diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs
index d08402ba4..28947ea4b 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs
@@ -677,7 +677,7 @@ pub enum Dialog {
         /// What the scan found (`None` while it runs).
         counts: Option<SyncCounts>,
         import_new: bool,
-        #[serde(default)]
+        #[serde(default = "yes")]
         relink_moved: bool,
         remove_missing: bool,
         read_metadata: bool,
@@ -686,6 +686,10 @@ pub enum Dialog {
     Shortcuts,
 }
 
+fn yes() -> bool {
+    true
+}
+
 /// How many changes a Synchronize Folder scan found, by kind.
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Default, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
 #[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/sync.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/sync.rs
index 642de3e5e..c44bc9421 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/sync.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/sync.rs
@@ -173,13 +173,17 @@ pub fn confirm(app: &mut LightcraftApp, dlg: &Dialog) -> Result<Value, String> {
     );
     app.sync_owns_changes = false;
     if r.is_err() {
-        // (the folder changed since the scan, or went offline): look again, in the background
-        let (path, disk) = (path.clone(), *disk);
+        // (the folder changed since the scan, or went offline): look again, in the background,
+        // keeping what was ticked; the error is what is reported, not a failure to look again
         let name = match dlg {
             Dialog::SynchronizeFolder { name, .. } => name.clone(),
             _ => String::new(),
         };
-        open(app, &path, &name, disk)?;
+        if open(app, path, &name, *disk).is_ok()
+            && let Some(Dialog::SynchronizeFolder { import_new: i, relink_moved: l, remove_missing: m, read_metadata: x, .. }) = &mut app.ui.dialog
+        {
+            (*i, *l, *m, *x) = (*import_new, *relink_moved, *remove_missing, *read_metadata);
+        }
     }
     r
 }
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/tests_sync.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/tests_sync.rs
index 631aaa6b5..d4ccd0ad3 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/tests_sync.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/tests_sync.rs
@@ -167,6 +167,9 @@ fn a_scan_gone_stale_in_the_dialog_is_made_again_in_the_background() {
     let dir = Scratch::new("restale");
     let mut h = changed_folder(&dir);
     open_and_scan(&mut h, &dir.path("trip"));
+    let r = h.request("ui.clickWidget", json!({"id": "syncRemoveMissing"}), T);
+    assert_eq!(r["ok"], true, "{r}");
+    h.step();
     // a photo of the folder changes while the dialog is open
     let a = h.app.session.catalog.photos().find(|p| p.file_name == "a.png").unwrap().id;
     let r = h.request("engine.execute", json!({"command": "photo.rate", "params": {"ids": [a.0], "rating": 3}}), T);
@@ -177,7 +180,8 @@ fn a_scan_gone_stale_in_the_dialog_is_made_again_in_the_background() {
     assert!(matches!(h.app.ui.dialog, Some(Dialog::SynchronizeFolder { .. })), "the dialog stays open");
     let rescanned = h.step_until(T, |h| matches!(&h.app.ui.dialog, Some(Dialog::SynchronizeFolder { counts: Some(_), .. })));
     assert!(rescanned, "and scans again");
+    assert!(matches!(h.app.ui.dialog, Some(Dialog::SynchronizeFolder { remove_missing: true, .. })), "keeping what was ticked");
     let r = h.request("ui.dialog.confirm", json!({}), T);
     assert_eq!(r["ok"], true, "{r}");
-    assert_eq!(in_library(&h), vec!["a.png", "b.png", "c.png"]);
+    assert_eq!(in_library(&h), vec!["a.png", "c.png"], "c came in, the missing b went");
 }