diff --git a/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.cpp b/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.cpp
index 63e22a5b93c5..278cf15490d8 100644
--- a/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.cpp
+++ b/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.cpp
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ class QgsBrowserTreeView : public QTreeView
       setContextMenuPolicy( Qt::CustomContextMenu );
       setHeaderHidden( true );
       setDropIndicatorShown( true );
+
     }
 
     void dragEnterEvent( QDragEnterEvent* e )
@@ -287,6 +288,7 @@ QgsBrowserDockWidget::QgsBrowserDockWidget( QString name, QWidget * parent ) :
 
   connect( mBrowserView, SIGNAL( customContextMenuRequested( const QPoint & ) ), this, SLOT( showContextMenu( const QPoint & ) ) );
   connect( mBrowserView, SIGNAL( doubleClicked( const QModelIndex& ) ), this, SLOT( addLayerAtIndex( const QModelIndex& ) ) );
+  connect( mBrowserView, SIGNAL( expanded( const QModelIndex& ) ), this, SLOT( itemExpanded( const QModelIndex& ) ) );
 }
 
 void QgsBrowserDockWidget::showEvent( QShowEvent * e )
@@ -314,6 +316,15 @@ void QgsBrowserDockWidget::showEvent( QShowEvent * e )
       if ( item && item->type() == QgsDataItem::Favourites )
         mBrowserView->expand( index );
     }
+
+    // expand last expanded path from previous session
+    QSettings settings;
+    QString lastPath =  settings.value( "/BrowserWidget/lastExpanded" ).toString();
+    QgsDebugMsg( "lastPath = " + lastPath );
+    if ( !lastPath.isEmpty() )
+    {
+      expandPath( lastPath );
+    }
   }
 
   QDockWidget::showEvent( e );
@@ -678,3 +689,34 @@ void QgsBrowserDockWidget::setCaseSensitive( bool caseSensitive )
     return;
   mProxyModel->setCaseSensitive( caseSensitive );
 }
+
+void QgsBrowserDockWidget::itemExpanded( const QModelIndex& index )
+{
+  if ( !mModel || !mProxyModel )
+    return;
+  QSettings settings;
+  QModelIndex srcIndex = mProxyModel->mapToSource( index );
+  QgsDataItem *item = mModel->dataItem( srcIndex );
+  if ( !item )
+    return;
+
+  // TODO: save separately each type (FS, WMS)?
+  settings.setValue( "/BrowserWidget/lastExpanded", item->path() );
+  QgsDebugMsg( "last expanded: " + item->path() );
+}
+
+void QgsBrowserDockWidget::expandPath( QString path )
+{
+  QgsDebugMsg( "path = " + path );
+
+  if ( !mModel || !mProxyModel )
+    return;
+  QModelIndex srcIndex = mModel->findPath( path );
+  QModelIndex index = mProxyModel->mapFromSource( srcIndex );
+  QgsDebugMsg( QString( "srcIndex.isValid() = %1 index.isValid() = %2" ).arg( srcIndex.isValid() ).arg( index.isValid() ) );
+  if ( index.isValid() )
+  {
+    mBrowserView->expand( index );
+    mBrowserView->scrollTo( index, QAbstractItemView::PositionAtTop );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.h b/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.h
index 261c9c27d5b6..09c21ccbba4e 100644
--- a/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.h
+++ b/src/app/qgsbrowserdockwidget.h
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ class APP_EXPORT QgsBrowserDockWidget : public QDockWidget, private Ui::QgsBrows
   public:
     explicit QgsBrowserDockWidget( QString name, QWidget *parent = 0 );
     void addFavouriteDirectory( QString favDir );
+    void expandPath( QString path );
 
   public slots:
     void addLayerAtIndex( const QModelIndex& index );
@@ -53,6 +54,8 @@ class APP_EXPORT QgsBrowserDockWidget : public QDockWidget, private Ui::QgsBrows
     void showProperties();
     void toggleFastScan();
 
+    void itemExpanded( const QModelIndex& index );
+
   protected:
     void refreshModel( const QModelIndex& index );
 
diff --git a/src/core/qgsbrowsermodel.cpp b/src/core/qgsbrowsermodel.cpp
index d7926229f5e8..0afd677750f9 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsbrowsermodel.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsbrowsermodel.cpp
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ QModelIndex QgsBrowserModel::findPath( QString path )
       if ( path.startsWith( item->path() ) )
       {
         // we have found a preceding item: stop searching on this level and go deeper
+        item->populate();
         foundChild = true;
         theIndex = idx;
         break;
@@ -303,6 +304,7 @@ QModelIndex QgsBrowserModel::findPath( QString path )
     }
   }
 
+  QgsDebugMsg( "path not found" );
   return QModelIndex(); // not found
 }