diff --git a/packages/core/src/browser/shell/application-shell.ts b/packages/core/src/browser/shell/application-shell.ts
index 83339b3ee8bc8..b35d70970de16 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/browser/shell/application-shell.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/browser/shell/application-shell.ts
@@ -1620,6 +1620,15 @@ export class ApplicationShell extends Widget {
         return [...this.tracker.widgets];
     }
 
+    getWidgetById(id: string): Widget | undefined {
+        for (const widget of this.tracker.widgets) {
+            if (widget.id === id) {
+                return widget;
+            }
+        }
+        return undefined;
+    }
+
     canToggleMaximized(): boolean {
         const area = this.currentWidget && this.getAreaFor(this.currentWidget);
         return area === 'main' || area === 'bottom';
diff --git a/packages/editor/src/browser/editor-manager.ts b/packages/editor/src/browser/editor-manager.ts
index 29b549d8f8dba..e7ffb81be6de1 100644
--- a/packages/editor/src/browser/editor-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/editor/src/browser/editor-manager.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,40 @@ export class EditorManager extends NavigatableWidgetOpenHandler<EditorWidget> {
         super.init();
         this.shell.activeChanged.connect(() => this.updateActiveEditor());
         this.shell.currentChanged.connect(() => this.updateCurrentEditor());
-        this.onCreated(widget => widget.disposed.connect(() => this.updateCurrentEditor()));
+        this.onCreated(widget => {
+            widget.onDidChangeVisibility(() => {
+                if (widget.isVisible) {
+                    this.addRecentlyVisible(widget);
+                    this.updateCurrentEditor();
+                }
+            });
+            widget.disposed.connect(() => {
+                this.removeRecentlyVisible(widget);
+                this.updateCurrentEditor();
+            });
+        });
+        for (const widget of this.all) {
+            if (widget.isVisible) {
+                this.addRecentlyVisible(widget);
+            }
+        }
+        this.updateCurrentEditor();
+    }
+
+    protected readonly recentlyVisibleIds: string[] = [];
+    protected get recentlyVisible(): EditorWidget | undefined {
+        const id = this.recentlyVisibleIds[0];
+        return id && this.all.find(w => w.id === id) || undefined;
+    }
+    protected addRecentlyVisible(widget: EditorWidget): void {
+        this.removeRecentlyVisible(widget);
+        this.recentlyVisibleIds.unshift(widget.id);
+    }
+    protected removeRecentlyVisible(widget: EditorWidget): void {
+        const index = this.recentlyVisibleIds.indexOf(widget.id);
+        if (index !== -1) {
+            this.recentlyVisibleIds.splice(index, 1);
+        }
     }
 
     protected _activeEditor: EditorWidget | undefined;
@@ -93,7 +126,7 @@ export class EditorManager extends NavigatableWidgetOpenHandler<EditorWidget> {
         if (widget instanceof EditorWidget) {
             this.setCurrentEditor(widget);
         } else if (!this._currentEditor || !this._currentEditor.isVisible) {
-            this.setCurrentEditor(undefined);
+            this.setCurrentEditor(this.recentlyVisible);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/markers/src/browser/marker-tree-label-provider.spec.ts b/packages/markers/src/browser/marker-tree-label-provider.spec.ts
index f3341ec6f821f..49b8b93171924 100644
--- a/packages/markers/src/browser/marker-tree-label-provider.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/markers/src/browser/marker-tree-label-provider.spec.ts
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ let disableJSDOM = enableJSDOM();
 import URI from '@theia/core/lib/common/uri';
 import { expect } from 'chai';
 import { Container } from 'inversify';
-import { ContributionProvider } from '@theia/core/lib/common';
+import { ContributionProvider, Event } from '@theia/core/lib/common';
 import { FileStat, FileSystem } from '@theia/filesystem/lib/common';
-import { LabelProvider, LabelProviderContribution, DefaultUriLabelProviderContribution, ApplicationShell } from '@theia/core/lib/browser';
+import { LabelProvider, LabelProviderContribution, DefaultUriLabelProviderContribution, ApplicationShell, WidgetManager } from '@theia/core/lib/browser';
 import { MarkerInfoNode } from './marker-tree';
 import { MarkerTreeLabelProvider } from './marker-tree-label-provider';
 import { Signal } from '@phosphor/signaling';
@@ -46,7 +46,12 @@ before(() => {
     testContainer.bind(WorkspaceService).toConstantValue(workspaceService);
     testContainer.bind(WorkspaceVariableContribution).toSelf().inSingletonScope();
     testContainer.bind(ApplicationShell).toConstantValue({
-        currentChanged: new Signal({})
+        currentChanged: new Signal({}),
+        widgets: () => []
+        // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    } as any);
+    testContainer.bind(WidgetManager).toConstantValue({
+        onDidCreateWidget: Event.None
         // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     } as any);
     testContainer.bind(FileSystem).to(MockFilesystem).inSingletonScope();
diff --git a/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-uri-contribution.spec.ts b/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-uri-contribution.spec.ts
index d3977bbd49feb..ab1b6fb64cebf 100644
--- a/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-uri-contribution.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-uri-contribution.spec.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ import { expect } from 'chai';
 import * as sinon from 'sinon';
 import { Container } from 'inversify';
 import { Signal } from '@phosphor/signaling';
-import { ApplicationShell } from '@theia/core/lib/browser';
+import { Event } from '@theia/core/lib/common/event';
+import { ApplicationShell, WidgetManager } from '@theia/core/lib/browser';
 import { FileStat, FileSystem } from '@theia/filesystem/lib/common/filesystem';
 import { MockFilesystem } from '@theia/filesystem/lib/common/test';
 import { DefaultUriLabelProviderContribution } from '@theia/core/lib/browser/label-provider';
@@ -44,7 +45,12 @@ beforeEach(() => {
 
     container = new Container();
     container.bind(ApplicationShell).toConstantValue({
-        currentChanged: new Signal({})
+        currentChanged: new Signal({}),
+        widgets: () => []
+        // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    } as any);
+    container.bind(WidgetManager).toConstantValue({
+        onDidCreateWidget: Event.None
         // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     } as any);
     const workspaceService = new WorkspaceService();
diff --git a/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-variable-contribution.ts b/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-variable-contribution.ts
index 65eb458a7f04a..7f1433bdb3109 100644
--- a/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-variable-contribution.ts
+++ b/packages/workspace/src/browser/workspace-variable-contribution.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,7 @@ import { injectable, inject, postConstruct } from 'inversify';
 import URI from '@theia/core/lib/common/uri';
 import { Path } from '@theia/core/lib/common/path';
 import { FileSystem } from '@theia/filesystem/lib/common';
-import { Disposable, DisposableCollection } from '@theia/core/lib/common/disposable';
-import { ApplicationShell, NavigatableWidget } from '@theia/core/lib/browser';
+import { ApplicationShell, NavigatableWidget, WidgetManager } from '@theia/core/lib/browser';
 import { VariableContribution, VariableRegistry, Variable } from '@theia/variable-resolver/lib/browser';
 import { WorkspaceService } from './workspace-service';
 
@@ -32,31 +31,62 @@ export class WorkspaceVariableContribution implements VariableContribution {
     protected readonly shell: ApplicationShell;
     @inject(FileSystem)
     protected readonly fileSystem: FileSystem;
+    @inject(WidgetManager)
+    protected readonly widgetManager: WidgetManager;
 
     protected currentWidget: NavigatableWidget | undefined;
 
     @postConstruct()
     protected init(): void {
-        this.updateCurrentWidget();
         this.shell.currentChanged.connect(() => this.updateCurrentWidget());
+        this.widgetManager.onDidCreateWidget(({ widget }) => {
+            if (NavigatableWidget.is(widget)) {
+                widget.onDidChangeVisibility(() => {
+                    if (widget.isVisible) {
+                        this.addRecentlyVisible(widget);
+                        this.updateCurrentWidget();
+                    }
+                });
+                widget.onDidDispose(() => {
+                    this.removeRecentlyVisible(widget);
+                    this.updateCurrentWidget();
+                });
+            }
+        });
+        for (const widget of this.shell.widgets) {
+            if (NavigatableWidget.is(widget) && widget.isVisible) {
+                this.addRecentlyVisible(widget);
+            }
+        }
+        this.updateCurrentWidget();
     }
-    protected updateCurrentWidget(): void {
-        const { currentWidget } = this.shell;
-        if (NavigatableWidget.is(currentWidget)) {
-            this.setCurrentWidget(currentWidget);
+
+    protected readonly recentlyVisibleIds: string[] = [];
+    protected get recentlyVisible(): NavigatableWidget | undefined {
+        const id = this.recentlyVisibleIds[0];
+        const widget = id && this.shell.getWidgetById(id) || undefined;
+        if (NavigatableWidget.is(widget)) {
+            return widget;
+        }
+        return undefined;
+    }
+    protected addRecentlyVisible(widget: NavigatableWidget): void {
+        this.removeRecentlyVisible(widget);
+        this.recentlyVisibleIds.unshift(widget.id);
+    }
+    protected removeRecentlyVisible(widget: NavigatableWidget): void {
+        const index = this.recentlyVisibleIds.indexOf(widget.id);
+        if (index !== -1) {
+            this.recentlyVisibleIds.splice(index, 1);
         }
     }
 
-    protected readonly toDisposeOnUpdateCurrentWidget = new DisposableCollection();
-    protected setCurrentWidget(currentWidget: NavigatableWidget | undefined): void {
-        this.toDisposeOnUpdateCurrentWidget.dispose();
-        this.currentWidget = currentWidget;
-        if (currentWidget) {
-            const resetCurrentWidget = () => this.setCurrentWidget(undefined);
-            currentWidget.disposed.connect(resetCurrentWidget);
-            this.toDisposeOnUpdateCurrentWidget.push(Disposable.create(() =>
-                currentWidget.disposed.disconnect(resetCurrentWidget)
-            ));
+    protected updateCurrentWidget(): void {
+        const { currentWidget } = this.shell;
+        if (NavigatableWidget.is(currentWidget)) {
+            this.currentWidget = currentWidget;
+        } else if (!this.currentWidget || !this.currentWidget.isVisible) {
+            this.currentWidget = this.recentlyVisible;
         }
     }
 
@@ -178,7 +208,6 @@ export class WorkspaceVariableContribution implements VariableContribution {
     }
 
     getResourceUri(): URI | undefined {
-        // TODO replace with ResourceContextKey.get?
         return this.currentWidget && this.currentWidget.getResourceUri();
     }