diff --git a/bigbluebutton-html5/imports/startup/client/base.jsx b/bigbluebutton-html5/imports/startup/client/base.jsx
index 3e53dbaa30ec2a8157e52e3a0df04e7a90fb3afe..608aceab0f7280e3a2e71d3c6478b94df601a4fe 100755
--- a/bigbluebutton-html5/imports/startup/client/base.jsx
+++ b/bigbluebutton-html5/imports/startup/client/base.jsx
@@ -383,13 +383,14 @@ const BaseContainer = withTracker(() => {
   }
 
   if (getFromUserSettings('bbb_show_participants_on_login', true) && !deviceInfo.type().isPhone) {
-    Session.set('openPanel', 'userlist');
     if (CHAT_ENABLED && getFromUserSettings('bbb_show_public_chat_on_login', !Meteor.settings.public.chat.startClosed)) {
-      Session.set('openPanel', 'chat');
-      Session.set('idChatOpen', PUBLIC_CHAT_ID);
+      Session.setDefault('openPanel', 'chat');
+      Session.setDefault('idChatOpen', PUBLIC_CHAT_ID);
+    } else {
+      Session.setDefault('openPanel', 'userlist');
     }
   } else {
-    Session.set('openPanel', '');
+    Session.setDefault('openPanel', '');
   }
 
   const codeError = Session.get('codeError');