diff --git a/crates/recent_projects/src/recent_projects.rs b/crates/recent_projects/src/recent_projects.rs
index b97966692f6377d9761b9b689df1471031e0a011..104075f474840c2d02971cb516503db62e1dfe4b 100644
--- a/crates/recent_projects/src/recent_projects.rs
+++ b/crates/recent_projects/src/recent_projects.rs
@@ -311,8 +311,7 @@ impl PickerDelegate for RecentProjectsDelegate {
             .filter(|(_, (id, _, _))| !self.is_current_workspace(*id, cx))
             .map(|(id, (_, _, paths))| {
                 let combined_string = paths
-                    .paths()
-                    .iter()
+                    .ordered_paths()
                     .map(|path| path.compact().to_string_lossy().into_owned())
                     .collect::<Vec<_>>()
                     .join("");
@@ -462,8 +461,7 @@ impl PickerDelegate for RecentProjectsDelegate {
         let mut path_start_offset = 0;
 
         let (match_labels, paths): (Vec<_>, Vec<_>) = paths
-            .paths()
-            .iter()
+            .ordered_paths()
             .map(|p| p.compact())
             .map(|path| {
                 let highlighted_text =
diff --git a/crates/workspace/src/history_manager.rs b/crates/workspace/src/history_manager.rs
index f68b58ff8289c68883393e7be5087322ca76d480..1b80e7c0125aac0ccf4a0f41c1b5be3c4a651e72 100644
--- a/crates/workspace/src/history_manager.rs
+++ b/crates/workspace/src/history_manager.rs
@@ -128,8 +128,7 @@ impl HistoryManager {
 impl HistoryManagerEntry {
     pub fn new(id: WorkspaceId, paths: &PathList) -> Self {
         let path = paths
-            .paths()
-            .iter()
+            .ordered_paths()
             .map(|path| path.compact())
             .collect::<SmallVec<[PathBuf; 2]>>();
         Self { id, path }
diff --git a/crates/workspace/src/path_list.rs b/crates/workspace/src/path_list.rs
index 01e2ffda949faf502de087fb0077cdbc758001ab..035f9e44fcce46527faa0c1053b7a6bb09aae0c8 100644
--- a/crates/workspace/src/path_list.rs
+++ b/crates/workspace/src/path_list.rs
@@ -3,15 +3,22 @@ use std::{
     sync::Arc,
 };
 
+use itertools::Itertools;
 use util::paths::SanitizedPath;
 
 /// A list of absolute paths, in a specific order.
 ///
 /// The paths are stored in lexicographic order, so that they can be compared to
 /// other path lists without regard to the order of the paths.
+///
+/// The paths can be retrieved in the original order using `ordered_paths()`.
 #[derive(Default, PartialEq, Eq, Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct PathList {
+    /// The paths, in lexicographic order.
     paths: Arc<[PathBuf]>,
+    /// The order in which the paths were provided.
+    ///
+    /// See `ordered_paths()` for a way to get the paths in the original order.
     order: Arc<[usize]>,
 }
 
@@ -42,14 +49,25 @@ impl PathList {
         self.paths.is_empty()
     }
 
+    /// Get the paths in lexicographic order.
     pub fn paths(&self) -> &[PathBuf] {
         self.paths.as_ref()
     }
 
+    /// Get the order in which the paths were provided.
     pub fn order(&self) -> &[usize] {
         self.order.as_ref()
     }
 
+    /// Get the paths in the original order.
+    pub fn ordered_paths(&self) -> impl Iterator<Item = &PathBuf> {
+        self.order
+            .iter()
+            .zip(self.paths.iter())
+            .sorted_by_key(|(i, _)| **i)
+            .map(|(_, path)| path)
+    }
+
     pub fn is_lexicographically_ordered(&self) -> bool {
         self.order.iter().enumerate().all(|(i, &j)| i == j)
     }
@@ -109,15 +127,70 @@ mod tests {
         let list1 = PathList::new(&["a/d", "a/c"]);
         let list2 = PathList::new(&["a/c", "a/d"]);
 
-        assert_eq!(list1.paths(), list2.paths());
-        assert_ne!(list1, list2);
-        assert_eq!(list1.order(), &[1, 0]);
-        assert_eq!(list2.order(), &[0, 1]);
+        assert_eq!(list1.paths(), list2.paths(), "paths differ");
+        assert_eq!(list1.order(), &[1, 0], "list1 order incorrect");
+        assert_eq!(list2.order(), &[0, 1], "list2 order incorrect");
 
         let list1_deserialized = PathList::deserialize(&list1.serialize());
-        assert_eq!(list1_deserialized, list1);
+        assert_eq!(list1_deserialized, list1, "list1 deserialization failed");
 
         let list2_deserialized = PathList::deserialize(&list2.serialize());
-        assert_eq!(list2_deserialized, list2);
+        assert_eq!(list2_deserialized, list2, "list2 deserialization failed");
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            list1.ordered_paths().collect_array().unwrap(),
+            [&PathBuf::from("a/d"), &PathBuf::from("a/c")],
+            "list1 ordered paths incorrect"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            list2.ordered_paths().collect_array().unwrap(),
+            [&PathBuf::from("a/c"), &PathBuf::from("a/d")],
+            "list2 ordered paths incorrect"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_path_list_ordering() {
+        let list = PathList::new(&["b", "a", "c"]);
+        assert_eq!(
+            list.paths(),
+            &[PathBuf::from("a"), PathBuf::from("b"), PathBuf::from("c")]
+        );
+        assert_eq!(list.order(), &[1, 0, 2]);
+        assert!(!list.is_lexicographically_ordered());
+
+        let serialized = list.serialize();
+        let deserialized = PathList::deserialize(&serialized);
+        assert_eq!(deserialized, list);
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            deserialized.ordered_paths().collect_array().unwrap(),
+            [
+                &PathBuf::from("b"),
+                &PathBuf::from("a"),
+                &PathBuf::from("c")
+            ]
+        );
+
+        let list = PathList::new(&["b", "c", "a"]);
+        assert_eq!(
+            list.paths(),
+            &[PathBuf::from("a"), PathBuf::from("b"), PathBuf::from("c")]
+        );
+        assert_eq!(list.order(), &[2, 0, 1]);
+        assert!(!list.is_lexicographically_ordered());
+
+        let serialized = list.serialize();
+        let deserialized = PathList::deserialize(&serialized);
+        assert_eq!(deserialized, list);
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            deserialized.ordered_paths().collect_array().unwrap(),
+            [
+                &PathBuf::from("b"),
+                &PathBuf::from("c"),
+                &PathBuf::from("a"),
+            ]
+        );
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/workspace/src/persistence.rs b/crates/workspace/src/persistence.rs
index efd5116dc39d3ca615112c503ea135b7da076264..48c094da0eb43231b81201773726d28cd58996c1 100644
--- a/crates/workspace/src/persistence.rs
+++ b/crates/workspace/src/persistence.rs
@@ -2493,7 +2493,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         let workspace_6 = SerializedWorkspace {
             id: WorkspaceId(6),
-            paths: PathList::new(&["/tmp6a", "/tmp6b", "/tmp6c"]),
+            paths: PathList::new(&["/tmp6c", "/tmp6b", "/tmp6a"]),
             location: SerializedWorkspaceLocation::Local,
             center_group: Default::default(),
             window_bounds: Default::default(),
@@ -2534,7 +2534,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(locations.len(), 1);
         assert_eq!(
             locations[0].0,
-            PathList::new(&["/tmp6a", "/tmp6b", "/tmp6c"]),
+            PathList::new(&["/tmp6c", "/tmp6b", "/tmp6a"]),
         );
         assert_eq!(locations[0].1, Some(60));
     }
diff --git a/crates/workspace/src/workspace.rs b/crates/workspace/src/workspace.rs
index 0be758efb7a4622361b5dfe4785e44eb16fe1d4f..81247b89593074e8f44565d9a8daabaf6b8307f5 100644
--- a/crates/workspace/src/workspace.rs
+++ b/crates/workspace/src/workspace.rs
@@ -1539,7 +1539,7 @@ impl Workspace {
                 persistence::DB.workspace_for_roots(paths_to_open.as_slice());
 
             if let Some(paths) = serialized_workspace.as_ref().map(|ws| &ws.paths) {
-                paths_to_open = paths.paths().to_vec();
+                paths_to_open = paths.ordered_paths().cloned().collect();
                 if !paths.is_lexicographically_ordered() {
                     project_handle
                         .update(cx, |project, cx| {