diff --git a/document/kpDocument.h b/document/kpDocument.h
--- a/document/kpDocument.h
+++ b/document/kpDocument.h
@@ -139,7 +139,10 @@
     //
     // e.g. If the user types "kolourpaint doesnotexist.png" to start
     //      KolourPaint, this method will return false.
-    bool isFromExistingURL (bool checkURLStillExists = true) const;
+    bool isFromExistingURL () const;
+
+    // Checks whether @p url still exists
+    bool urlExists (const QUrl &url) const;
 
     // (will convert: empty Url --> "Untitled")
     QString prettyUrl () const;
diff --git a/document/kpDocument.cpp b/document/kpDocument.cpp
--- a/document/kpDocument.cpp
+++ b/document/kpDocument.cpp
@@ -145,19 +145,19 @@
 //---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 // public
-bool kpDocument::isFromExistingURL (bool checkURLStillExists) const
+bool kpDocument::isFromExistingURL () const
 {
-    if (!m_isFromExistingURL) {
-        return false;
-    }
+    return m_isFromExistingURL;
+}
 
-    if (!checkURLStillExists) {
-        return true;
-    }
+//---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-    return (!m_url.isEmpty () &&
-            KIO::NetAccess::exists (m_url, KIO::NetAccess::SourceSide/*open*/,
-                d->environ->dialogParent ()));
+// public
+bool kpDocument::urlExists (const QUrl &url) const
+{
+    return (!url.isEmpty () &&
+            KIO::NetAccess::exists (url, KIO::NetAccess::SourceSide/*open*/,
+                                    d->environ->dialogParent ()));
 }
 
 //---------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/document/kpDocument_Open.cpp b/document/kpDocument_Open.cpp
--- a/document/kpDocument_Open.cpp
+++ b/document/kpDocument_Open.cpp
@@ -222,9 +222,7 @@
 
     if (newDocSameNameIfNotExist)
     {
-        if (!url.isEmpty () &&
-            // not just a permission error?
-            !KIO::NetAccess::exists (url, KIO::NetAccess::SourceSide/*open*/, d->environ->dialogParent ()))
+        if (urlExists (url)) // not just a permission error?
         {
             openNew (url);
         }
diff --git a/mainWindow/kpMainWindow.cpp b/mainWindow/kpMainWindow.cpp
--- a/mainWindow/kpMainWindow.cpp
+++ b/mainWindow/kpMainWindow.cpp
@@ -376,12 +376,11 @@
         // Not from URL e.g. "kolourpaint doesnotexist.png"?
         //
         // Note that "kolourpaint doesexist.png" is considered to be from
-        // a URL even if it was deleted in the background (hence the
-        // "false" arg to isFromExistingURL()).  This is because the user expects
+        // a URL even if it was deleted in the background. This is because the user expects
         // it to be from a URL, so when we session restore, we pop up a
         // "cannot find file" dialog, instead of silently creating a new,
         // blank document.
-        if (!d->document->isFromExistingURL (false/*don't bother checking exists*/))
+        if (!d->document->isFromExistingURL ())
         {
             // If we don't have a URL either:
             //
diff --git a/mainWindow/kpMainWindow_File.cpp b/mainWindow/kpMainWindow_File.cpp
--- a/mainWindow/kpMainWindow_File.cpp
+++ b/mainWindow/kpMainWindow_File.cpp
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@
 #include <kconfiggroup.h>
 #include <KPluralHandlingSpinBox>
 #include <kfiledialog.h> // kdelibs4support
-#include <kio/netaccess.h> // kdelibs4support
 #include <kmessagebox.h>
 #include <krecentfilesaction.h>
 #include <kstandardshortcut.h>
@@ -421,7 +420,7 @@
                                        newDocSameNameIfNotExist);
     if (newDoc)
     {
-        if (newDoc->isFromExistingURL (false/*don't bother checking exists*/))
+        if (newDoc->isFromExistingURL ())
             addRecentURL (url);
         return true;
     }
@@ -1081,7 +1080,7 @@
     {
         int result = KMessageBox::Cancel;
 
-        if (d->document->isFromExistingURL (false/*don't bother checking exists*/) && !oldURL.isEmpty ())
+        if (d->document->isFromExistingURL () && !oldURL.isEmpty ())
         {
             result = KMessageBox::warningContinueCancel (this,
                          i18n ("The document \"%1\" has been modified.\n"
@@ -1110,9 +1109,9 @@
 
     kpDocument *doc = nullptr;
 
-    // If it's _supposed to_ come from a URL or it exists
-    if (d->document->isFromExistingURL (false/*don't bother checking exists*/) ||
-        (!oldURL.isEmpty () && KIO::NetAccess::exists (oldURL, KIO::NetAccess::SourceSide/*open*/, this)))
+    // If it's _supposed to_ come from an existing URL or it actually exists
+    if (d->document->isFromExistingURL () ||
+        d->document->urlExists (oldURL))
     {
     #if DEBUG_KP_MAIN_WINDOW
         qCDebug(kpLogMainWindow) << "kpMainWindow::slotReload() reloading from disk!";
@@ -1412,7 +1411,7 @@
     toolEndShape ();
 
     if (d->document->url ().isEmpty ()/*no name*/ ||
-        !d->document->isFromExistingURL () ||
+        !(d->document->isFromExistingURL () && d->document->urlExists (d->document->url ())) ||
         d->document->isModified ()/*needs to be saved*/)
     {
         int result = KMessageBox::questionYesNo (this,