diff --git a/core/autoload/buffers.el b/core/autoload/buffers.el
index 7c8363e9b..60a8a75db 100644
--- a/core/autoload/buffers.el
+++ b/core/autoload/buffers.el
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ See `doom-real-buffer-p' for what 'real' means."
       (setq destbuf (doom-fallback-buffer))
       (message "Nowhere to go"))
     (prog1
-        (set-buffer destbuf)
+        (switch-to-buffer destbuf)
       (when (eq destbuf (doom-fallback-buffer))
         (cd project-dir)))))
 
@@ -199,8 +199,7 @@ See `doom-real-buffer-p' for what 'real' means."
       (when buffer-win
         (unrecord-window-buffer buffer-win buffer))
       (when only-buffer-window-p
-        (unless (eq buffer (doom-fallback-buffer))
-          (kill-buffer buffer))))
+        (kill-buffer buffer)))
     (eq (current-buffer) buffer)))
 
 ;;;###autoload
diff --git a/core/core-editor.el b/core/core-editor.el
index 5d26a8945..018bf2381 100644
--- a/core/core-editor.el
+++ b/core/core-editor.el
@@ -81,6 +81,14 @@
 (global-auto-revert-mode 1)
 (setq auto-revert-verbose nil)
 
+;; don't kill scratch buffers
+(defun doom|dont-kill-scratch-buffer ()
+  (if (not (eq (buffer-name) "*scratch*"))
+      t
+    (bury-buffer)
+    nil))
+(add-hook 'kill-buffer-query-functions 'doom|dont-kill-scratch-buffer)
+
 
 ;;
 ;; Core Plugins
diff --git a/modules/ui/doom-dashboard/config.el b/modules/ui/doom-dashboard/config.el
index 0a6e79378..ac4d4dda4 100644
--- a/modules/ui/doom-dashboard/config.el
+++ b/modules/ui/doom-dashboard/config.el
@@ -41,7 +41,12 @@
       doom-fallback-buffer +doom-dashboard-name)
 
 (add-hook 'emacs-startup-hook '+doom-dashboard/open)
-(@add-hook 'kill-buffer-query-functions (not (+doom-dashboard-p)))
+(@add-hook 'kill-buffer-query-functions
+   (if (not (+doom-dashboard-p))
+       t
+     (ignore-errors (+doom-dashboard-force-reload))
+     (bury-buffer)
+     nil))
 (@add-hook 'window-setup-hook
   (add-hook 'window-configuration-change-hook '+doom-dashboard-reload)
   (+doom-dashboard-reload))
@@ -64,7 +69,7 @@
     (and (buffer-live-p buffer)
          (eq buffer (doom-fallback-buffer)))))
 
-(defun doom-dashboard-force-reload ()
+(defun +doom-dashboard-force-reload ()
   (setq +doom-dashboard-edited-p nil)
   (+doom-dashboard-reload))