diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/editor/index.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/editor/index.tsx
index 5ae7a6d7a..bad71d576 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/editor/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/editor/index.tsx
@@ -547,6 +547,10 @@ export function Editor(props: EditorProps) {
       const editor = useEditorManager.getState().getEditor(id)?.editor;
       const selection = editor?.getSelection();
       if (selection) Config.set(`${id}:selection`, selection);
+      // the scroll handler is debounced, so a reload right after scrolling
+      // would otherwise lose the position
+      const anchor = editor?.getScrollAnchor();
+      if (anchor) Config.set(`${id}:scroll-anchor`, anchor);
     };
   }, [id]);
 
diff --git a/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/__tests__/scroll-anchor.test.ts b/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/__tests__/scroll-anchor.test.ts
index 95ee5eb3f..f06dd8909 100644
--- a/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/__tests__/scroll-anchor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/__tests__/scroll-anchor.test.ts
@@ -59,22 +59,28 @@ function rect(top: number, height: number) {
 const original = HTMLElement.prototype.getBoundingClientRect;
 
 /** happy-dom lays nothing out, so blocks and pages get a synthetic geometry. */
-function stubLayout(editor: Editor) {
+function stubLayout(editor: Editor, scrollTop = 0) {
   const dom = editor.view.dom as HTMLElement;
   HTMLElement.prototype.getBoundingClientRect = function () {
-    if (this === dom) return rect(0, BLOCKS * BLOCK_HEIGHT);
+    if (this === dom) return rect(-scrollTop, BLOCKS * BLOCK_HEIGHT);
     // the scroll container and anything outside the editor sits at the top
     if (!dom.contains(this)) return rect(0, 800);
     const siblings = this.parentElement?.children;
     const index = siblings ? Array.prototype.indexOf.call(siblings, this) : -1;
     if (index < 0) return rect(0, 0);
     if (this.parentElement === dom)
-      return rect(index * PAGE_SIZE * BLOCK_HEIGHT, PAGE_SIZE * BLOCK_HEIGHT);
+      return rect(
+        index * PAGE_SIZE * BLOCK_HEIGHT - scrollTop,
+        PAGE_SIZE * BLOCK_HEIGHT
+      );
     const pageIndex = Array.prototype.indexOf.call(
       dom.children,
       this.parentElement
     );
-    return rect((pageIndex * PAGE_SIZE + index) * BLOCK_HEIGHT, BLOCK_HEIGHT);
+    return rect(
+      (pageIndex * PAGE_SIZE + index) * BLOCK_HEIGHT - scrollTop,
+      BLOCK_HEIGHT
+    );
   };
 }
 
@@ -151,6 +157,21 @@ describe("scroll anchor", () => {
     editor.destroy();
   });
 
+  test("anchors on a placeholder page using the document", () => {
+    const editor = createEditor(createContainer());
+    // scrolled so the fold sits on page 6, which has never rendered
+    stubLayout(editor, 6 * PAGE_SIZE * BLOCK_HEIGHT);
+    expect(
+      (editor.view.dom.children[6] as HTMLElement).hasAttribute(
+        "data-virtual-placeholder"
+      )
+    ).toBe(true);
+
+    const anchor = getScrollAnchor(editor.view);
+    expect(anchor?.blockId).toBe("blk300");
+    editor.destroy();
+  });
+
   test("reports failure for a block that is no longer there", () => {
     const editor = createEditor(createContainer());
     stubLayout(editor);
diff --git a/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/anchor.ts b/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/anchor.ts
index 99d350449..9d86367f9 100644
--- a/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/anchor.ts
+++ b/packages/editor/src/extensions/virtualization/anchor.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 import { Node as ProsemirrorNode } from "@tiptap/pm/model";
 import { EditorView } from "@tiptap/pm/view";
 import { profiler } from "../../utils/profiler.js";
+import { isPage } from "../paging/split.js";
 import { findScrollParent, virtualizationKey } from "./viewport-plugin.js";
 
 export type ScrollAnchor = {
@@ -43,21 +44,35 @@ function containerOf(view: EditorView) {
  */
 export function getScrollAnchor(view: EditorView): ScrollAnchor | undefined {
   const { top } = containerOf(view);
-  const blocks = view.dom.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>("[data-block-id]");
+  const children = view.dom.children;
 
-  for (const element of blocks) {
-    // Pages carry a block id too, but theirs is regenerated every time a note
-    // is opened and split, so only real blocks make a durable anchor.
-    if (
-      element.hasAttribute("data-page") ||
-      element.hasAttribute("data-virtual-placeholder")
-    )
-      continue;
+  for (let i = 0; i < children.length; i++) {
+    const element = children[i] as HTMLElement;
     const rect = element.getBoundingClientRect();
     if (rect.bottom <= top) continue;
-    const blockId = element.getAttribute("data-block-id");
-    if (!blockId) continue;
-    return { blockId, offset: Math.round(top - rect.top) };
+
+    const node = view.state.doc.child(i);
+    if (!isPage(node)) {
+      const blockId = node.attrs.blockId as string | undefined;
+      return blockId
+        ? { blockId, offset: Math.round(top - rect.top) }
+        : undefined;
+    }
+
+    // Inside a rendered page, anchor on the exact block at the fold.
+    for (const child of Array.from(element.children)) {
+      const childRect = child.getBoundingClientRect();
+      if (childRect.bottom <= top) continue;
+      const blockId = child.getAttribute("data-block-id");
+      if (blockId) return { blockId, offset: Math.round(top - childRect.top) };
+    }
+
+    // A page that has not rendered has no blocks to inspect, but the document
+    // still knows which block it starts with.
+    const blockId = node.firstChild?.attrs.blockId as string | undefined;
+    return blockId
+      ? { blockId, offset: Math.round(top - rect.top) }
+      : undefined;
   }
   return undefined;
 }