diff --git a/desktop/src/main/ipc.ts b/desktop/src/main/ipc.ts
index a5de4514f9..3d4e15c992 100644
--- a/desktop/src/main/ipc.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/main/ipc.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ import {
 } from "./services/upload";
 import {
     addWatchMapping,
+    folderWatchesAndFilesTherein,
     getWatchMappings,
     removeWatchMapping,
     updateWatchMappingIgnoredFiles,
@@ -238,6 +239,10 @@ export const attachFSWatchIPCHandlers = (watcher: FSWatcher) => {
         removeWatchMapping(watcher, folderPath),
     );
 
+    ipcMain.handle("folderWatchesAndFilesTherein", () =>
+        folderWatchesAndFilesTherein(watcher),
+    );
+
     ipcMain.handle("getWatchMappings", () => getWatchMappings());
 
     ipcMain.handle(
diff --git a/desktop/src/main/services/watch.ts b/desktop/src/main/services/watch.ts
index 1d466d4156..125d65bf9a 100644
--- a/desktop/src/main/services/watch.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/main/services/watch.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 import type { FSWatcher } from "chokidar";
 import ElectronLog from "electron-log";
-import { FolderWatch, WatchStoreType } from "../../types/ipc";
+import {
+    FolderWatch,
+    WatchStoreType,
+    type ElectronFile,
+} from "../../types/ipc";
+import { isFolder } from "../fs";
 import { watchStore } from "../stores/watch.store";
+import { getDirFiles } from "./fs";
 
 export const addWatchMapping = async (
     watcher: FSWatcher,
@@ -99,3 +105,26 @@ export function getWatchMappings() {
 function setWatchMappings(watchMappings: WatchStoreType["mappings"]) {
     watchStore.set("mappings", watchMappings);
 }
+
+export const folderWatchesAndFilesTherein = async (
+    watcher: FSWatcher,
+): Promise<[watch: FolderWatch, files: ElectronFile[]][]> => {
+    const mappings = await getWatchMappings();
+
+    const activeMappings = [];
+    for (const mapping of mappings) {
+        const mappingExists = await isFolder(mapping.folderPath);
+        if (!mappingExists) {
+            await removeWatchMapping(watcher, mapping.folderPath);
+        } else {
+            activeMappings.push(mapping);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return Promise.all(
+        activeMappings.map(async (mapping) => [
+            mapping,
+            await getDirFiles(mapping.folderPath),
+        ]),
+    );
+};
diff --git a/desktop/src/preload.ts b/desktop/src/preload.ts
index 2749fa50d2..a3deb1fae0 100644
--- a/desktop/src/preload.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/preload.ts
@@ -220,6 +220,10 @@ const addWatchMapping = (
 const removeWatchMapping = (folderPath: string): Promise<void> =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke("removeWatchMapping", folderPath);
 
+const folderWatchesAndFilesTherein = (): Promise<
+    [watch: FolderWatch, files: ElectronFile[]][]
+> => ipcRenderer.invoke("folderWatchesAndFilesTherein");
+
 const getWatchMappings = (): Promise<FolderWatch[]> =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke("getWatchMappings");
 
@@ -343,6 +347,7 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld("electron", {
     showUploadZipDialog,
 
     // - Watch
+    folderWatchesAndFilesTherein,
     registerWatcherFunctions,
     addWatchMapping,
     removeWatchMapping,
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/watch.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/watch.ts
index 2d5ef02287..7eaf391a19 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/watch.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/watch.ts
@@ -70,25 +70,20 @@ class WatchFolderService {
 
     async getAndSyncDiffOfFiles() {
         try {
-            let mappings = await this.getWatchMappings();
-
-            if (!mappings?.length) {
+            const watchesAndFiles =
+                await ensureElectron().folderWatchesAndFilesTherein();
+            if (!watchesAndFiles) {
                 return;
             }
 
-            mappings = await this.filterOutDeletedMappings(mappings);
-
             this.eventQueue = [];
 
-            for (const mapping of mappings) {
-                const filesOnDisk: ElectronFile[] =
-                    await ensureElectron().getDirFiles(mapping.folderPath);
-
-                this.uploadDiffOfFiles(mapping, filesOnDisk);
-                this.trashDiffOfFiles(mapping, filesOnDisk);
+            for (const [mapping, files] of watchesAndFiles) {
+                this.uploadDiffOfFiles(mapping, files);
+                this.trashDiffOfFiles(mapping, files);
             }
         } catch (e) {
-            log.error("error while getting and syncing diff of files", e);
+            log.error("Ignoring error while syncing watched folders", e);
         }
     }
 
@@ -144,23 +139,6 @@ class WatchFolderService {
         }
     }
 
-    private async filterOutDeletedMappings(
-        mappings: WatchMapping[],
-    ): Promise<WatchMapping[]> {
-        const notDeletedMappings = [];
-        for (const mapping of mappings) {
-            const mappingExists = await ensureElectron().isFolder(
-                mapping.folderPath,
-            );
-            if (!mappingExists) {
-                ensureElectron().removeWatchMapping(mapping.folderPath);
-            } else {
-                notDeletedMappings.push(mapping);
-            }
-        }
-        return notDeletedMappings;
-    }
-
     pushEvent(event: EventQueueItem) {
         this.eventQueue.push(event);
         this.debouncedRunNextEvent();
diff --git a/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts b/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts
index 85986b6391..800befa7fb 100644
--- a/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts
+++ b/web/packages/next/types/ipc.ts
@@ -284,6 +284,17 @@ export interface Electron {
 
     // - Watch
 
+    /**
+     * Get the latest state of the watched folders.
+     *
+     * We persist the folder watches that the user has setup. This function goes
+     * through that list, prunes any folders that don't exist on disk anymore,
+     * and for each, also returns a list of files that exist in that folder.
+     */
+    folderWatchesAndFilesTherein: () => Promise<
+        [watch: FolderWatch, files: ElectronFile[]][]
+    >;
+
     registerWatcherFunctions: (
         addFile: (file: ElectronFile) => Promise<void>,
         removeFile: (path: string) => Promise<void>,