diff --git a/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js b/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js
index ddfcbd1570..3024677388 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js
@@ -164,9 +164,11 @@ const LoggedInView = React.createClass({
         const collapseConfig = {
             toggleSize: 260 - 50,
             onCollapsed: (collapsed) => {
-                this.setState({collapseLhs: collapsed});
                 if (collapsed) {
+                    dis.dispatch({action: "hide_left_panel"}, true);
                     window.localStorage.setItem("mx_lhs_size", '0');
+                } else {
+                    dis.dispatch({action: "show_left_panel"}, true);
                 }
             },
             onResized: (size) => {
@@ -540,7 +542,7 @@ const LoggedInView = React.createClass({
                     <div ref={this._setResizeContainerRef} className={bodyClasses}>
                         <LeftPanel
                             toolbarShown={!!topBar}
-                            collapsed={this.props.collapseLhs || this.state.collapseLhs || false}
+                            collapsed={this.props.collapseLhs || false}
                             disabled={this.props.leftDisabled}
                         />
                         <ResizeHandle />
diff --git a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
index 161a0fa984..9f3db9b531 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
 
             // If we're trying to just view a user ID (i.e. /user URL), this is it
             viewUserId: null,
-
+            // this is persisted as mx_lhs_size, loaded in LoggedInView
             collapseLhs: false,
             collapsedRhs: window.localStorage.getItem("mx_rhs_collapsed") === "true",
             leftDisabled: false,