook, comic, CHM, DjVu, XPS, or image-based document

If only the second format fails, do not delete all settings yet. Confirm that its file path remains stable and that the file itself opens and renders correctly. Testing another file of the same format can reveal whether the problem follows one document or the entire format.

4.2 Know when codecs or Ghostscript are relevant

Codecs, Ghostscript, printer drivers, and external conversion tools are not normally responsible for remembering a page in an ordinary PDF. Investigate them only when the affected workflow actually relies on them or when the document fails to render correctly.

For example, an external conversion process might generate a newly named output file every time. In that case, SumatraPDF receives a different document path, so there is no matching state to restore. Fix the changing output path rather than installing unrelated rendering components.

A printer driver matters to printing, not ordinary reading-position persistence. If the document displays normally and only the remembered page fails, changing the printer driver is unlikely to help.

4.3 Consider document restrictions without bypassing them

A restricted or unusual document may behave differently, but reading-position troubleshooting should not involve bypassing DRM, passwords, or publisher restrictions. Use a document you are authorized to open and save locally. If a protected eBook must be opened through another authorized application or managed location, its path and navigation behavior may not be comparable to a normal local PDF.

5. Inspect SumatraPDF-settings.txt Safely

SumatraPDF stores advanced preferences and per-document records in SumatraPDF-settings.txt. Its location depends on whether you use the installed or portable edition. The safest way to find the active file is to open the advanced settings from the exact SumatraPDF copy used for the test.

5.1 Check whether the file can be written

Close SumatraPDF normally after changing a harmless preference, then reopen the settings file and verify that the change persisted. If it did not, the application may lack permission to write to the file or its folder.

This is particularly common with portable installations placed in protected locations, read-only folders, removable media with write protection, or folders controlled by another account. A portable copy stored under a restricted application directory may be able to read its settings without being able to update them.

Move the portable folder to a user-writable location, such as a folder inside Documents, and test again. Alternatively, correct the file or folder permissions using normal Windows security controls. Do not grant unnecessarily broad permissions to the entire system.

Success means the settings file's modification time changes after SumatraPDF closes and the local PDF subsequently returns to its previous position.

5.2 Find the FileStates section

The settings file can contain a FileStates section with individual blocks for documents. These entries associate a file path with saved values such as page number, zoom, display mode, or scroll position.

Close every SumatraPDF window before manually editing this file. If the program remains open, it may overwrite your changes when it exits. Make a backup copy before proceeding.

Search the FileStates section for the full path or filename of the affected document. If an entry exists, its saved values may be stale or inconsistent. If no entry appears after opening, moving within, and closing a local PDF, settings are probably not being persisted.

5.3 Delete only one affected FileStates block

To reset one document without erasing all history, remove only the complete nested block corresponding to that file. Preserve the surrounding FileStates structure and all blocks belonging to other documents.

1. Exit SumatraPDF completely.
2. Back up SumatraPDF-settings.txt.
3. Locate the affected document's block inside FileStates.
4. Delete that complete block only.
5. Save the text file without changing its filename.
6. Reopen the document, move to a later page, close SumatraPDF, and open it again.

Success means SumatraPDF creates fresh state for the document and returns to the new position. Stop at this point. There is no benefit in deleting unrelated entries or reinstalling the application.

If you are uncertain where a block begins and ends, use the clean temporary test below instead of manually editing the structure.

6. Run a Clean Temporary Test

A clean settings test determines whether the existing configuration is responsible while preserving an easy path back to your preferences and history.

6.1 Back up and temporarily rename the settings file

1. Close all SumatraPDF windows.
2. Locate the active SumatraPDF-settings.txt file.
3. Copy it to a safe backup location.
4. Rename the original to something recognizable, such as SumatraPDF-settings-backup.txt.
5. Start SumatraPDF and allow it to create a fresh settings file.
6. Confirm that RememberStatePerDocument is enabled.
7. Run the stable local PDF test again.

If the clean configuration remembers the page, the old settings file contained the cause. You can keep the fresh file and reapply preferences carefully, or restore the backup and reset only the affected document entry.

If the clean configuration still fails and its settings file is not updated, investigate folder permissions, security software controls, or whether you are editing and launching different SumatraPDF copies.

6.2 Test with a separate portable copy when needed

A temporary portable copy in a writable user folder can provide another clean comparison. Use it only for a known local PDF and avoid importing the old settings file at first.

If the portable test works, the document itself is probably fine. The likely causes are the installed copy's configuration, settings location, permissions, or Windows association. If both copies fail only with the original document, investigate that document's source path or format.

Reinstallation should come after this test, not before it. Reinstalling may leave the same user settings in place, so it often does not fix a damaged FileStates entry or an unwritable portable settings file.

7. Quick Fix Checklist

• Test with a multi-page PDF saved in a permanent local folder.
• Open the file twice from the exact same path.
• Confirm RememberStatePerDocument = true.
• Leave RememberOpenedFiles enabled during troubleshooting.
• Make sure Windows launches the SumatraPDF copy whose settings you edited.
• Avoid testing with email attachments, browser downloads, archive previews, or changing temporary paths.
• Check that SumatraPDF-settings.txt is writable and updates after closing the reader.
• Remember that saved FileStates entries can override global defaults for previously opened files.
• Reset only the affected document's FileStates block when possible.
• Use a backed-up clean settings test before reinstalling or deleting everything.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

8.1 Why does SumatraPDF remember one PDF but not another?

The failing document may be opened from a temporary or changing path, have a stale FileStates entry, or use a format with different navigation behavior. Save it locally under one stable filename, reset only its saved state, and test again.

8.2 Does RememberOpenedFiles control the last page?

It is related to remembering opened files and history, but RememberStatePerDocument is the central setting for retaining state associated with each document. Keep both enabled during diagnosis, but do not confuse either option with restoring an entire previous session.

8.3 Why did changing the default zoom not affect an old PDF?

A previously opened PDF can have its own saved zoom and display state in FileStates. That per-document entry can take priority over the global default. Test the default with a new file or delete only the old PDF's saved block to let SumatraPDF create a fresh one.

8.4 Will reinstalling SumatraPDF fix remembered-page problems?

Not necessarily. A reinstall may preserve the same user settings, and it will not fix a portable folder that is unwritable or a document whose path changes every time. Run a clean settings test first because it identifies these causes more directly.

8.5 Is it safe to delete SumatraPDF-settings.txt?

Deleting it can reset preferences and stored document state, so a backup and temporary rename are safer. If only one document is affected, remove only its FileStates block instead of discarding the entire file.

8.6 When should I stop troubleshooting?

Stop as soon as the stable local PDF reopens at its saved page, zoom, or scroll position. If the original document still fails afterward, focus only on that file's path, source, format, or individual FileStates entry. Further global changes could disturb a configuration that is already working.