Captchas

• I have read the instructions.
• I have searched existing issues and avoided creating duplicates.
• I am not filing an enhancement request.
• I have checked that this issue cannot be reproduced on Mozilla Firefox.
• I have checked that this issue can be reproduced once I removed all my Mods and Custom CSS.

What happened?

🐛 Bug: Zen browser always opens first window in previous desktop

🧩 Description
There appears to be an issue with how the normal Zen browser window chooses which virtual desktop to open in, under specific circumstances on Windows 11.

Steps to Reproduce:
If no Zen window is currently open, launching Zen from any desktop opens it in that current desktop ✅.

After that, if one window is open, launching Zen again opens new windows correctly in the current desktop ✅.

However, if all Zen windows are closed, and then Zen is launched again, the first new window always opens in the desktop that previously had the last active Zen window ❌.

Also, if Zen was last active in Desktop 2, then I close that window, and I then drag Desktop 2 to the position of Desktop 4 (so it is now labeled Desktop 4), the next time I launch Zen from desktop 3 or 2 for example, it will still open in that same desktop (now called Desktop 4), based on where the last active window was — not the current desktop I’m on.

If I delete/close that desktop (to which zen is defaulting to), the behavior resets. Zen will again open wherever it is launched — until the above pattern begins again.

✅ What Works as Expected
Zen Private Browsing windows do not have this issue — they always open in the current desktop, even if it's the first window opened.

💡 Additional Notes
This behavior is consistent and reproducible regardless of how the browser is launched (shortcut, Start menu, or PowerToys Run).
It seems the browser retains a reference to the desktop from the last closed window and defaults back to it when opening the next first window — except in private mode.

💻 System Info
Zen Version: 1.12.3b (Firefox 138.0.1) (64-bit)
OS: Windows 11 Version 24H2 (OS Build 26100.3775)
Architecture: 64-bit OS, x64-based processor
Launch Methods Tested: Desktop shortcut, Start menu, PowerToys Run
Affected: Only normal windows (not private windows)

Version

1.12.3b

What platform are you seeing the problem on?

Windows - x64

What component is this issue related to?

Other

Relevant log output if applicable