diff --git a/src/Application.h b/src/Application.h
--- a/src/Application.h
+++ b/src/Application.h
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@
 
     void toggleBackgroundInstance();
 
+    void handleLastTabClosed(MainWindow *window);
+
 public Q_SLOTS:
     void slotActivateRequested(QStringList args, const QString &workingDir);
 
diff --git a/src/Application.cpp b/src/Application.cpp
--- a/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/src/Application.cpp
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@
     connect(window, &Konsole::MainWindow::newWindowRequest, this,
             &Konsole::Application::createWindow);
     connect(window, &Konsole::MainWindow::viewDetached, this, &Konsole::Application::detachView);
+    connect(window, &Konsole::MainWindow::lastTabClosed, this, &Konsole::Application::handleLastTabClosed);
 
     return window;
 }
@@ -561,6 +562,20 @@
     _backgroundInstance = window;
 }
 
+void Application::handleLastTabClosed(MainWindow *window)
+{
+    if (_backgroundInstance == nullptr) {
+        window->close();
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    Profile::Ptr defaultProfile = ProfileManager::instance()->defaultProfile();
+    _backgroundInstance->createSession(defaultProfile, QString());
+
+    _backgroundInstance->hide();
+}
+
 void Application::toggleBackgroundInstance()
 {
     Q_ASSERT(_backgroundInstance);
diff --git a/src/MainWindow.h b/src/MainWindow.h
--- a/src/MainWindow.h
+++ b/src/MainWindow.h
@@ -116,6 +116,11 @@
      */
     void viewDetached(Session *session);
 
+    /**
+     * Emitted when the last tab has been closed
+     */
+    void lastTabClosed(MainWindow *window);
+
 protected:
     // Reimplemented for internal reasons.
     void showEvent(QShowEvent *event) Q_DECL_OVERRIDE;
@@ -156,7 +161,6 @@
     void setProfileList(ProfileList *list);
 
     void applyKonsoleSettings();
-    void handleLastTabClosed();
 
     void updateUseTransparency();
 
@@ -171,6 +175,7 @@
     void setupActions();
     QString activeSessionDir() const;
     void triggerAction(const QString &name) const;
+    void allTabsClosed();
 
     /**
      * Returns the bookmark handler associated with this window.
diff --git a/src/MainWindow.cpp b/src/MainWindow.cpp
--- a/src/MainWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/MainWindow.cpp
@@ -97,7 +97,8 @@
 
     // create view manager
     _viewManager = new ViewManager(this, actionCollection());
-    connect(_viewManager, &Konsole::ViewManager::empty, this, &Konsole::MainWindow::handleLastTabClosed);
+    connect(_viewManager, &Konsole::ViewManager::empty, this, &Konsole::MainWindow::allTabsClosed);
+
     connect(_viewManager, &Konsole::ViewManager::activeViewChanged, this,
             &Konsole::MainWindow::activeViewChanged);
     connect(_viewManager, &Konsole::ViewManager::unplugController, this,
@@ -775,18 +776,6 @@
     updateWindowCaption();
 }
 
-void MainWindow::handleLastTabClosed()
-{
-    if (!KonsoleSettings::persistAfterLastClose()) {
-        close();
-    }
-
-    Profile::Ptr defaultProfile = ProfileManager::instance()->defaultProfile();
-    createSession(defaultProfile, QString());
-
-    hide();
-}
-
 void MainWindow::activateMenuBar()
 {
     const QList<QAction *> menuActions = menuBar()->actions();
@@ -888,3 +877,9 @@
     // Kpart is another different story
     return false;
 }
+
+
+void MainWindow::allTabsClosed()
+{
+    emit lastTabClosed(this);
+}
diff --git a/src/settings/GeneralSettings.ui b/src/settings/GeneralSettings.ui
--- a/src/settings/GeneralSettings.ui
+++ b/src/settings/GeneralSettings.ui
@@ -125,19 +125,6 @@
           </property>
          </widget>
         </item>
-        <item row="7" column="0">
-         <widget class="QCheckBox" name="kcfg_PersistAfterLastClose">
-          <property name="sizePolicy">
-           <sizepolicy hsizetype="Preferred" vsizetype="Fixed">
-            <horstretch>0</horstretch>
-            <verstretch>0</verstretch>
-           </sizepolicy>
-          </property>
-          <property name="text">
-           <string>Persist after closing last tab</string>
-          </property>
-         </widget>
-        </item>
        </layout>
       </widget>
      </item>
diff --git a/src/settings/konsole.kcfg b/src/settings/konsole.kcfg
--- a/src/settings/konsole.kcfg
+++ b/src/settings/konsole.kcfg
@@ -40,11 +40,6 @@
       <tooltip>When launching Konsole re-use existing process if possible</tooltip>
       <default>false</default>
     </entry>
-    <entry name="PersistAfterLastClose" type="Bool">
-      <label>Keep on running after closing the last tab</label>
-      <tooltip>If the last tab is closed Konsole will keep running and create a new tab</tooltip>
-      <default>false</default>
-    </entry>
   </group>
   <group name="SearchSettings">
     <entry name="SearchCaseSensitive" type="Bool">