diff --git a/changes/youtube-windows-queue-preserve.md b/changes/youtube-windows-queue-preserve.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9ab3f70a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/youtube-windows-queue-preserve.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+type: fixed
+area: youtube
+
+- Fixed Windows YouTube playback dropping the rest of mpv's queue when it advanced to a video queued from the YouTube browser window. The direct stream now replaces only that playlist entry.
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.test.ts
index 3bf9d9a1..0a757288 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.test.ts
@@ -298,3 +298,116 @@ test('prepare youtube playback accepts a fresh-start path change when the direct
     'replace',
   ]);
 });
+
+test('prepare youtube playback swaps a queued entry for its direct stream without clearing the playlist', async () => {
+  const commands: Array<Array<string>> = [];
+  const directUrl = 'https://rr16---sn.example.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id=abc';
+  const observedPaths = ['https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued2', directUrl];
+  let requestCount = 0;
+  const prepare = createPrepareYoutubePlaybackInMpvHandler({
+    requestPath: async () => {
+      const value = observedPaths[Math.min(requestCount, observedPaths.length - 1)] ?? null;
+      requestCount += 1;
+      return value;
+    },
+    requestProperty: async (name) => {
+      if (name === 'playlist') {
+        return [
+          { filename: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued1' },
+          { filename: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued2', current: true, playing: true },
+          { filename: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued3' },
+        ];
+      }
+      if (name === 'track-list') return [{ type: 'video', id: 1 }];
+      return null;
+    },
+    sendMpvCommand: (command) => commands.push(command),
+    wait: createWaitStub(),
+  });
+
+  const ok = await prepare({
+    url: directUrl,
+    sourceUrl: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued2',
+    timeoutMs: 1500,
+    pollIntervalMs: 1,
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(ok, true);
+  assert.deepEqual(commands.slice(4), [
+    ['loadfile', directUrl, 'append'],
+    ['playlist-move', '3', '2'],
+    ['playlist-remove', '1'],
+  ]);
+});
+
+test('prepare youtube playback replaces the playlist when the current entry is a different video', async () => {
+  const commands: Array<Array<string>> = [];
+  const directUrl = 'https://rr16---sn.example.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id=abc';
+  let nowTick = 0;
+  const prepare = createPrepareYoutubePlaybackInMpvHandler({
+    requestPath: async () => 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=other',
+    requestProperty: async (name) => {
+      if (name === 'playlist') {
+        return [
+          { filename: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=other', current: true, playing: true },
+        ];
+      }
+      return [];
+    },
+    sendMpvCommand: (command) => commands.push(command),
+    wait: createWaitStub(),
+    now: () => {
+      nowTick += 100;
+      return nowTick;
+    },
+  });
+
+  await prepare({
+    url: directUrl,
+    sourceUrl: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=picked',
+    timeoutMs: 200,
+    pollIntervalMs: 1,
+  });
+
+  assert.deepEqual(commands.slice(4), [['loadfile', directUrl, 'replace']]);
+});
+
+test('prepare youtube playback does not touch the playlist when the playing entry is another video', async () => {
+  const commands: Array<Array<string>> = [];
+  const directUrl = 'https://rr16---sn.example.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id=abc';
+  let nowTick = 0;
+  const prepare = createPrepareYoutubePlaybackInMpvHandler({
+    // mpv's path still reports the queued video, but it is mid-advance: the selected entry moved
+    // on and the playing entry is another queued video.
+    requestPath: async () => 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued2',
+    requestProperty: async (name) => {
+      if (name === 'playlist') {
+        return [
+          { filename: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued1', playing: true },
+          { filename: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued2', current: true },
+          { filename: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued3' },
+        ];
+      }
+      return [];
+    },
+    sendMpvCommand: (command) => commands.push(command),
+    wait: createWaitStub(),
+    now: () => {
+      nowTick += 100;
+      return nowTick;
+    },
+  });
+
+  await prepare({
+    url: directUrl,
+    sourceUrl: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queued2',
+    timeoutMs: 200,
+    pollIntervalMs: 1,
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(
+    commands.some((command) => command[0] === 'playlist-remove'),
+    false,
+  );
+  assert.deepEqual(commands.slice(4), [['loadfile', directUrl, 'replace']]);
+});
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.ts b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.ts
index 166968bd..f283a56a 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-launch.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@ import { isYoutubeMediaPath } from './youtube-playback';
 
 type YoutubePlaybackLaunchInput = {
   url: string;
+  /**
+   * YouTube page URL `url` was resolved from (Windows loads a direct stream URL). Lets a playlist
+   * entry for the same video be swapped in place instead of replacing the whole playlist.
+   */
+  sourceUrl?: string;
   timeoutMs?: number;
   pollIntervalMs?: number;
 };
@@ -81,6 +86,52 @@ function hasPlayableMediaTracks(trackListRaw: unknown): boolean {
   });
 }
 
+/** Index of the entry mpv is actually playing, or null while it is between entries. */
+function findPlayingPlaylistEntry(playlist: unknown[]): { index: number; filename: string } | null {
+  const index = playlist.findIndex(
+    (entry) =>
+      typeof entry === 'object' &&
+      entry !== null &&
+      (entry as Record<string, unknown>).playing === true,
+  );
+  if (index < 0) return null;
+  const filename = (playlist[index] as Record<string, unknown>).filename;
+  return typeof filename === 'string' ? { index, filename } : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Swaps mpv's playing playlist entry for `targetUrl` while keeping the rest of the playlist, e.g.
+ * a queued YouTube watch URL replaced by its resolved direct stream on Windows. Uses only
+ * long-standing playlist commands (no `loadfile insert-*`, which needs mpv 0.38+).
+ * Returns false unless the playing entry is confirmed to be `sourceUrl`'s video, so the caller
+ * falls back to `replace` instead of removing some other queued entry.
+ */
+async function swapCurrentPlaylistEntry(
+  deps: YoutubePlaybackLaunchDeps,
+  targetUrl: string,
+  sourceUrl: string,
+): Promise<boolean> {
+  if (!deps.requestProperty) return false;
+  let playlist: unknown;
+  try {
+    // One snapshot so the position, count, and entry identity agree with each other.
+    playlist = await deps.requestProperty('playlist');
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (!Array.isArray(playlist)) return false;
+  const playing = findPlayingPlaylistEntry(playlist);
+  if (!playing || !targetsSameYoutubeVideo(playing.filename, sourceUrl)) return false;
+
+  // The appended entry lands at index `count`; move it right after the playing entry, then remove
+  // the playing entry so mpv advances onto it.
+  const count = playlist.length;
+  deps.sendMpvCommand(['loadfile', targetUrl, 'append']);
+  deps.sendMpvCommand(['playlist-move', String(count), String(playing.index + 1)]);
+  deps.sendMpvCommand(['playlist-remove', String(playing.index)]);
+  return true;
+}
+
 function sendPlaybackPrepCommands(sendMpvCommand: (command: Array<string>) => void): void {
   sendMpvCommand(['set_property', 'pause', 'yes']);
   sendMpvCommand(['set_property', 'sub-auto', 'no']);
@@ -120,7 +171,14 @@ export function createPrepareYoutubePlaybackInMpvHandler(deps: YoutubePlaybackLa
         // Keep polling; mpv can report the target path before tracks are ready.
       }
     } else {
-      deps.sendMpvCommand(['loadfile', targetUrl, 'replace']);
+      const sourceUrl = input.sourceUrl?.trim() ?? '';
+      const swapped =
+        sourceUrl !== '' &&
+        targetsSameYoutubeVideo(previousPath, sourceUrl) &&
+        (await swapCurrentPlaylistEntry(deps, targetUrl, sourceUrl));
+      if (!swapped) {
+        deps.sendMpvCommand(['loadfile', targetUrl, 'replace']);
+      }
     }
 
     const deadline = now() + timeoutMs;
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.test.ts
index 28b35a5f..278f1b9f 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.test.ts
@@ -112,8 +112,8 @@ test('youtube playback runtime resolves the socket path lazily for windows start
       calls.push(`wait-connected:${timeoutMs}`);
       return true;
     },
-    prepareYoutubePlaybackInMpv: async ({ url }) => {
-      calls.push(`prepare:${url}`);
+    prepareYoutubePlaybackInMpv: async ({ url, sourceUrl }) => {
+      calls.push(`prepare:${url}:${sourceUrl}`);
       return true;
     },
     runYoutubePlaybackFlow: async ({ url }) => {
@@ -143,6 +143,8 @@ test('youtube playback runtime resolves the socket path lazily for windows start
   });
 
   assert.ok(calls.some((entry) => entry.includes('--input-ipc-server=/tmp/updated.sock')));
+  // The page URL rides along so prepare can swap a queued entry for the direct stream in place.
+  assert.ok(calls.includes('prepare:https://example.com/direct:https://youtu.be/demo'));
 });
 
 test('youtube playback runtime maps resolved windows streams back to their page urls', async () => {
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.ts b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.ts
index 69da7952..64ba3c6f 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/youtube-playback-runtime.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export type YoutubePlaybackRuntimeDeps = {
   resolveYoutubePlaybackUrl: (url: string, format: string) => Promise<string>;
   launchWindowsMpv: (playbackUrl: string, args: string[]) => Promise<LaunchResult>;
   waitForYoutubeMpvConnected: (timeoutMs: number) => Promise<boolean>;
-  prepareYoutubePlaybackInMpv: (request: { url: string }) => Promise<boolean>;
+  prepareYoutubePlaybackInMpv: (request: { url: string; sourceUrl: string }) => Promise<boolean>;
   startYoutubeMediaCache?: (url: string) => void | Promise<void>;
   runYoutubePlaybackFlow: (request: { url: string }) => Promise<void>;
   logInfo: (message: string) => void;
@@ -127,7 +127,10 @@ export function createYoutubePlaybackRuntime(deps: YoutubePlaybackRuntimeDeps) {
         }, 3000);
       }
 
-      const mediaReady = await deps.prepareYoutubePlaybackInMpv({ url: playbackUrl });
+      const mediaReady = await deps.prepareYoutubePlaybackInMpv({
+        url: playbackUrl,
+        sourceUrl: request.url,
+      });
       if (!mediaReady) {
         throw new Error('Timed out waiting for mpv to load the requested YouTube URL.');
       }