diff --git a/ui/org.eclipse.pde.ui/src/org/eclipse/pde/internal/ui/search/PluginSearchPage.java b/ui/org.eclipse.pde.ui/src/org/eclipse/pde/internal/ui/search/PluginSearchPage.java
index 39f1b1f..a7f07f0 100644
--- a/ui/org.eclipse.pde.ui/src/org/eclipse/pde/internal/ui/search/PluginSearchPage.java
+++ b/ui/org.eclipse.pde.ui/src/org/eclipse/pde/internal/ui/search/PluginSearchPage.java
@@ -14,14 +14,13 @@
 import org.eclipse.core.resources.IFile;
 import org.eclipse.core.resources.IResource;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IAdaptable;
+import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs.*;
 import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs.Dialog;
-import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs.DialogPage;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.TextSelection;
 import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.ISelection;
 import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.IStructuredSelection;
 import org.eclipse.pde.internal.core.search.*;
-import org.eclipse.pde.internal.ui.IHelpContextIds;
-import org.eclipse.pde.internal.ui.PDEUIMessages;
+import org.eclipse.pde.internal.ui.*;
 import org.eclipse.search.ui.*;
 import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
 import org.eclipse.swt.events.*;
@@ -32,7 +31,12 @@
 
 public class PluginSearchPage extends DialogPage implements ISearchPage {
 
+	private static final String DIALOG_SETTINGS = "org.eclipse.pde.internal.ui.search.PluginSearchPage"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+	private static final String PREVIOUS_QUERIES_SETTINGS_KEY = "previousQueries"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+
 	class QueryData {
+		protected static final String SEPARATOR = "\n"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+
 		public String text;
 		public boolean isCaseSensitive;
 		public int searchElement;
@@ -40,6 +44,69 @@
 		public int externalScope;
 		public int workspaceScope;
 		public IWorkingSet[] workingSets;
+
+		/**
+		 * Returns the ordered fields of the object separated by newlines.
+		 * Newlines were chosen because the query text can not contain newlines
+		 * which means it is a safe character to split by.
+		 * 
+		 * The names of selected working sets are added after the normal properties.
+		 */
+		public String toString() {
+			StringBuilder out = new StringBuilder();
+			out.append(text);
+			out.append(SEPARATOR);
+			out.append(isCaseSensitive);
+			out.append(SEPARATOR);
+			out.append(searchElement);
+			out.append(SEPARATOR);
+			out.append(limit);
+			out.append(SEPARATOR);
+			out.append(externalScope);
+			out.append(SEPARATOR);
+			out.append(workspaceScope);
+			// add working sets to the end if there is any
+			if (workingSets != null) {
+				for (int i = 0; i < workingSets.length; i++) {
+					out.append(SEPARATOR);
+					out.append(workingSets[i].getName());
+				}
+			}
+			return out.toString();
+		}
+
+		/**
+		 * Reads the string representation of the fields created
+		 * by the toString method.
+		 * @param data
+		 * @returns the success status of the read. false if the data was invalid.
+		 */
+		public boolean readString(String data) {
+			String[] parts = data.split(SEPARATOR);
+			if (parts.length < 6) {
+				return false;
+			}
+			text = parts[0];
+			isCaseSensitive = Boolean.parseBoolean(parts[1]);
+			searchElement = Integer.parseInt(parts[2]);
+			limit = Integer.parseInt(parts[3]);
+			externalScope = Integer.parseInt(parts[4]);
+			workspaceScope = Integer.parseInt(parts[5]);
+			// if there are more than 6 they are selected working sets
+			// look them up by name and add them to the array
+			if (parts.length > 6) {
+				IWorkingSetManager manager = PlatformUI.getWorkbench().getWorkingSetManager();
+				workingSets = new IWorkingSet[parts.length - 6];
+				// offset i by six to start after normal properties
+				for (int i = 6; i < parts.length; i++) {
+					IWorkingSet set = manager.getWorkingSet(parts[i]);
+					if (set != null) {
+						workingSets[i - 6] = set;
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			return true;
+		}
 
 		public boolean equals(Object obj) {
 			if (obj instanceof QueryData) {
@@ -72,6 +139,7 @@
 		createPatternSection(result);
 		createSettingsSection(result);
 
+		restorePreviousQueries(); // load from dialog settings
 		hookListeners();
 
 		setControl(result);
@@ -247,6 +315,8 @@
 
 	public boolean performAction() {
 		saveQueryData();
+		// Save the queries array to persistent storage
+		savePreviousQueries();
 		NewSearchUI.activateSearchResultView();
 		NewSearchUI.runQueryInBackground(new PluginSearchQuery(getInput()));
 		return true;
@@ -292,6 +362,53 @@
 			previousQueries.remove(0);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Saves the previousQueries array to IDialogSettings.
+	 * Serializes the QueryData objects into an array of strings.
+	 */
+	private void savePreviousQueries() {
+		IDialogSettings settings = getDialogSettings();
+		String[] items = new String[previousQueries.size()];
+		// build up the items array by serializing each query
+		for (int i = 0; i < previousQueries.size(); i++) {
+			QueryData item = (QueryData) previousQueries.get(i);
+			items[i] = item.toString();
+		}
+
+		settings.put(PREVIOUS_QUERIES_SETTINGS_KEY, items);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Restores the dialog from IDialogSettings.
+	 * Destroys the previousQueries array and rebuilds it from persistent storage.
+	 */
+	private void restorePreviousQueries() {
+		IDialogSettings settings = getDialogSettings();
+		String[] items = settings.getArray(PREVIOUS_QUERIES_SETTINGS_KEY);
+		if (items == null) {
+			return; // no previous data to load
+		}
+		previousQueries.clear();
+		// build up the previousQueries array by serializing each query
+		for (int i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
+			String itemdata = items[i];
+			QueryData newData = new QueryData();
+			boolean success = newData.readString(itemdata);
+			if (success)
+				previousQueries.add(newData);
+		}
+	}
+
+	protected IDialogSettings getDialogSettings() {
+		IDialogSettings settings = PDEPlugin.getDefault().getDialogSettings().getSection(DIALOG_SETTINGS);
+
+		if (settings == null) {
+			settings = PDEPlugin.getDefault().getDialogSettings().addNewSection(DIALOG_SETTINGS);
+		}
+
+		return settings;
+	}
+
 	public void setContainer(ISearchPageContainer container) {
 		this.container = container;
 	}