diff --git a/CODE-AUDIT.md b/CODE-AUDIT.md
index 8aef6e8..70b8315 100644
--- a/CODE-AUDIT.md
+++ b/CODE-AUDIT.md
@@ -309,8 +309,19 @@ token system + shared primitives (UI/SIMP — high value, larger effort) · i18n
   preload + handler + mock, zero callers).
 - [x] **M3 — Remove duplicated completion side-effect in `store/downloads.ts`** (history write +
   `markDownloaded` in both `applyEvent('done')` and the preview ticker). Subsumed by C2.
-- [ ] **M4 — Decide queue persistence explicitly.** Scheduler/queue is renderer-memory only;
-  `saved`/scheduled items don't survive a quit. Persist or document as a non-goal in code.
+- [x] **M4 — Decide queue persistence explicitly.** Scheduler/queue is renderer-memory only;
+  `saved`/scheduled items don't survive a quit. Persist or document as a non-goal in code. *Fixed
+  (persist, per the run decision): a main [queue.ts](src/main/queue.ts) store (the proven cached-atomic
+  `createJsonStore`, `queue.json`) plus `queue:list`/`queue:save` IPC. The renderer mirrors its durable
+  items on every queue change (a `PersistedQueueItem` = the stable subset of `DownloadItem`; runtime-only
+  progress/speed/eta are dropped, and a signature over the persistable subset means progress ticks don't
+  re-save) and rehydrates on launch via an `App` `useEffect`. On restore a `downloading` item (its process
+  died) normalizes back to `queued` (yt-dlp continues the `.part`), `saved`+`scheduledFor` survives so the
+  promoter fires it when due, `paused`/`error` return actionable; `completed`/`canceled` are never persisted.
+  A `queueHydrated` gate stops a launch-time store change wiping the file before it's read. Pure mappers
+  extracted to [queuePersist.ts](src/renderer/src/store/queuePersist.ts) and unit-tested (`test/queuePersist.test.ts`);
+  plumbing is typecheck-verified. **Live-verify note:** the OS-level quit→relaunch cycle itself wasn't
+  smoke-tested here — worth a manual confirm (schedule/park an item, quit, relaunch).*
 - [x] **M5 — Command-preview feature is fully built but unwired.** `CommandPreviewResult` type +
   `command:preview` channel + `previewCommand` (download.ts) + `formatCommandLine`/
   `quoteForDisplay` (buildArgs) + preload method all exist, but no renderer component calls
diff --git a/ROADMAP.md b/ROADMAP.md
index 5abb98b..9ccdaba 100644
--- a/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/ROADMAP.md
@@ -342,8 +342,10 @@ Today `src/renderer/src/store/downloads.ts` has cancel + retry only.
       `datetime-local` input in `DownloadBar.tsx` (future time parks the new download as
       scheduled), plus per-row **Save for later** / **Add to queue** actions in `QueueItem.tsx`;
       saved items survive "Clear finished". Distinct from the Phase J `--sync` schedule (which is
-      for *sources*). **Limitation: the queue isn't persisted, so a schedule only fires while
-      AeroFetch is running** — noted in the UI hint and the code.*
+      for *sources*). The queue is now persisted across restarts (audit M4 — `queue.json` via
+      `src/main/queue.ts`), so a parked/scheduled item survives a quit and its schedule fires on the
+      next launch once due. (The app must still be running at the scheduled moment for an immediate
+      fire; a schedule that came due while closed fires at the next launch.)*
 
 ## Phase N — Power-user surface ✅ COMPLETE
 
diff --git a/src/main/constants.ts b/src/main/constants.ts
index fbc2fd9..fbae5fe 100644
--- a/src/main/constants.ts
+++ b/src/main/constants.ts
@@ -63,3 +63,5 @@ export const ERRORLOG_MAX_ENTRIES = 200
 export const TEMPLATES_MAX = 100
 /** Indexed media items across all sources (media-items.json). */
 export const MEDIA_ITEMS_MAX = 20_000
+/** Persisted download-queue rows (queue.json, M4) — generous; a whole channel can be queued. */
+export const QUEUE_MAX = 10_000
diff --git a/src/main/ipc.ts b/src/main/ipc.ts
index a279b66..0584a63 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ import {
   type CommandTemplate,
   type YtdlpUpdateChannel,
   type SystemThemeInfo,
-  type TaskbarProgress
+  type TaskbarProgress,
+  type PersistedQueueItem
 } from '@shared/ipc'
 import { PAGE_BACKGROUND } from '@shared/theme'
 import { getYtdlpVersion, updateYtdlp } from './ytdlp'
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ import { listTemplates, saveTemplate, removeTemplate } from './templates'
 import { safeOpenPath, safeShowInFolder } from './reveal'
 import { openCookieLoginWindow, getCookiesStatus, clearCookies } from './cookies'
 import { listErrorLog, addErrorLog, clearErrorLog } from './errorlog'
+import { listQueue, saveQueue } from './queue'
 import { exportBackup, importBackup } from './backup'
 import {
   listSources,
@@ -208,6 +210,11 @@ export function registerIpcHandlers(getMainWindow: () => BrowserWindow | null):
   ipcMain.handle(IpcChannels.errorLogList, () => listErrorLog())
   ipcMain.handle(IpcChannels.errorLogClear, () => clearErrorLog())
 
+  // Persisted download queue (M4): the renderer mirrors its durable items here and
+  // rehydrates them on launch, so saved/scheduled/pending downloads survive a quit.
+  ipcMain.handle(IpcChannels.queueList, () => listQueue())
+  ipcMain.handle(IpcChannels.queueSave, (_e, items: PersistedQueueItem[]) => saveQueue(items))
+
   ipcMain.handle(IpcChannels.backupExport, (e) =>
     exportBackup(BrowserWindow.fromWebContents(e.sender) ?? undefined)
   )
diff --git a/src/main/queue.ts b/src/main/queue.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a0d863
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/queue.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import { createJsonStore } from './jsonStore'
+import { QUEUE_MAX } from './constants'
+import type { PersistedQueueItem, PersistedQueueStatus } from '@shared/ipc'
+
+/**
+ * Persistence for the download queue (M4). The queue lived only in renderer memory,
+ * so `saved` / scheduled and other pending downloads were silently lost on quit.
+ * The renderer now mirrors its durable items here (via `queueSave`) and rehydrates
+ * them on launch (via `queueList`), so a parked/scheduled download returns.
+ *
+ * Reuses the shared cached-atomic `createJsonStore` (R1/R2/R3), so writes are atomic
+ * and coalesced — the renderer can call `queueSave` freely on queue changes.
+ */
+
+const PERSISTED_STATUSES: readonly PersistedQueueStatus[] = [
+  'queued',
+  'downloading',
+  'paused',
+  'saved',
+  'error'
+]
+
+/** Defensive row validator (a hand-edited or partially-written file can't crash a read). */
+function isValidQueueItem(o: unknown): o is PersistedQueueItem {
+  if (typeof o !== 'object' || o === null) return false
+  const it = o as Record<string, unknown>
+  return (
+    typeof it.id === 'string' &&
+    typeof it.url === 'string' &&
+    typeof it.title === 'string' &&
+    (it.kind === 'video' || it.kind === 'audio') &&
+    typeof it.quality === 'string' &&
+    typeof it.status === 'string' &&
+    (PERSISTED_STATUSES as readonly string[]).includes(it.status)
+  )
+}
+
+const store = createJsonStore('queue.json', isValidQueueItem, QUEUE_MAX)
+
+export function listQueue(): PersistedQueueItem[] {
+  return store.read()
+}
+
+export function saveQueue(items: PersistedQueueItem[]): void {
+  store.write(items)
+}
diff --git a/src/preload/index.ts b/src/preload/index.ts
index f406e8b..8bd09f6 100644
--- a/src/preload/index.ts
+++ b/src/preload/index.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ import {
   type ScheduledSyncStatus,
   type TerminalEvent,
   type TerminalRunResult,
-  type TaskbarProgress
+  type TaskbarProgress,
+  type PersistedQueueItem
 } from '@shared/ipc'
 
 // The surface exposed to the renderer. Keep this thin: it only forwards to IPC.
@@ -139,6 +140,13 @@ const api = {
 
   clearErrorLog: (): Promise<ErrorLogEntry[]> => ipcRenderer.invoke(IpcChannels.errorLogClear),
 
+  /** Load the persisted download queue on launch (M4). */
+  listQueue: (): Promise<PersistedQueueItem[]> => ipcRenderer.invoke(IpcChannels.queueList),
+
+  /** Mirror the renderer's durable queue items to disk so they survive a quit (M4). */
+  saveQueue: (items: PersistedQueueItem[]): Promise<void> =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke(IpcChannels.queueSave, items),
+
   /** Opens a save dialog and writes settings + templates to the chosen JSON file. */
   exportBackup: (): Promise<BackupExportResult> => ipcRenderer.invoke(IpcChannels.backupExport),
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/App.tsx b/src/renderer/src/App.tsx
index 5681979..49de5a5 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/App.tsx
@@ -98,11 +98,17 @@ function App(): React.JSX.Element {
     return useDownloads.subscribe((st) => push(st.items))
   }, [])
 
+  // Rehydrate the persisted download queue on launch (M4) so saved/scheduled and
+  // other pending items return from the previous session.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    useDownloads.getState().hydrate()
+  }, [])
+
   // Promote scheduled ('saved' + a due scheduledFor) items when their time arrives.
-  // Session-only: the queue isn't persisted, so a schedule only fires while the app
-  // runs (noted in ROADMAP.md). A 15s tick is plenty for minute-granularity times.
-  // Lives here (not at the downloads store's module load) so importing the store in
-  // tests/preview doesn't start a stray timer, and the interval is cleared cleanly
+  // The queue is persisted (M4), so a scheduled item survives a quit and fires on the
+  // next launch once its time has passed. A 15s tick is plenty for minute-granularity
+  // times. Lives here (not at the downloads store's module load) so importing the store
+  // in tests/preview doesn't start a stray timer, and the interval is cleared cleanly
   // on unmount (L1).
   useEffect(() => {
     const tick = setInterval(() => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/mockApi.ts b/src/renderer/src/mockApi.ts
index eaac20d..2b69add 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/mockApi.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/mockApi.ts
@@ -184,6 +184,8 @@ export const mockApi: Api = {
   onYtdlpAutoUpdateStatus: () => () => {},
   listErrorLog: async () => [],
   clearErrorLog: async () => [],
+  listQueue: async () => [],
+  saveQueue: async () => {},
   exportBackup: async () => ({
     ok: true,
     path: 'C:\\Users\\you\\Downloads\\aerofetch-backup.json'
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/downloadTypes.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/downloadTypes.ts
index c5de272..1e2a215 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/downloadTypes.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/downloadTypes.ts
@@ -124,4 +124,6 @@ export interface DownloadState {
   pump: () => void
   /** internal: apply a main-process download event */
   applyEvent: (ev: DownloadEvent) => void
+  /** Load the persisted queue from main on launch (M4); no-op in preview. */
+  hydrate: () => void
 }
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/downloads.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/downloads.ts
index cb81ea6..cc35900 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/downloads.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/downloads.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 import { create } from 'zustand'
 import { type MediaKind } from '@shared/ipc'
 import { isPreview as PREVIEW } from '../isPreview'
+import { logError } from '../reportError'
 import { useSettings } from './settings'
 import { useHistory } from './history'
 import { emit, on } from './coordinator'
 import { RESOLVING, buildItem } from './downloadItem'
+import { fromPersisted, persistableItems } from './queuePersist'
 import { seed } from './downloadSeed'
 import {
   type ChosenFormat,
@@ -19,6 +21,11 @@ import {
 // `import { … } from '../store/downloads'` sites keep working.
 export type { MediaKind, ChosenFormat, DownloadItem, DownloadStatus, AddOptions, AddEntry }
 
+// M4: gate the persist subscription until the initial hydrate has read the saved
+// queue, so a launch-time store mutation can't overwrite queue.json with [] before
+// we've loaded it back.
+let queueHydrated = false
+
 // Side-effects to run exactly once when a download completes: record it to
 // history (unless private) and mark its source MediaItem downloaded. Shared by
 // the real `applyEvent('done')` path and the preview ticker so the two can't
@@ -154,6 +161,29 @@ export const useDownloads = create<DownloadState>((set, get) => {
     items: seed,
     pump,
 
+    hydrate: () => {
+      if (PREVIEW) return
+      window.api
+        .listQueue()
+        .then((persisted) => {
+          if (persisted.length === 0) return
+          // Merge ahead of anything already present (normally nothing at launch),
+          // de-duping by id so a double-hydrate can't double-insert.
+          set((s) => {
+            const have = new Set(s.items.map((i) => i.id))
+            const add = persisted.filter((p) => !have.has(p.id)).map(fromPersisted)
+            return add.length ? { items: [...s.items, ...add] } : {}
+          })
+          pump()
+        })
+        .catch(logError('listQueue'))
+        .finally(() => {
+          // Enable persistence once the read has completed (success or failure), so
+          // subsequent queue changes are saved but the pre-hydrate window can't wipe.
+          queueHydrated = true
+        })
+    },
+
     addFromUrl: (url, kind, quality, opts) => {
       set((s) => ({ items: [buildItem(url, kind, quality, opts), ...s.items] }))
       pump()
@@ -409,6 +439,24 @@ export const useDownloads = create<DownloadState>((set, get) => {
 // no direct import from sources, so the two stores stay acyclic.
 on('enqueueDownloads', (entries) => useDownloads.getState().addMany(entries))
 
+// M4: mirror the durable queue to main whenever it changes, so saved/scheduled and
+// other pending items survive a quit. Skipped in preview (no IPC bridge). A
+// progress-only update doesn't churn this — toPersisted drops progress/speed/eta, so
+// the persistable snapshot is unchanged by a tick and no redundant save fires. Main's
+// jsonStore coalesces the actual disk writes.
+if (!PREVIEW) {
+  let lastSig = ''
+  useDownloads.subscribe((state) => {
+    // Don't persist until the initial hydrate has read the saved file (above).
+    if (!queueHydrated) return
+    const persistable = persistableItems(state.items)
+    const sig = JSON.stringify(persistable)
+    if (sig === lastSig) return
+    lastSig = sig
+    window.api.saveQueue(persistable).catch(logError('saveQueue'))
+  })
+}
+
 // The scheduled-download promoter tick lives in App (a useEffect), not here, so
 // importing this store in tests/preview doesn't start a stray never-cleared timer
 // on module load (L1). See SCHEDULE_TICK_MS / App.tsx.
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/queuePersist.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/queuePersist.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..90623e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/queuePersist.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { type PersistedQueueItem, type PersistedQueueStatus } from '@shared/ipc'
+import { type DownloadItem, type DownloadStatus } from './downloadTypes'
+
+/**
+ * Pure mapping between the live `DownloadItem` and the durable `PersistedQueueItem`
+ * main stores across restarts (M4). Kept free of any store/zustand import so it can
+ * be unit-tested in isolation (mirrors queueStats / formatters). Only stable fields
+ * persist — runtime-only progress/speed/eta/sizeLabel/finishing are dropped and
+ * re-derived on restore.
+ */
+
+// Statuses worth surviving a quit. 'completed'/'canceled' are transient results
+// (completions already live in history) and are never persisted.
+export const PERSISTED_STATUSES: readonly DownloadStatus[] = [
+  'queued',
+  'downloading',
+  'paused',
+  'saved',
+  'error'
+]
+
+export function toPersisted(i: DownloadItem): PersistedQueueItem {
+  return {
+    id: i.id,
+    url: i.url,
+    title: i.title,
+    channel: i.channel,
+    durationLabel: i.durationLabel,
+    thumbnail: i.thumbnail,
+    kind: i.kind,
+    quality: i.quality,
+    status: i.status as PersistedQueueStatus,
+    filePath: i.filePath,
+    error: i.error,
+    formatId: i.formatId,
+    formatHasAudio: i.formatHasAudio,
+    options: i.options,
+    extraArgs: i.extraArgs,
+    trim: i.trim,
+    scheduledFor: i.scheduledFor,
+    incognito: i.incognito,
+    probedMeta: i.probedMeta,
+    collection: i.collection,
+    mediaItemId: i.mediaItemId
+  }
+}
+
+export function fromPersisted(p: PersistedQueueItem): DownloadItem {
+  return {
+    ...p,
+    // A download in flight when we quit lost its process; re-queue it (yt-dlp
+    // continues the .part on relaunch). Progress restarts from 0.
+    status: p.status === 'downloading' ? 'queued' : p.status,
+    progress: 0
+  }
+}
+
+/** The persistable subset of the live queue, in durable form. */
+export function persistableItems(items: DownloadItem[]): PersistedQueueItem[] {
+  return items
+    .filter((i) => (PERSISTED_STATUSES as readonly string[]).includes(i.status))
+    .map(toPersisted)
+}
diff --git a/src/shared/ipc.ts b/src/shared/ipc.ts
index 014022e..96cf986 100644
--- a/src/shared/ipc.ts
+++ b/src/shared/ipc.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ export const IpcChannels = {
   ytdlpAutoUpdateStatus: 'ytdlp:auto-update-status',
   errorLogList: 'errorlog:list',
   errorLogClear: 'errorlog:clear',
+  /** Persisted download queue (M4): saved/scheduled/pending items survive a quit. */
+  queueList: 'queue:list',
+  queueSave: 'queue:save',
   backupExport: 'backup:export',
   backupImport: 'backup:import',
   systemThemeGet: 'system-theme:get',
@@ -501,6 +504,41 @@ export type DownloadEvent =
   | { type: 'done'; id: string; filePath?: string }
   | { type: 'error'; id: string; error: string }
 
+/** The subset of a persisted queue item's status worth surviving a quit. */
+export type PersistedQueueStatus = 'queued' | 'downloading' | 'paused' | 'saved' | 'error'
+
+/**
+ * A queue item persisted across restarts (M4) so saved/scheduled and other pending
+ * downloads return after a quit. This is the *durable* subset of the renderer's
+ * `DownloadItem`: runtime-only fields (progress/speed/eta/sizeLabel/finishing) are
+ * dropped since a restored item re-derives them. Transient results ('completed' /
+ * 'canceled') are never persisted; on load a 'downloading' item is normalized back
+ * to 'queued' because its process died with the previous session.
+ */
+export interface PersistedQueueItem {
+  id: string
+  url: string
+  title: string
+  channel?: string
+  durationLabel?: string
+  thumbnail?: string
+  kind: MediaKind
+  quality: string
+  status: PersistedQueueStatus
+  filePath?: string
+  error?: string
+  formatId?: string
+  formatHasAudio?: boolean
+  options?: DownloadOptions
+  extraArgs?: string
+  trim?: string
+  scheduledFor?: number
+  incognito?: boolean
+  probedMeta?: DownloadMeta
+  collection?: CollectionContext
+  mediaItemId?: string
+}
+
 /** Persisted user settings (electron-store). */
 export interface Settings {
   /** where video downloads are saved; empty string = the default Documents\Video folder */
diff --git a/test/queuePersist.test.ts b/test/queuePersist.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63b0d74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/queuePersist.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  toPersisted,
+  fromPersisted,
+  persistableItems
+} from '../src/renderer/src/store/queuePersist'
+import type { DownloadItem } from '../src/renderer/src/store/downloadTypes'
+
+function item(over: Partial<DownloadItem>): DownloadItem {
+  return {
+    id: 'i1',
+    url: 'https://example.com/1',
+    title: 'Title',
+    kind: 'video',
+    quality: '1080p',
+    status: 'queued',
+    progress: 0,
+    ...over
+  }
+}
+
+describe('queuePersist (M4)', () => {
+  it('keeps pending states and drops transient completed/canceled', () => {
+    const items = [
+      item({ id: 'q', status: 'queued' }),
+      item({ id: 'd', status: 'downloading' }),
+      item({ id: 'p', status: 'paused' }),
+      item({ id: 's', status: 'saved', scheduledFor: 123 }),
+      item({ id: 'e', status: 'error', error: 'boom' }),
+      item({ id: 'c', status: 'completed' }),
+      item({ id: 'x', status: 'canceled' })
+    ]
+    expect(persistableItems(items).map((i) => i.id)).toEqual(['q', 'd', 'p', 's', 'e'])
+  })
+
+  it('drops runtime-only fields when persisting', () => {
+    const p = toPersisted(
+      item({
+        progress: 0.5,
+        speedBytesPerSec: 1000,
+        etaSeconds: 10,
+        sizeLabel: '5 MB',
+        finishing: true
+      })
+    )
+    expect(p).not.toHaveProperty('progress')
+    expect(p).not.toHaveProperty('speedBytesPerSec')
+    expect(p).not.toHaveProperty('etaSeconds')
+    expect(p).not.toHaveProperty('sizeLabel')
+    expect(p).not.toHaveProperty('finishing')
+  })
+
+  it('normalizes a downloading item back to queued with progress 0 on restore', () => {
+    const restored = fromPersisted(toPersisted(item({ status: 'downloading', progress: 0.7 })))
+    expect(restored.status).toBe('queued')
+    expect(restored.progress).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('preserves saved + scheduledFor across a round-trip (the core M4 promise)', () => {
+    const restored = fromPersisted(toPersisted(item({ status: 'saved', scheduledFor: 999 })))
+    expect(restored.status).toBe('saved')
+    expect(restored.scheduledFor).toBe(999)
+  })
+
+  it('round-trips durable fields (formatId/trim/incognito)', () => {
+    const restored = fromPersisted(
+      toPersisted(
+        item({ formatId: '137', formatHasAudio: false, trim: '1:00-2:00', incognito: true })
+      )
+    )
+    expect(restored.formatId).toBe('137')
+    expect(restored.trim).toBe('1:00-2:00')
+    expect(restored.incognito).toBe(true)
+  })
+})