diff --git a/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx b/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx
index 84d68db..c4e2ed6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import {
   Ban,
+  CalendarClock,
+  ClipboardPaste,
   Copy,
   Download,
   Link2,
@@ -18,7 +20,7 @@ import {
   Trash2,
 } from "lucide-react";
 import clsx from "clsx";
-import Tabs, { usePersistedTab } from "./Tabs";
+import Tabs from "./Tabs";
 import { PageToolbar } from "./PageShell";
 import { LoadingState, StateMessage } from "./QueryState";
 import Modal from "./Modal";
@@ -35,7 +37,7 @@ import { api, type DownloadJob } from "../lib/api";
 import { invalidateDownloads } from "../lib/downloads";
 import { notify } from "../lib/notifications";
 import { copyText } from "../lib/clipboard";
-import { formatBytes, formatDuration, formatEta, formatSpeed } from "../lib/format";
+import { formatBytes, formatDuration, formatEta, formatSpeed, relativeTime } from "../lib/format";
 import { inputCls } from "./ui/form";
 
 const GiB = 1024 ** 3;
@@ -83,10 +85,24 @@ function StatusPill({ job }: { job: DownloadJob }) {
 
 function Thumb({ job }: { job: DownloadJob }) {
   // Prefer the source thumbnail; fall back to our generated poster for thumbnail-less sources.
-  const url = job.asset?.thumbnail_url || job.poster_url;
+  const primary = job.asset?.thumbnail_url || job.poster_url;
+  // A remote i.ytimg.com thumbnail 404s once the source video is deleted/privated, leaving a
+  // broken image. On load failure fall back to our always-present self-hosted poster.
+  const [src, setSrc] = useState(primary);
+  useEffect(() => setSrc(primary), [primary]);
   return (
     <div className="w-28 aspect-video shrink-0 rounded-lg overflow-hidden bg-surface border border-border">
-      {url ? <img src={url} alt="" loading="lazy" className="w-full h-full object-cover" /> : null}
+      {src ? (
+        <img
+          src={src}
+          alt=""
+          loading="lazy"
+          className="w-full h-full object-cover"
+          onError={() => {
+            if (job.poster_url && src !== job.poster_url) setSrc(job.poster_url);
+          }}
+        />
+      ) : null}
     </div>
   );
 }
@@ -218,6 +234,14 @@ function DownloadRow({ job, children }: { job: DownloadJob; children?: React.Rea
           {job.asset?.duration_s ? (
             <span className="text-muted">· {formatDuration(job.asset.duration_s)}</span>
           ) : null}
+          {job.status === "done" && job.created_at ? (
+            <span
+              className="text-muted inline-flex items-center gap-1"
+              title={new Date(job.created_at).toLocaleString()}
+            >
+              · <CalendarClock className="w-3 h-3" /> {relativeTime(job.created_at)}
+            </span>
+          ) : null}
           {job.error ? <span className="text-red-400 truncate">· {job.error}</span> : null}
         </div>
         {job.source_url && <SourceRef url={job.source_url} />}
@@ -655,7 +679,9 @@ export default function DownloadCenter() {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   const qc = useQueryClient();
   const confirm = useConfirm();
-  const [tab, setTab] = usePersistedTab("siftlode.downloadTab", "queue");
+  // Always land on the queue tab (not a persisted last-tab) — the queue is where new work and
+  // any failures are, so it's the useful default every visit.
+  const [tab, setTab] = useState("queue");
   const [addUrl, setAddUrl] = useState("");
   const [addSource, setAddSource] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [manage, setManage] = useState(false);
@@ -706,14 +732,28 @@ export default function DownloadCenter() {
     if (await confirm({ title, message: body, confirmLabel: title, danger: true })) fn();
   };
 
+  // Pull a link off the clipboard into the add-URL box. Clipboard reads need a secure context +
+  // a user gesture/permission (iOS Safari/Brave are strict) — so this is best-effort: the paste
+  // button is an explicit gesture (reliable), and the input's onFocus tries silently (ignored if
+  // the browser refuses without a click). Only accept an http(s) URL, don't clobber existing text.
+  const pasteFromClipboard = async (force = false) => {
+    if (!force && addUrl.trim()) return;
+    try {
+      const text = (await navigator.clipboard?.readText())?.trim();
+      if (text && /^https?:\/\/\S+$/i.test(text)) setAddUrl(text);
+    } catch {
+      /* permission denied or unsupported — the manual paste button still works on a click */
+    }
+  };
+
   const tabs = [
     { id: "queue", label: t("downloads.tabs.queue"), badge: queue.length },
     { id: "done", label: t("downloads.tabs.done"), badge: library.length },
     { id: "shared", label: t("downloads.tabs.shared") },
     ...(me.role === "admin" ? [{ id: "system", label: t("downloads.tabs.system") }] : []),
   ];
-  // A persisted tab can point at one no longer available (e.g. "system" restored for a now-non-admin
-  // account) — that would render a blank page with no active tab. Fall back to the default.
+  // Guard against the active tab going away under us (e.g. admin on "system" gets demoted mid-session)
+  // — that would render a blank page with no active tab. Fall back to the default.
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!tabs.some((tb) => tb.id === tab)) setTab("queue");
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
@@ -756,10 +796,19 @@ export default function DownloadCenter() {
               <input
                 value={addUrl}
                 onChange={(e) => setAddUrl(e.target.value)}
+                onFocus={() => pasteFromClipboard()}
                 onKeyDown={(e) => e.key === "Enter" && addUrl.trim() && setAddSource(addUrl.trim())}
                 placeholder={t("downloads.page.addUrl")}
                 className={inputCls}
               />
+              <button
+                onClick={() => pasteFromClipboard(true)}
+                title={t("downloads.page.paste")}
+                aria-label={t("downloads.page.paste")}
+                className="inline-flex items-center justify-center px-2.5 py-1.5 rounded-lg text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-surface transition shrink-0"
+              >
+                <ClipboardPaste className="w-4 h-4" />
+              </button>
               <button
                 onClick={() => addUrl.trim() && setAddSource(addUrl.trim())}
                 className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 px-3 py-1.5 rounded-lg text-sm font-medium bg-accent text-accent-fg hover:opacity-90 transition shrink-0"
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ShareDialog.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ShareDialog.tsx
index 396cb32..2dc5613 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ShareDialog.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ShareDialog.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useMemo, useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { qk } from "../lib/queryKeys";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
@@ -271,6 +271,18 @@ function LinkShare({ job }: { job: DownloadJob }) {
     },
   });
 
+  // Open with a link already generated: sharing is almost always the goal, so mint a default
+  // (no password, no expiry, view-only) link the moment the dialog finds none — as if the user
+  // had pressed "New link" → "Create". All further controls (password, download toggle, expiry,
+  // extra links, revoke) stay available on the created link and via the "New link" button.
+  const autoTried = useRef(false);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (links.data && links.data.length === 0 && !autoTried.current && !create.isPending) {
+      autoTried.current = true;
+      create.mutate();
+    }
+  }, [links.data, create]);
+
   return (
     <div>
       <div className="flex items-center gap-2 text-sm font-medium mb-1">
@@ -282,7 +294,7 @@ function LinkShare({ job }: { job: DownloadJob }) {
         {(links.data ?? []).map((l) => (
           <LinkRow key={l.id} link={l} onChanged={invalidate} />
         ))}
-        {links.data && links.data.length === 0 && !creating && (
+        {links.data && links.data.length === 0 && !creating && !create.isPending && (
           <p className="text-xs text-muted">{t("downloads.share.noLinks")}</p>
         )}
       </div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json
index f93f8de..42918f4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
     "subtitle": "Download videos to the server, then save them to your device.",
     "addUrl": "Paste a YouTube link or video id…",
     "add": "Add",
+    "paste": "Paste link from clipboard",
     "manage": "Manage formats"
   },
   "tabs": {
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json
index 831561d..5c1a6b5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
     "subtitle": "Töltsd le a videókat a szerverre, majd mentsd a saját gépedre.",
     "addUrl": "Illessz be egy YouTube linket vagy videó azonosítót…",
     "add": "Hozzáad",
+    "paste": "Link beillesztése a vágólapról",
     "manage": "Formátumok kezelése"
   },
   "tabs": {