diff --git a/rtdata/languages/default b/rtdata/languages/default
index 3e2bff9e9..d23148c48 100644
--- a/rtdata/languages/default
+++ b/rtdata/languages/default
@@ -899,6 +899,7 @@ PREFERENCES_LEVAUTDN;Denoising level
 PREFERENCES_LEVDN;Cell size
 PREFERENCES_LISS;Auto multi-zone smoothing
 PREFERENCES_MAX;Maxi (Tile)
+PREFERENCES_MAXRECENTFOLDERS;Maximum number of recent folders
 PREFERENCES_MED;Medium (Tile/2)
 PREFERENCES_MENUGROUPEXTPROGS;Group "Open with"
 PREFERENCES_MENUGROUPFILEOPERATIONS;Group "File operations"
diff --git a/rtgui/options.cc b/rtgui/options.cc
index 7ffb9d4b4..cbf5866ec 100644
--- a/rtgui/options.cc
+++ b/rtgui/options.cc
@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@ void Options::setDefaults () {
 	lastVibranceCurvesDir = "";
 	lastProfilingReferenceDir = "";
 	lastBWCurvesDir = "";
-	
+    maxRecentFolders = 15;
 }
 
 Options* Options::copyFrom (Options* other) {
@@ -780,6 +780,9 @@ if (keyFile.has_group ("File Browser")) {
     if (keyFile.has_key ("File Browser", "menuGroupFileOperations"))     menuGroupFileOperations     = keyFile.get_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupFileOperations");
     if (keyFile.has_key ("File Browser", "menuGroupProfileOperations"))  menuGroupProfileOperations  = keyFile.get_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupProfileOperations");
     if (keyFile.has_key ("File Browser", "menuGroupExtProg"))            menuGroupExtProg            = keyFile.get_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupExtProg");
+    if (keyFile.has_key ("File Browser", "MaxRecentFolders"))    maxRecentFolders    = keyFile.get_integer ("File Browser", "MaxRecentFolders");
+    recentFolders.reserve(maxRecentFolders+10); // reserve some more than maxRecentFolders, because at runtime it stores more than that
+    if (keyFile.has_key ("File Browser", "RecentFolders"))    recentFolders    = keyFile.get_string_list ("File Browser", "RecentFolders");
 }
 
 if (keyFile.has_group ("Clipping Indication")) { 
@@ -1081,8 +1084,15 @@ int Options::saveToFile (Glib::ustring fname) {
     keyFile.set_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupLabel", menuGroupLabel);
     keyFile.set_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupFileOperations", menuGroupFileOperations);
     keyFile.set_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupProfileOperations", menuGroupProfileOperations);
-    keyFile.set_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupExtProg", menuGroupExtProg);
-   
+    keyFile.set_boolean ("File Browser", "menuGroupExtProg", menuGroupExtProg);
+    keyFile.set_integer ("File Browser", "MaxRecentFolders", maxRecentFolders);
+    {
+        std::vector<Glib::ustring> temp;
+        temp.reserve(maxRecentFolders);
+        for(unsigned int i=0;i<std::min(recentFolders.size(),maxRecentFolders);i++)
+            temp.push_back(recentFolders[i]);
+        keyFile.set_string_list ("File Browser", "RecentFolders", temp);
+    }
     keyFile.set_integer ("Clipping Indication", "HighlightThreshold", highlightThreshold);
     keyFile.set_integer ("Clipping Indication", "ShadowThreshold", shadowThreshold);
     keyFile.set_boolean ("Clipping Indication", "BlinkClipped", blinkClipped);
diff --git a/rtgui/options.h b/rtgui/options.h
index e49057f89..3f1b3e0c2 100644
--- a/rtgui/options.h
+++ b/rtgui/options.h
@@ -283,7 +283,11 @@ class Options {
     Glib::ustring lastColorToningCurvesDir;
     Glib::ustring lastVibranceCurvesDir;
     Glib::ustring lastProfilingReferenceDir;
-    Glib::ustring lastBWCurvesDir;
+    Glib::ustring lastBWCurvesDir;
+    
+    size_t maxRecentFolders;                   // max. number of recent folders stored in options file
+    std::vector<Glib::ustring> recentFolders;  // List containing all recent folders
+
 
     Options ();
 
diff --git a/rtgui/preferences.cc b/rtgui/preferences.cc
index 9820ead15..31d2a66a5 100644
--- a/rtgui/preferences.cc
+++ b/rtgui/preferences.cc
@@ -1116,6 +1116,16 @@ Gtk::Widget* Preferences::getFileBrowserPanel () {
     vbro->pack_start (*filmStripOverlayedFileNames, Gtk::PACK_SHRINK, 0);
     vbro->pack_start (*sameThumbSize, Gtk::PACK_SHRINK, 0);
     vbro->pack_start (*ckbInternalThumbIfUntouched, Gtk::PACK_SHRINK, 0);
+
+    Gtk::HBox* hbrecent = Gtk::manage( new Gtk::HBox () );
+    Gtk::Label* labrecent = Gtk::manage( new Gtk::Label (M("PREFERENCES_MAXRECENTFOLDERS")+":") );
+    maxRecentFolders = Gtk::manage( new Gtk::SpinButton () );
+    hbrecent->pack_start (*labrecent, Gtk::PACK_SHRINK, 4);
+    hbrecent->pack_start (*maxRecentFolders, Gtk::PACK_SHRINK, 4);
+    maxRecentFolders->set_digits (0);
+    maxRecentFolders->set_increments (1, 5);
+    maxRecentFolders->set_range (1, 25);
+    vbro->pack_start (*hbrecent, Gtk::PACK_SHRINK, 4);
 
     fro->add (*vbro);  
 
@@ -1411,7 +1421,8 @@ void Preferences::storePreferences () {
         moptions.parseExtensions.push_back (c[i][extensionColumns.ext]);
         moptions.parseExtensionsEnabled.push_back (c[i][extensionColumns.enabled]);
     }
-
+
+    moptions.maxRecentFolders = (int)maxRecentFolders->get_value();
     moptions.maxThumbnailHeight = (int)maxThumbSize->get_value ();
     moptions.maxCacheEntries = (int)maxCacheEntries->get_value ();
     moptions.overlayedFileNames = overlayedFileNames->get_active ();
@@ -1574,7 +1585,8 @@ void Preferences::fillPreferences () {
         row[extensionColumns.ext]     = moptions.parseExtensions[i];
     }
        
-    maxThumbSize->set_value (moptions.maxThumbnailHeight);
+    maxThumbSize->set_value (moptions.maxThumbnailHeight);
+    maxRecentFolders->set_value(moptions.maxRecentFolders);
     maxCacheEntries->set_value (moptions.maxCacheEntries);
     overlayedFileNames->set_active (moptions.overlayedFileNames);
     filmStripOverlayedFileNames->set_active(moptions.filmStripOverlayedFileNames);
diff --git a/rtgui/preferences.h b/rtgui/preferences.h
index c7fa8e74b..a81dec5a4 100644
--- a/rtgui/preferences.h
+++ b/rtgui/preferences.h
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ class Preferences : public Gtk::Dialog, public ProfileStoreListener {
     Gtk::ColorButton* butNavGuideCol;
 	
     Gtk::SpinButton*   maxThumbSize;
-    Gtk::SpinButton*   maxCacheEntries;
+    Gtk::SpinButton*   maxCacheEntries;
+    Gtk::SpinButton*   maxRecentFolders;
     Gtk::Button*       clearThumbnails;
     Gtk::Button*       clearProfiles;
     Gtk::Button*       clearAll;
diff --git a/rtgui/recentbrowser.cc b/rtgui/recentbrowser.cc
index e8ee0afca..8d0abde1c 100644
--- a/rtgui/recentbrowser.cc
+++ b/rtgui/recentbrowser.cc
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
  */
 #include "recentbrowser.h"
 #include "multilangmgr.h"
+#include "options.h"
 
 using namespace rtengine;
 
@@ -27,6 +28,9 @@ RecentBrowser::RecentBrowser () : listener (NULL) {
 
     Gtk::Frame* frame = Gtk::manage (new Gtk::Frame (M("MAIN_FRAME_RECENT")));
     frame->add (*recentDirs);
+    for(size_t i=0;i<options.recentFolders.size();i++) {
+        recentDirs->append_text (options.recentFolders[i]);
+    }
 
     pack_start (*frame, Gtk::PACK_SHRINK, 4);
 
@@ -43,6 +47,24 @@ void RecentBrowser::selectionChanged () {
 }
 
 void RecentBrowser::dirSelected (const Glib::ustring& dirname, const Glib::ustring& openfile) {
+    
+    size_t numFolders = options.recentFolders.size();
+    if(numFolders>0) { // search entry and move to top if it exists
+        size_t i;
+        for(i=0;i<numFolders;i++) {
+            if(options.recentFolders[i] == dirname) {
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        if(i>0) {
+            if(i<numFolders) {
+               options.recentFolders.erase(options.recentFolders.begin()+i);
+            }
+            options.recentFolders.insert(options.recentFolders.begin(),dirname);
+        }
+    } else {
+        options.recentFolders.insert(options.recentFolders.begin(),dirname);
+    }
 
     conn.block (true);