diff --git a/app/app.c b/app/app.c
index 4ebf157545..056d368f90 100644
--- a/app/app.c
+++ b/app/app.c
@@ -461,10 +461,15 @@ app_activate_callback (GimpCoreApp *app,
     }
 #endif
 
+  /* Get possible files first, so that we can check if the
+   * welcome dialog should be displayed
+   */
+  filenames = gimp_core_app_get_filenames (app);
+
   /*  check for updates *after* enabling config autosave, so that the timestamp
    *  is saved
    */
-  gimp_update_auto_check (gimp->edit_config, gimp);
+  gimp_update_auto_check (gimp->edit_config, gimp, (filenames != NULL));
 
   /* Setting properties to be used for the next run.  */
   g_object_set (gimp->edit_config,
@@ -475,7 +480,6 @@ app_activate_callback (GimpCoreApp *app,
                 NULL);
 
   /*  Load the images given on the command-line. */
-  filenames = gimp_core_app_get_filenames (app);
   if (filenames != NULL)
     {
       gint i;
diff --git a/app/gimp-update.c b/app/gimp-update.c
index 69cc07e2a6..708af827cd 100644
--- a/app/gimp-update.c
+++ b/app/gimp-update.c
@@ -522,7 +522,8 @@ gimp_check_updates_process_idle (gpointer data)
  */
 gboolean
 gimp_update_auto_check (GimpCoreConfig *config,
-                        Gimp           *gimp)
+                        Gimp           *gimp,
+                        gboolean        files_loaded)
 {
   gboolean is_update;
   gint64   prev_update_timestamp;
@@ -539,8 +540,11 @@ gimp_update_auto_check (GimpCoreConfig *config,
        * version is run, display a welcome dialog and do not check for
        * updates right now. Otherwise, if the user has set the welcome
        * dialog to always appear on load, show the Create page on start.
+       * The only exception is if they intentionally opened GIMP with
+       * images on start.
        */
-      if (! gimp->no_interface)
+      if (! gimp->no_interface &&
+          (is_update || ! files_loaded))
         gtk_widget_set_visible (welcome_dialog_create (gimp, is_update),
                                 TRUE);
 
diff --git a/app/gimp-update.h b/app/gimp-update.h
index c6056731ba..7226d15c7b 100644
--- a/app/gimp-update.h
+++ b/app/gimp-update.h
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
 
 
 gboolean gimp_update_auto_check (GimpCoreConfig *config,
-                                 Gimp           *gimp);
+                                 Gimp           *gimp,
+                                 gboolean        files_loaded);
 
 void     gimp_update_check      (GimpCoreConfig *config);
 void     gimp_update_refresh    (GimpCoreConfig *config);