diff --git a/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/components/VerticalNavMenu.vue b/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/components/VerticalNavMenu.vue
index 495ed27..1712b5d 100644
--- a/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/components/VerticalNavMenu.vue
+++ b/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/components/VerticalNavMenu.vue
@@ -24,25 +24,31 @@
     <a-menu
       mode="inline"
       theme="light"
+      :inline-collapsed="collapsed"
       :selected-keys="selectedKeys"
       :open-keys="openKeys"
       @update:openKeys="(k: string[]) => (openKeys = k)"
       @click="onClick"
     >
       <template v-for="(node, i) in visibleMenu" :key="node.url || node.header || i">
-        <!-- header node: a section divider carrying `items` -->
+        <!-- header node: a section divider carrying `items` (ant has no icon
+             slot on a menu-item-group; it's a label-only divider, so its
+             children still carry their own icons below). -->
         <a-menu-item-group v-if="node.header" :title="node.i18n || node.header">
           <template v-for="(child, j) in visibleChildren(node.items)" :key="child.url || j">
             <a-sub-menu v-if="child.submenu" :key="subKey(child, j)">
+              <template #icon><component :is="resolveIcon(child.icon)" v-if="child.icon" /></template>
               <template #title>{{ child.i18n || child.name }}</template>
               <a-menu-item
                 v-for="(leaf, k) in visibleChildren(child.submenu)"
                 :key="leaf.url || `${j}-${k}`"
               >
+                <template #icon><component :is="resolveIcon(leaf.icon)" v-if="leaf.icon" /></template>
                 {{ leaf.i18n || leaf.name }}
               </a-menu-item>
             </a-sub-menu>
             <a-menu-item v-else :key="child.url || `${j}`">
+              <template #icon><component :is="resolveIcon(child.icon)" v-if="child.icon" /></template>
               {{ child.i18n || child.name }}
             </a-menu-item>
           </template>
@@ -50,17 +56,20 @@
 
         <!-- group node -->
         <a-sub-menu v-else-if="node.submenu" :key="subKey(node, i)">
+          <template #icon><component :is="resolveIcon(node.icon)" v-if="node.icon" /></template>
           <template #title>{{ node.i18n || node.name }}</template>
           <a-menu-item
             v-for="(leaf, k) in visibleChildren(node.submenu)"
             :key="leaf.url || `${i}-${k}`"
           >
+            <template #icon><component :is="resolveIcon(leaf.icon)" v-if="leaf.icon" /></template>
             {{ leaf.i18n || leaf.name }}
           </a-menu-item>
         </a-sub-menu>
 
         <!-- leaf node -->
         <a-menu-item v-else :key="node.url || `${i}`">
+          <template #icon><component :is="resolveIcon(node.icon)" v-if="node.icon" /></template>
           {{ node.i18n || node.name }}
         </a-menu-item>
       </template>
@@ -73,6 +82,7 @@ import { computed, ref, watch } from 'vue';
 import { useRoute, useRouter } from 'vue-router';
 import { getMenu, type NavMenuNode } from '../navMenuItems';
 import { useUsersStore } from '../../stores/users';
+import { resolveIcon } from '../../components/icons';
 
 withDefaults(defineProps<{ title?: string; collapsed?: boolean }>(), {
   title: 'هنزا گلد',
@@ -113,13 +123,45 @@ const visibleMenu = computed(() =>
 
 const subKey = (node: NavMenuNode, i: number) => `sub-${node.name ?? ''}-${i}`;
 
+/**
+ * Finds the sub-menu key(s) that must be open so the current route's menu
+ * item is visible. Previously openKeys only ever changed via user clicks
+ * (@update:openKeys), so a direct link or a page refresh landed with every
+ * submenu collapsed even when the active item was nested inside one.
+ */
+function findOpenKeysFor(path: string): string[] {
+  for (let i = 0; i < visibleMenu.value.length; i++) {
+    const node = visibleMenu.value[i];
+
+    if (node.header) {
+      const children = visibleChildren(node.items);
+      for (let j = 0; j < children.length; j++) {
+        const child = children[j];
+        if (child.submenu && visibleChildren(child.submenu).some((leaf) => leaf.url === path)) {
+          return [subKey(child, j)];
+        }
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (node.submenu && visibleChildren(node.submenu).some((leaf) => leaf.url === path)) {
+      return [subKey(node, i)];
+    }
+  }
+  return [];
+}
+
 const selectedKeys = ref<string[]>([route.path]);
-const openKeys = ref<string[]>([]);
+const openKeys = ref<string[]>(findOpenKeysFor(route.path));
 
 watch(
   () => route.path,
   (p) => {
     selectedKeys.value = [p];
+    const needed = findOpenKeysFor(p);
+    for (const key of needed) {
+      if (!openKeys.value.includes(key)) openKeys.value = [...openKeys.value, key];
+    }
   },
 );
 
diff --git a/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/main/Main.vue b/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/main/Main.vue
index 82c3815..5c26582 100644
--- a/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/main/Main.vue
+++ b/apps/admin-panel/src/layouts/main/Main.vue
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     <VerticalNavMenu :collapsed="collapsed" />
 
     <a-layout>
-      <TheNavbar :collapsed="collapsed" @toggle-sidebar="collapsed = !collapsed" />
+      <TheNavbar :collapsed="collapsed" @toggle-sidebar="layout.setSidebarCollapsed(!collapsed)" />
 
       <a-layout-content id="content-area">
         <div class="content-wrapper">
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import { computed, ref, watch } from 'vue';
 import { useRoute } from 'vue-router';
 import VerticalNavMenu from '../components/VerticalNavMenu.vue';
 import TheNavbar from '../components/TheNavbar.vue';
+import { useLayoutStore } from '../../stores/layout';
 
 interface Crumb {
   title: string;
@@ -48,7 +49,10 @@ interface Crumb {
 }
 
 const route = useRoute();
-const collapsed = ref(false);
+const layout = useLayoutStore();
+// Persisted via stores/layout.ts (localStorage) so the sidebar stays
+// collapsed/expanded across reloads instead of resetting every time.
+const collapsed = computed(() => layout.sidebarCollapsed);
 
 const pageTitle = computed(() => route.meta?.pageTitle as string | undefined);
 const breadcrumb = computed(() => route.meta?.breadcrumb as Crumb[] | undefined);
diff --git a/apps/admin-panel/src/stores/layout.ts b/apps/admin-panel/src/stores/layout.ts
index b58bb70..d34255c 100644
--- a/apps/admin-panel/src/stores/layout.ts
+++ b/apps/admin-panel/src/stores/layout.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,20 @@
 import { defineStore } from 'pinia';
 import themeConfig, { type ThemeMode } from '../themeConfig';
 
+const SIDEBAR_COLLAPSED_KEY = 'admin-panel:sidebarCollapsed';
+
+/** Reads the persisted collapse state, falling back to themeConfig's default
+ *  when localStorage is unavailable or has never been set. */
+function readPersistedCollapsed(): boolean {
+  if (typeof window === 'undefined') return themeConfig.sidebarCollapsed;
+  try {
+    const raw = window.localStorage.getItem(SIDEBAR_COLLAPSED_KEY);
+    return raw === null ? themeConfig.sidebarCollapsed : raw === '1';
+  } catch {
+    return themeConfig.sidebarCollapsed;
+  }
+}
+
 export const useLayoutStore = defineStore('layout', {
   state: () => ({
     windowWidth: typeof window !== 'undefined' ? window.innerWidth : 0,
@@ -12,7 +26,7 @@ export const useLayoutStore = defineStore('layout', {
     theme: themeConfig.theme as ThemeMode,
     // legacy state.js: sidebar visibility for the vertical nav menu
     isSidebarActive: true,
-    sidebarCollapsed: themeConfig.sidebarCollapsed,
+    sidebarCollapsed: readPersistedCollapsed(),
   }),
   getters: {
     // legacy used breakpoints of 1200 (theme tour) and 992 (nav menu collapse)
@@ -32,6 +46,13 @@ export const useLayoutStore = defineStore('layout', {
     },
     setSidebarCollapsed(value: boolean) {
       this.sidebarCollapsed = value;
+      if (typeof window === 'undefined') return;
+      try {
+        window.localStorage.setItem(SIDEBAR_COLLAPSED_KEY, value ? '1' : '0');
+      } catch {
+        // localStorage unavailable (private mode, disabled site data, ...) —
+        // collapse state just won't persist across reloads.
+      }
     },
   },
 });