diff --git a/src/TeamsISO.App.WinUI/Services/ThemeManager.cs b/src/TeamsISO.App.WinUI/Services/ThemeManager.cs
index 1553263..5e4880d 100644
--- a/src/TeamsISO.App.WinUI/Services/ThemeManager.cs
+++ b/src/TeamsISO.App.WinUI/Services/ThemeManager.cs
@@ -26,11 +26,26 @@ public sealed class ThemeManager
     {
         _uiSettings = new UISettings();
         _uiSettings.ColorValuesChanged += OnSystemColorsChanged;
+
+        // Hydrate the preference from disk so the operator's choice
+        // survives across launches. Defaults to "System" if the prefs
+        // file is missing or unreadable (Load() catches its own errors).
+        try
+        {
+            var prefs = UIPreferences.Load();
+            if (prefs.Theme == "System" || prefs.Theme == "Dark" || prefs.Theme == "Light")
+            {
+                _preference = prefs.Theme;
+            }
+        }
+        catch
+        {
+            // Defensive — ThemeManager.Current is a static singleton; a
+            // throw here would prevent the app from getting any theme.
+        }
     }
 
     private readonly UISettings _uiSettings;
-    // Default: System (follow OS app-mode). Override at runtime via Set();
-    // persistence to UIPreferences.Theme lands in the view-model commit.
     private string _preference = "System";
 
     public string Preference => _preference;
@@ -63,7 +78,7 @@ public sealed class ThemeManager
         return ResolveTheme();
     }
 
-    /// <summary>Set the preference and broadcast the resolved theme.</summary>
+    /// <summary>Set the preference, persist to disk, broadcast the resolved theme.</summary>
     public void Set(string preference)
     {
         if (preference != "System" && preference != "Dark" && preference != "Light")
@@ -72,6 +87,8 @@ public sealed class ThemeManager
         }
 
         _preference = preference;
+        try { UIPreferences.SetTheme(preference); }
+        catch { /* persistence is best-effort */ }
         Themed?.Invoke(this, ResolveTheme());
     }
 
diff --git a/src/TeamsISO.App.WinUI/Services/UIPreferences.cs b/src/TeamsISO.App.WinUI/Services/UIPreferences.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da5a717
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/TeamsISO.App.WinUI/Services/UIPreferences.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Text.Json;
+
+namespace TeamsISO.App.WinUI.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Persistent UI-side toggles shared between hosts via JSON at
+/// %LOCALAPPDATA%\TeamsISO\ui-prefs.json. The WPF host's copy at
+/// src/TeamsISO.App/Services/UIPreferences.cs reads/writes the same
+/// file with the same record shape — new fields added in one host's
+/// copy degrade gracefully in the other (JSON deserializer ignores
+/// unknown fields, missing fields fall back to defaults).
+///
+/// The WinUI copy adds the Theme field which the WPF host doesn't
+/// know about yet; when the WPF host's UIPreferences gets the same
+/// field, both hosts will share the operator's theme choice across
+/// host swaps.
+/// </summary>
+public static class UIPreferences
+{
+    private static readonly object _gate = new();
+
+    private static string PrefsPath =>
+        Path.Combine(
+            Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.LocalApplicationData),
+            "TeamsISO", "ui-prefs.json");
+
+    public enum SortMode { JoinOrder, Alphabetical, OnlineFirst, LoudestFirst }
+
+    /// <summary>The on-disk shape. New fields added here become opt-in for older files via default values.</summary>
+    public sealed record Prefs(
+        bool HideLocalSelf = true,
+        bool AutoDisableOnDeparture = false,
+        SortMode ParticipantSort = SortMode.JoinOrder,
+        bool MinimizeToTray = false,
+        bool ControlSurfaceLanReachable = false,
+        bool LaunchTeamsOnStartup = false,
+        bool AutoHideTeamsWindows = false,
+        bool AutoRecordOnCall = false,
+        bool EmbedTeamsWindow = false,
+        // Theme preference: "System" (follow OS app-mode), "Dark", or
+        // "Light". WinUI host owns the value for now; WPF host gets the
+        // same field in its UIPreferences when its theme system lands.
+        string Theme = "System");
+
+    public static Prefs Load()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            if (!File.Exists(PrefsPath)) return new Prefs();
+            var json = File.ReadAllText(PrefsPath);
+            return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Prefs>(json) ?? new Prefs();
+        }
+        catch
+        {
+            return new Prefs();
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void Save(Prefs prefs)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            lock (_gate)
+            {
+                var dir = Path.GetDirectoryName(PrefsPath);
+                if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(dir)) Directory.CreateDirectory(dir);
+                var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(prefs, new JsonSerializerOptions { WriteIndented = true });
+                File.WriteAllText(PrefsPath, json);
+            }
+        }
+        catch
+        {
+            // Disk full / permission denied — in-memory state still holds for this session.
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Update just the Theme field without touching other prefs.</summary>
+    public static void SetTheme(string theme)
+    {
+        var current = Load();
+        Save(current with { Theme = theme });
+    }
+}