diff --git a/web/app.js b/web/app.js
index f0e33d4f5d19d..e4f01cf15cb9d 100644
--- a/web/app.js
+++ b/web/app.js
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ import { Toolbar } from './toolbar';
 import { ViewHistory } from './view_history';
 
 const DEFAULT_SCALE_DELTA = 1.1;
-const DISABLE_AUTO_FETCH_LOADING_BAR_TIMEOUT = 5000;
+const DISABLE_AUTO_FETCH_LOADING_BAR_TIMEOUT = 5000; // ms
+const FORCE_PAGES_LOADED_TIMEOUT = 10000; // ms
 
 const DefaultExternalServices = {
   updateFindControlState(data) {},
@@ -1016,8 +1017,7 @@ let PDFViewerApplication = {
         hash: null,
       };
       let storePromise = store.getMultiple({
-        exists: false,
-        page: '1',
+        page: null,
         zoom: DEFAULT_SCALE_VALUE,
         scrollLeft: '0',
         scrollTop: '0',
@@ -1030,17 +1030,18 @@ let PDFViewerApplication = {
       Promise.all([storePromise, pageModePromise]).then(
           ([values = {}, pageMode]) => {
         // Initialize the default values, from user preferences.
-        let hash = AppOptions.get('defaultZoomValue') ?
-          ('zoom=' + AppOptions.get('defaultZoomValue')) : null;
+        const zoom = AppOptions.get('defaultZoomValue');
+        let hash = zoom ? `zoom=${zoom}` : null;
+
         let rotation = null;
         let sidebarView = AppOptions.get('sidebarViewOnLoad');
         let scrollMode = AppOptions.get('scrollModeOnLoad');
         let spreadMode = AppOptions.get('spreadModeOnLoad');
 
-        if (values.exists && AppOptions.get('showPreviousViewOnLoad')) {
-          hash = 'page=' + values.page +
-            '&zoom=' + (AppOptions.get('defaultZoomValue') || values.zoom) +
+        if (values.page && AppOptions.get('showPreviousViewOnLoad')) {
+          hash = 'page=' + values.page + '&zoom=' + (zoom || values.zoom) +
             ',' + values.scrollLeft + ',' + values.scrollTop;
+
           rotation = parseInt(values.rotation, 10);
           sidebarView = sidebarView || (values.sidebarView | 0);
           if (values.scrollMode !== null) {
@@ -1074,10 +1075,20 @@ let PDFViewerApplication = {
         if (!this.isViewerEmbedded) {
           pdfViewer.focus();
         }
-        return pagesPromise;
+
+        return Promise.race([
+          pagesPromise,
+          new Promise((resolve) => {
+            setTimeout(resolve, FORCE_PAGES_LOADED_TIMEOUT);
+          }),
+        ]);
       }).then(() => {
         // For documents with different page sizes, once all pages are resolved,
         // ensure that the correct location becomes visible on load.
+        // To reduce the risk, in very large and/or slow loading documents,
+        // that the location changes *after* the user has started interacting
+        // with the viewer, wait for either `pagesPromise` or a timeout above.
+
         if (!initialParams.bookmark && !initialParams.hash) {
           return;
         }
@@ -1852,7 +1863,6 @@ function webViewerUpdateViewarea(evt) {
 
   if (store && PDFViewerApplication.isInitialViewSet) {
     store.setMultiple({
-      'exists': true,
       'page': location.pageNumber,
       'zoom': location.scale,
       'scrollLeft': location.left,
diff --git a/web/view_history.js b/web/view_history.js
index 79ebf0e033779..c50d8064c9456 100644
--- a/web/view_history.js
+++ b/web/view_history.js
@@ -33,11 +33,12 @@ class ViewHistory {
       let database = JSON.parse(databaseStr || '{}');
       if (!('files' in database)) {
         database.files = [];
+      } else {
+        while (database.files.length >= this.cacheSize) {
+          database.files.shift();
+        }
       }
-      if (database.files.length >= this.cacheSize) {
-        database.files.shift();
-      }
-      let index;
+      let index = -1;
       for (let i = 0, length = database.files.length; i < length; i++) {
         let branch = database.files[i];
         if (branch.fingerprint === this.fingerprint) {
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ class ViewHistory {
           break;
         }
       }
-      if (typeof index !== 'number') {
+      if (index === -1) {
         index = database.files.push({ fingerprint: this.fingerprint, }) - 1;
       }
       this.file = database.files[index];