diff --git a/src/widgets/widgets/qtabbar.cpp b/src/widgets/widgets/qtabbar.cpp
index f6015f09d86..c4a2f57bf5c 100644
--- a/src/widgets/widgets/qtabbar.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/widgets/qtabbar.cpp
@@ -1413,7 +1413,10 @@ void QTabBar::setCurrentIndex(int index)
         if (tabRect(index).size() != tabSizeHint(index))
             d->layoutTabs();
         update();
-        d->makeVisible(index);
+        if (!isVisible())
+            d->layoutDirty = true;
+        else
+            d->makeVisible(index);
         if (d->validIndex(oldIndex)) {
             tab->lastTab = oldIndex;
             d->layoutTab(oldIndex);
diff --git a/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qtabbar/tst_qtabbar.cpp b/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qtabbar/tst_qtabbar.cpp
index 6d5be7d5589..00d09873b2f 100644
--- a/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qtabbar/tst_qtabbar.cpp
+++ b/tests/auto/widgets/widgets/qtabbar/tst_qtabbar.cpp
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ private slots:
     void resizeKeepsScroll_data();
     void resizeKeepsScroll();
     void changeTabTextKeepsScroll();
+    void settingCurrentTabBeforeShowDoesntScroll();
 
 private:
     void checkPositions(const TabBar &tabbar, const QList<int> &positions);
@@ -1452,5 +1453,34 @@ void tst_QTabBar::changeTabTextKeepsScroll()
     QCOMPARE(getScrollOffset(), scrollOffset);
 }
 
+void tst_QTabBar::settingCurrentTabBeforeShowDoesntScroll()
+{
+    QTabBar tabBar;
+    TabBarScrollingProxyStyle proxyStyle;
+    tabBar.setStyle(&proxyStyle);
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < 6; ++i)
+        tabBar.addTab(u"Tab Number %1"_s.arg(i));
+
+    const auto getScrollOffset = [&]() -> int {
+        return static_cast<QTabBarPrivate *>(QObjectPrivate::get(&tabBar))->scrollOffset;
+    };
+
+    tabBar.setCurrentIndex(5);
+
+    // changing the current index while the tab bar isn't visible shouldn't scroll yet
+    QCOMPARE(getScrollOffset(), 0);
+
+    // now show the tab bar with a size that's too small to fit the current index
+    const QSize fullSize = tabBar.sizeHint();
+    tabBar.resize(fullSize.width() / 2, fullSize.height());
+
+    tabBar.show();
+    QVERIFY(QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&tabBar));
+
+    // this should scroll
+    QCOMPARE_GT(getScrollOffset(), 0);
+}
+
 QTEST_MAIN(tst_QTabBar)
 #include "tst_qtabbar.moc"