Index: src/filewidgets/kdiroperatordetailview.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/filewidgets/kdiroperatordetailview.cpp
+++ src/filewidgets/kdiroperatordetailview.cpp
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 #include "kdiroperatordetailview_p.h"
 
 #include <kdirlister.h>
-#include <kdirmodel.h>
 #include <QDebug>
 
 #include <QEvent>
@@ -85,25 +84,68 @@
 
 bool KDirOperatorDetailView::event(QEvent *event)
 {
-    if (event->type() == QEvent::Polish) {
-        QHeaderView *headerView = header();
-        headerView->setSectionResizeMode(0, QHeaderView::Stretch);
-        headerView->setSectionResizeMode(1, QHeaderView::ResizeToContents);
-        headerView->setSectionResizeMode(2, QHeaderView::ResizeToContents);
-        headerView->setStretchLastSection(false);
-        headerView->setSectionsMovable(false);
-
-        setColumnHidden(KDirModel::Size, m_hideDetailColumns);
-        setColumnHidden(KDirModel::ModifiedTime, m_hideDetailColumns);
-        hideColumn(KDirModel::Type);
-        hideColumn(KDirModel::Permissions);
-        hideColumn(KDirModel::Owner);
-        hideColumn(KDirModel::Group);
-    } else if (event->type() == QEvent::UpdateRequest) {
-        // A wheel movement will scroll 4 items
-        if (model()->rowCount()) {
-            verticalScrollBar()->setSingleStep((sizeHintForRow(0) / 3) * 4);
+    switch (event->type()) {
+        case QEvent::Polish: {
+            QHeaderView *headerView = header();
+            headerView->setSectionResizeMode(0, QHeaderView::Stretch);
+            headerView->setSectionResizeMode(1, QHeaderView::ResizeToContents);
+            headerView->setSectionResizeMode(2, QHeaderView::ResizeToContents);
+            headerView->setStretchLastSection(false);
+            headerView->setSectionsMovable(false);
+
+            setColumnHidden(KDirModel::Size, m_hideDetailColumns);
+            setColumnHidden(KDirModel::ModifiedTime, m_hideDetailColumns);
+            hideColumn(KDirModel::Type);
+            hideColumn(KDirModel::Permissions);
+            hideColumn(KDirModel::Owner);
+            hideColumn(KDirModel::Group);
+            m_setInteractiveResizeMode = false;
+            for (int i = 0 ; i < KDirModel::ColumnCount ; ++i) {
+                m_currentColumnWidth[i] = -1;
+            }
+            connect(header(), &QHeaderView::sectionResized,
+                [=](int column, int, int newSize) {
+                    if (newSize > 0 && model()->rowCount() > 0) {
+                        // store the new width; note that we may be called multiple times
+                        // for columns in Stretch mode, with increasingly accurate sizes.
+                        m_currentColumnWidth[column] = newSize;
+                        // for some reason making a selective ResizeMode setting here 
+                        // has no effect; we need to set interactive mode on all sections
+                        // at a later stage. Queue that now, and don't touch any
+                        // section settings directly.
+                        m_setInteractiveResizeMode = true;
+                    }
+                });
+            break;
         }
+        case QEvent::UpdateRequest:
+            // A wheel movement will scroll 4 items
+            if (model()->rowCount()) {
+                verticalScrollBar()->setSingleStep((sizeHintForRow(0) / 3) * 4);
+            }
+            break;
+        case QEvent::Paint:
+            // event analysis confirms that the 1st paint event arrives after all headers have
+            // had a size set, so we can now set the definitive section size explicitly and
+            // activate interactive mode. The results is that section size is set once according
+            // to the principles defined above (Polish case) but can then be adapted by the user,
+            // for instance when navigating to a different directory.
+            if (m_setInteractiveResizeMode) {
+                for (int i = 0 ; i < KDirModel::ColumnCount ; ++i) {
+                    if (m_currentColumnWidth[i] > 0) {
+                        // set the obtained width explicitly
+                        header()->resizeSection(i, m_currentColumnWidth[i]);
+                    }
+                }
+                header()->setSectionResizeMode(QHeaderView::Interactive);
+                // we only do this once after each Polish event which reset the column size mode.
+                // (In practice this events seems to arrive only once.)
+                m_setInteractiveResizeMode = false;
+            }
+            break;
+        default:
+            // noop
+            break;
     }
 
     return QTreeView::event(event);
Index: src/filewidgets/kdiroperatordetailview_p.h
===================================================================
--- src/filewidgets/kdiroperatordetailview_p.h
+++ src/filewidgets/kdiroperatordetailview_p.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <QTreeView>
 
 #include <kfile.h>
+#include <kdirmodel.h>
 
 class QAbstractItemModel;
 
@@ -50,6 +51,8 @@
 
 private:
     bool m_hideDetailColumns;
+    bool m_setInteractiveResizeMode;
+    int m_currentColumnWidth[KDirModel::ColumnCount];
 };
 
 #endif