diff --git a/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.cpp b/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.cpp
index a6ca6ca23..8064082fd 100644
--- a/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.cpp
+++ b/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.cpp
@@ -46,24 +46,27 @@
 #include "InstanceList.h"
 #include "ui/dialogs/CustomMessageBox.h"
 
-bool askToUpdateInstanceDirName(InstancePtr instance, QWidget* parent)
+QString askToUpdateInstanceDirName(InstancePtr instance, QWidget* parent)
 {
     QString renamingMode = APPLICATION->settings()->get("InstRenamingMode").toString();
     if (renamingMode == "MetadataOnly")
-        return false;
+        return QString();
 
     auto oldRoot = instance->instanceRoot();
     auto oldName = QFileInfo(oldRoot).baseName();
+    if (oldName == FS::RemoveInvalidFilenameChars(instance->name(), '-'))
+        return QString();
+
     auto newName = FS::DirNameFromString(instance->name(), QFileInfo(oldRoot).dir().absolutePath());
     auto newRoot = FS::PathCombine(QFileInfo(oldRoot).dir().absolutePath(), newName);
     if (oldRoot == newRoot)
-        return false;
+        return QString();
 
     // Check for conflict
     if (QDir(newRoot).exists()) {
         QMessageBox::warning(parent, QObject::tr("Cannot rename instance"),
                              QObject::tr("New instance root (%1) already exists. <br />Only the metadata will be renamed.").arg(newRoot));
-        return false;
+        return QString();
     }
 
     // Ask if we should rename
@@ -86,12 +89,12 @@ bool askToUpdateInstanceDirName(InstancePtr instance, QWidget* parent)
                 APPLICATION->settings()->set("InstRenamingMode", "MetadataOnly");
         }
         if (res == QMessageBox::No)
-            return false;
+            return QString();
     }
 
     // Check for linked instances
     if (!checkLinkedInstances(instance->id(), parent))
-        return false;
+        return QString();
 
     // Now we can confirm that a renaming is happening
     if (!instance->syncInstanceDirName(newRoot)) {
@@ -101,9 +104,9 @@ bool askToUpdateInstanceDirName(InstancePtr instance, QWidget* parent)
                                          " - New instance root: %2<br/>"
                                          "Only the metadata is renamed.")
                                  .arg(oldRoot, newRoot));
-        return false;
+        return QString();
     }
-    return true;
+    return newRoot;
 }
 
 bool checkLinkedInstances(const QString& id, QWidget* parent)
diff --git a/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.h b/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.h
index 0059d8b7b..23738a19a 100644
--- a/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.h
+++ b/launcher/InstanceDirUpdate.h
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@
 
 #include "BaseInstance.h"
 
-/// Update instanceRoot to make it sync with name/id; return true if a refresh is needed
-bool askToUpdateInstanceDirName(InstancePtr instance, QWidget* parent);
+/// Update instanceRoot to make it sync with name/id; return newRoot if a directory rename happened
+QString askToUpdateInstanceDirName(InstancePtr instance, QWidget* parent);
 
 /// Check if there are linked instances, and display a warning; return true if the operation should proceed
 bool checkLinkedInstances(const QString& id, QWidget* parent);
diff --git a/launcher/InstanceList.cpp b/launcher/InstanceList.cpp
index 918fa1073..a4f694e2e 100644
--- a/launcher/InstanceList.cpp
+++ b/launcher/InstanceList.cpp
@@ -583,6 +583,18 @@ InstancePtr InstanceList::getInstanceById(QString instId) const
     return InstancePtr();
 }
 
+InstancePtr InstanceList::getInstanceByRoot(QString instanceRoot) const
+{
+    if (instanceRoot.isEmpty())
+        return InstancePtr();
+    for (auto& inst : m_instances) {
+        if (inst->instanceRoot() == instanceRoot) {
+            return inst;
+        }
+    }
+    return InstancePtr();
+}
+
 InstancePtr InstanceList::getInstanceByManagedName(const QString& managed_name) const
 {
     if (managed_name.isEmpty())
@@ -601,6 +613,11 @@ QModelIndex InstanceList::getInstanceIndexById(const QString& id) const
     return index(getInstIndex(getInstanceById(id).get()));
 }
 
+QModelIndex InstanceList::getInstanceIndexByRoot(const QString& instanceRoot) const
+{
+    return index(getInstIndex(getInstanceByRoot(instanceRoot).get()));
+}
+
 int InstanceList::getInstIndex(BaseInstance* inst) const
 {
     int count = m_instances.count();
diff --git a/launcher/InstanceList.h b/launcher/InstanceList.h
index c85fe55c7..dace9e5cf 100644
--- a/launcher/InstanceList.h
+++ b/launcher/InstanceList.h
@@ -99,9 +99,11 @@ class InstanceList : public QAbstractListModel {
 
     /* O(n) */
     InstancePtr getInstanceById(QString id) const;
+    InstancePtr getInstanceByRoot(QString instanceRoot) const;
     /* O(n) */
     InstancePtr getInstanceByManagedName(const QString& managed_name) const;
     QModelIndex getInstanceIndexById(const QString& id) const;
+    QModelIndex getInstanceIndexByRoot(const QString& instanceRoot) const;
     QStringList getGroups();
     bool isGroupCollapsed(const QString& groupName);
 
diff --git a/launcher/ui/MainWindow.cpp b/launcher/ui/MainWindow.cpp
index f357b0765..43fe5c067 100644
--- a/launcher/ui/MainWindow.cpp
+++ b/launcher/ui/MainWindow.cpp
@@ -294,6 +294,12 @@ MainWindow::MainWindow(QWidget* parent) : QMainWindow(parent), ui(new Ui::MainWi
         view->setFrameShape(QFrame::NoFrame);
         // do not show ugly blue border on the mac
         view->setAttribute(Qt::WA_MacShowFocusRect, false);
+        connect(view->itemDelegate(), &QAbstractItemDelegate::closeEditor, this, [this] {
+            if (auto newRoot = askToUpdateInstanceDirName(m_selectedInstance, this); !newRoot.isEmpty()) {
+                refreshInstances();
+                setSelectedInstanceByRoot(newRoot);
+            }
+        });
 
         view->installEventFilter(this);
         view->setContextMenuPolicy(Qt::CustomContextMenu);
@@ -1133,6 +1139,18 @@ void MainWindow::setSelectedInstanceById(const QString& id)
     }
 }
 
+void MainWindow::setSelectedInstanceByRoot(const QString& instanceRoot)
+{
+    if (instanceRoot.isNull())
+        return;
+    const QModelIndex index = APPLICATION->instances()->getInstanceIndexByRoot(instanceRoot);
+    if (index.isValid()) {
+        QModelIndex selectionIndex = proxymodel->mapFromSource(index);
+        view->selectionModel()->setCurrentIndex(selectionIndex, QItemSelectionModel::ClearAndSelect);
+        updateStatusCenter();
+    }
+}
+
 void MainWindow::on_actionChangeInstGroup_triggered()
 {
     if (!m_selectedInstance)
@@ -1428,13 +1446,6 @@ void MainWindow::on_actionExportInstanceFlamePack_triggered()
 void MainWindow::on_actionRenameInstance_triggered()
 {
     if (m_selectedInstance) {
-        connect(view->itemDelegate(), &QAbstractItemDelegate::closeEditor, this, [this] {
-            if (askToUpdateInstanceDirName(m_selectedInstance, this)) {
-                auto newID = m_selectedInstance->name();
-                refreshInstances();
-                setSelectedInstanceById(newID);
-            }
-        }, Qt::SingleShotConnection);
         view->edit(view->currentIndex());
     }
 }
diff --git a/launcher/ui/MainWindow.h b/launcher/ui/MainWindow.h
index 0e692eda7..02e9bb31e 100644
--- a/launcher/ui/MainWindow.h
+++ b/launcher/ui/MainWindow.h
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ class MainWindow : public QMainWindow {
     void setCatBackground(bool enabled);
     void updateInstanceToolIcon(QString new_icon);
     void setSelectedInstanceById(const QString& id);
+    void setSelectedInstanceByRoot(const QString& instanceRoot);
     void updateStatusCenter();
     void setInstanceActionsEnabled(bool enabled);