diff --git a/CODE-AUDIT.md b/CODE-AUDIT.md
index 35588d9..937e288 100644
--- a/CODE-AUDIT.md
+++ b/CODE-AUDIT.md
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ token system + shared primitives (UI/SIMP — high value, larger effort) · i18n
 - [ ] **M18 — Audio "quality" presets hard-code MP3.** `QUALITY_OPTIONS.audio` labels ("Best
   (MP3)", "320 kbps") are shown even when `downloadOptions.audioFormat` is opus/flac/wav, so the
   label contradicts the actual output format; `--audio-quality` is also meaningless for lossless.
-- [ ] **M19 — Sidebar-collapsed pref uses `localStorage`** while every other preference uses
+- [x] **M19 — Sidebar-collapsed pref uses `localStorage`** while every other preference uses
   electron-store — won't back up/restore and is lost in the portable build across machines.
 - [ ] **M20 — ProgressBar / native `<select>` accessibility.** QueueItem/DownloadsView
   `ProgressBar`s have no accessible name; several `Select`s carry both a `<Field label>` and an
diff --git a/src/main/settings.ts b/src/main/settings.ts
index 7876529..6bcdf0a 100644
--- a/src/main/settings.ts
+++ b/src/main/settings.ts
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ const DEFAULTS: Settings = {
   hasCompletedOnboarding: false,
   minimizeToTray: false,
   launchAtStartup: false,
+  sidebarCollapsed: false,
   updateToken: ''
 }
 
@@ -335,6 +336,7 @@ function applySettings(s: Store<Settings>, partial: Partial<Settings>): void {
       case 'autoDownloadNew':
       case 'hasCompletedOnboarding':
       case 'minimizeToTray':
+      case 'sidebarCollapsed':
         if (typeof value === 'boolean') s.set(key, value)
         break
       case 'launchAtStartup':
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/App.tsx b/src/renderer/src/App.tsx
index 37e19b2..0e26c5a 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/App.tsx
@@ -130,16 +130,9 @@ function App(): React.JSX.Element {
     window.api?.getAppVersion?.().then(setVersion).catch(logError('getAppVersion'))
   }, [])
 
-  // Sidebar collapse, persisted across launches in localStorage.
-  const [collapsed, setCollapsed] = useState(
-    () => localStorage.getItem('aerofetch.sidebarCollapsed') === '1'
-  )
+  const collapsed = useSettings((s) => s.sidebarCollapsed)
   function toggleCollapsed(): void {
-    setCollapsed((c) => {
-      const next = !c
-      localStorage.setItem('aerofetch.sidebarCollapsed', next ? '1' : '0')
-      return next
-    })
+    updateSettings({ sidebarCollapsed: !collapsed })
   }
   // Gate on `loaded` so a returning user's real settings never get clobbered
   // by a one-frame flash of the (default-false) onboarding state.
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/main.tsx b/src/renderer/src/main.tsx
index 9322c61..40c3990 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/main.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/main.tsx
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ if (import.meta.env.DEV && !window.api) {
     hasCompletedOnboarding: true,
     minimizeToTray: false,
     launchAtStartup: false,
+    sidebarCollapsed: false,
     updateToken: ''
   }
   // Stands in for the cookies.txt file's mtime — lets the Cookies card's
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/settings.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/settings.ts
index 052c6ea..7be2920 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/settings.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/settings.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ const FALLBACK: Settings = {
   hasCompletedOnboarding: PREVIEW,
   minimizeToTray: false,
   launchAtStartup: false,
+  sidebarCollapsed: false,
   updateToken: ''
 }
 
diff --git a/src/shared/ipc.ts b/src/shared/ipc.ts
index e09188d..139d272 100644
--- a/src/shared/ipc.ts
+++ b/src/shared/ipc.ts
@@ -553,6 +553,8 @@ export interface Settings {
   minimizeToTray: boolean
   /** launch AeroFetch automatically when the user signs in to Windows */
   launchAtStartup: boolean
+  /** whether the navigation sidebar is collapsed to icon-only mode */
+  sidebarCollapsed: boolean
   /**
    * Optional Gitea access token for the in-app updater. Empty = anonymous (works
    * only where the release repo allows anonymous access). When the release repo