diff --git a/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/__tests__/tabs.spec.ts b/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/__tests__/tabs.spec.ts
index 3c9dcfab193..a5fc7c3d452 100644
--- a/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/__tests__/tabs.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/__tests__/tabs.spec.ts
@@ -154,8 +154,9 @@ describe('clearHeadersFromTabs', () => {
   it('preserves tab state except for headers', () => {
     const storage = createMockStorage();
     const stateWithoutHeaders = {
-      hash: 123,
-      response: {
+      operationName: 'test',
+      query: 'query test {\n  test {\n    id\n  }\n}',
+      test: {
         a: 'test',
       },
     };
diff --git a/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/context.tsx b/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/context.tsx
index 30219d474e4..ce867659396 100644
--- a/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/context.tsx
+++ b/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/context.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ import {
   useStoreTabs,
   useSynchronizeActiveTabValues,
   clearHeadersFromTabs,
+  serializeTabState,
+  STORAGE_KEY as STORAGE_KEY_TABS,
 } from './tabs';
 import { CodeMirrorEditor } from './types';
 import { STORAGE_KEY as STORAGE_KEY_VARIABLES } from './variable-editor';
@@ -274,25 +276,13 @@ export function EditorContextProvider(props: EditorContextProviderProps) {
   const [shouldPersistHeaders, setShouldPersistHeadersInternal] = useState(
     () => {
       const propValue = Boolean(props.shouldPersistHeaders);
-      return userControlledShouldPersistHeaders
-        ? storage?.get(PERSIST_HEADERS_STORAGE_KEY) === 'true' || propValue
+      const isStored = storage?.get(PERSIST_HEADERS_STORAGE_KEY) !== null;
+      return userControlledShouldPersistHeaders && isStored
+        ? storage?.get(PERSIST_HEADERS_STORAGE_KEY) === 'true'
         : propValue;
     },
   );
 
-  const setShouldPersistHeaders = useCallback(
-    (persist: boolean) => {
-      // clean up when setting to false
-      if (!persist) {
-        storage?.set(STORAGE_KEY_HEADERS, '');
-        clearHeadersFromTabs(storage);
-      }
-      setShouldPersistHeadersInternal(persist);
-      storage?.set(PERSIST_HEADERS_STORAGE_KEY, persist.toString());
-    },
-    [storage],
-  );
-
   useSynchronizeValue(headerEditor, props.headers);
   useSynchronizeValue(queryEditor, props.query);
   useSynchronizeValue(responseEditor, props.response);
@@ -337,6 +327,22 @@ export function EditorContextProvider(props: EditorContextProviderProps) {
 
   const [tabState, setTabState] = useState<TabsState>(initialState.tabState);
 
+  const setShouldPersistHeaders = useCallback(
+    (persist: boolean) => {
+      if (persist) {
+        storage?.set(STORAGE_KEY_HEADERS, headerEditor?.getValue() ?? '');
+        const serializedTabs = serializeTabState(tabState, true);
+        storage?.set(STORAGE_KEY_TABS, serializedTabs);
+      } else {
+        storage?.set(STORAGE_KEY_HEADERS, '');
+        clearHeadersFromTabs(storage);
+      }
+      setShouldPersistHeadersInternal(persist);
+      storage?.set(PERSIST_HEADERS_STORAGE_KEY, persist.toString());
+    },
+    [storage, tabState, headerEditor],
+  );
+
   const synchronizeActiveTabValues = useSynchronizeActiveTabValues({
     queryEditor,
     variableEditor,
diff --git a/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/tabs.ts b/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/tabs.ts
index d47e766e19f..d12c7e8e177 100644
--- a/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/tabs.ts
+++ b/packages/graphiql-react/src/editor/tabs.ts
@@ -210,6 +210,19 @@ export function useSynchronizeActiveTabValues({
   );
 }
 
+export function serializeTabState(
+  tabState: TabsState,
+  shouldPersistHeaders = false,
+) {
+  return JSON.stringify(tabState, (key, value) =>
+    key === 'hash' ||
+    key === 'response' ||
+    (!shouldPersistHeaders && key === 'headers')
+      ? null
+      : value,
+  );
+}
+
 export function useStoreTabs({
   storage,
   shouldPersistHeaders,
@@ -226,15 +239,7 @@ export function useStoreTabs({
   );
   return useCallback(
     (currentState: TabsState) => {
-      store(
-        JSON.stringify(currentState, (key, value) =>
-          key === 'hash' ||
-          key === 'response' ||
-          (!shouldPersistHeaders && key === 'headers')
-            ? null
-            : value,
-        ),
-      );
+      store(serializeTabState(currentState, shouldPersistHeaders));
     },
     [shouldPersistHeaders, store],
   );