diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/Explore.tsx b/public/app/features/explore/Explore.tsx
index 20ab8ee67b9..909c4e81b8b 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/Explore.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/Explore.tsx
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ interface ExploreProps {
   datasourceLoading: boolean | null;
   datasourceMissing: boolean;
   exploreId: ExploreId;
-  initialDatasource?: string;
   initialQueries: DataQuery[];
   initializeExplore: typeof initializeExplore;
   initialized: boolean;
@@ -251,7 +250,6 @@ function mapStateToProps(state: StoreState, { exploreId }) {
     datasourceInstance,
     datasourceLoading,
     datasourceMissing,
-    initialDatasource,
     initialQueries,
     initialized,
     range,
@@ -266,7 +264,6 @@ function mapStateToProps(state: StoreState, { exploreId }) {
     datasourceInstance,
     datasourceLoading,
     datasourceMissing,
-    initialDatasource,
     initialQueries,
     initialized,
     range,
diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/state/actionTypes.ts b/public/app/features/explore/state/actionTypes.ts
index d768da6db6b..757f946f37a 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/state/actionTypes.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/state/actionTypes.ts
@@ -101,7 +101,6 @@ export interface InitializeExploreAction {
   payload: {
     exploreId: ExploreId;
     containerWidth: number;
-    datasource: string;
     eventBridge: Emitter;
     exploreDatasources: DataSourceSelectItem[];
     queries: DataQuery[];
@@ -125,7 +124,7 @@ export interface LoadDatasourcePendingAction {
   type: ActionTypes.LoadDatasourcePending;
   payload: {
     exploreId: ExploreId;
-    datasourceName: string;
+    requestedDatasourceName: string;
   };
 }
 
@@ -143,7 +142,6 @@ export interface LoadDatasourceSuccessAction {
     StartPage?: any;
     datasourceInstance: any;
     history: HistoryItem[];
-    initialDatasource: string;
     initialQueries: DataQuery[];
     logsHighlighterExpressions?: any[];
     showingStartPage: boolean;
diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/state/actions.ts b/public/app/features/explore/state/actions.ts
index 0b17bed2d1f..71d3391dd2a 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/state/actions.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/state/actions.ts
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ export function highlightLogsExpression(exploreId: ExploreId, expressions: strin
  */
 export function initializeExplore(
   exploreId: ExploreId,
-  datasource: string,
+  datasourceName: string,
   queries: DataQuery[],
   range: RawTimeRange,
   containerWidth: number,
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ export function initializeExplore(
       payload: {
         exploreId,
         containerWidth,
-        datasource,
+        datasourceName,
         eventBridge,
         exploreDatasources,
         queries,
@@ -174,9 +174,9 @@ export function initializeExplore(
 
     if (exploreDatasources.length >= 1) {
       let instance;
-      if (datasource) {
+      if (datasourceName) {
         try {
-          instance = await getDatasourceSrv().get(datasource);
+          instance = await getDatasourceSrv().get(datasourceName);
         } catch (error) {
           console.error(error);
         }
@@ -185,6 +185,7 @@ export function initializeExplore(
       if (!instance) {
         instance = await getDatasourceSrv().get();
       }
+      dispatch(updateDatasourceInstance(exploreId, instance));
       dispatch(loadDatasource(exploreId, instance));
     } else {
       dispatch(loadDatasourceMissing(exploreId));
@@ -223,11 +224,11 @@ export const loadDatasourceMissing = (exploreId: ExploreId): LoadDatasourceMissi
 /**
  * Start the async process of loading a datasource to display a loading indicator
  */
-export const loadDatasourcePending = (exploreId: ExploreId, datasourceName: string): LoadDatasourcePendingAction => ({
+export const loadDatasourcePending = (exploreId: ExploreId, requestedDatasourceName: string): LoadDatasourcePendingAction => ({
   type: ActionTypes.LoadDatasourcePending,
   payload: {
     exploreId,
-    datasourceName,
+    requestedDatasourceName,
   },
 });
 
@@ -260,7 +261,6 @@ export const loadDatasourceSuccess = (
       StartPage,
       datasourceInstance: instance,
       history,
-      initialDatasource: instance.name,
       initialQueries: queries,
       showingStartPage: Boolean(StartPage),
       supportsGraph,
diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/state/reducers.ts b/public/app/features/explore/state/reducers.ts
index d3cc81f96a8..98ded365ad0 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/state/reducers.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/state/reducers.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export const makeExploreItemState = (): ExploreItemState => ({
   StartPage: undefined,
   containerWidth: 0,
   datasourceInstance: null,
+  requestedDatasourceName: null,
   datasourceError: null,
   datasourceLoading: null,
   datasourceMissing: false,
@@ -162,14 +163,13 @@ export const itemReducer = (state, action: Action): ExploreItemState => {
     }
 
     case ActionTypes.InitializeExplore: {
-      const { containerWidth, datasource, eventBridge, exploreDatasources, queries, range } = action.payload;
+      const { containerWidth, eventBridge, exploreDatasources, queries, range } = action.payload;
       return {
         ...state,
         containerWidth,
         eventBridge,
         exploreDatasources,
         range,
-        initialDatasource: datasource,
         initialQueries: queries,
         initialized: true,
         modifiedQueries: queries.slice(),
@@ -181,6 +181,7 @@ export const itemReducer = (state, action: Action): ExploreItemState => {
       return {
         ...state,
         datasourceInstance,
+        datasourceName: datasourceInstance.name,
       };
     }
 
@@ -193,7 +194,7 @@ export const itemReducer = (state, action: Action): ExploreItemState => {
     }
 
     case ActionTypes.LoadDatasourcePending: {
-      return { ...state, datasourceLoading: true, requestedDatasourceName: action.payload.datasourceName };
+      return { ...state, datasourceLoading: true, requestedDatasourceName: action.payload.requestedDatasourceName };
     }
 
     case ActionTypes.LoadDatasourceSuccess: {
@@ -202,7 +203,6 @@ export const itemReducer = (state, action: Action): ExploreItemState => {
         StartPage,
         datasourceInstance,
         history,
-        initialDatasource,
         initialQueries,
         showingStartPage,
         supportsGraph,
@@ -217,7 +217,6 @@ export const itemReducer = (state, action: Action): ExploreItemState => {
         StartPage,
         datasourceInstance,
         history,
-        initialDatasource,
         initialQueries,
         showingStartPage,
         supportsGraph,
diff --git a/public/app/types/explore.ts b/public/app/types/explore.ts
index ce5ea1047dd..34b7ff08c99 100644
--- a/public/app/types/explore.ts
+++ b/public/app/types/explore.ts
@@ -110,7 +110,11 @@ export interface ExploreItemState {
   /**
    * Datasource instance that has been selected. Datasource-specific logic can be run on this object.
    */
-  datasourceInstance: DataSourceApi;
+  datasourceInstance: DataSourceApi | null;
+  /**
+   * Current data source name or null if default
+   */
+  requestedDatasourceName: string | null;
   /**
    * Error to be shown when datasource loading or testing failed.
    */
@@ -139,10 +143,6 @@ export interface ExploreItemState {
    * History of recent queries. Datasource-specific and initialized via localStorage.
    */
   history: HistoryItem[];
-  /**
-   * Initial datasource for this Explore, e.g., set via URL.
-   */
-  initialDatasource?: string;
   /**
    * Initial queries for this Explore, e.g., set via URL. Each query will be
    * converted to a query row. Query edits should be tracked in `modifiedQueries` though.
@@ -181,12 +181,6 @@ export interface ExploreItemState {
    * when query rows are removed.
    */
   queryTransactions: QueryTransaction[];
-  /**
-   * Tracks datasource when selected in the datasource selector.
-   * Allows the selection to be discarded if something went wrong during the asynchronous
-   * loading of the datasource.
-   */
-  requestedDatasourceName?: string;
   /**
    * Time range for this Explore. Managed by the time picker and used by all query runs.
    */