diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/__snapshots__/top_nav.test.tsx.snap b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/__snapshots__/top_nav.test.tsx.snap
deleted file mode 100644
index f9df085d2cbe7..0000000000000
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/__snapshots__/top_nav.test.tsx.snap
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,76 +0,0 @@
-// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
-
-exports[`Navigation Menu: <TopNav /> Minimal initialization. 1`] = `
-<Fragment>
-  <div
-    className="mlNavigationMenu__topNav"
-  >
-    <EuiSuperDatePicker
-      commonlyUsedRanges={
-        Array [
-          Object {
-            "end": "now/d",
-            "label": "Today",
-            "start": "now/d",
-          },
-          Object {
-            "end": "now/w",
-            "label": "This week",
-            "start": "now/w",
-          },
-          Object {
-            "end": "now/M",
-            "label": "This month",
-            "start": "now/M",
-          },
-          Object {
-            "end": "now/y",
-            "label": "This year",
-            "start": "now/y",
-          },
-          Object {
-            "end": "now-1d/d",
-            "label": "Yesterday",
-            "start": "now-1d/d",
-          },
-          Object {
-            "end": "now",
-            "label": "Week to date",
-            "start": "now/w",
-          },
-          Object {
-            "end": "now",
-            "label": "Month to date",
-            "start": "now/M",
-          },
-          Object {
-            "end": "now",
-            "label": "Year to date",
-            "start": "now/y",
-          },
-        ]
-      }
-      dateFormat="MMM D, YYYY @ HH:mm:ss.SSS"
-      end="Sun Sep 29 2019 01:45:36 GMT+0200"
-      isAutoRefreshOnly={false}
-      isDisabled={false}
-      isPaused={true}
-      onRefresh={[Function]}
-      onRefreshChange={[Function]}
-      onTimeChange={[Function]}
-      recentlyUsedRanges={
-        Array [
-          Object {
-            "end": "Sun Sep 29 2019 01:45:36 GMT+0200",
-            "start": "Thu Aug 29 2019 02:04:19 GMT+0200",
-          },
-        ]
-      }
-      refreshInterval={0}
-      showUpdateButton={true}
-      start="Thu Aug 29 2019 02:04:19 GMT+0200"
-      timeFormat="HH:mm"
-    />
-  </div>
-</Fragment>
-`;
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.test.tsx b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.test.tsx
index b64cccc9eb9b9..e9bec02868b71 100644
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.test.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.test.tsx
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
  */
 
-import { mount, shallow } from 'enzyme';
+import { mount } from 'enzyme';
 import React from 'react';
+import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
 
 import { EuiSuperDatePicker } from '@elastic/eui';
 
@@ -34,8 +35,13 @@ describe('Navigation Menu: <TopNav />', () => {
     const refreshListener = jest.fn();
     const refreshSubscription = mlTimefilterRefresh$.subscribe(refreshListener);
 
-    const wrapper = shallow(<TopNav />);
-    expect(wrapper).toMatchSnapshot();
+    const wrapper = mount(
+      <MemoryRouter>
+        <TopNav />
+      </MemoryRouter>
+    );
+    expect(wrapper.find(TopNav)).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(wrapper.find('EuiSuperDatePicker')).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(refreshListener).toBeCalledTimes(0);
 
     refreshSubscription.unsubscribe();
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.tsx b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.tsx
index eb068f40716bc..c76967455fa42 100644
--- a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/ml/public/application/components/navigation_menu/top_nav/top_nav.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   mlTimefilterTimeChange$,
 } from '../../../services/timefilter_refresh_service';
 import { useUiContext } from '../../../contexts/ui/use_ui_context';
+import { useUrlState } from '../../../util/url_state';
 
 interface Duration {
   start: string;
@@ -40,9 +41,17 @@ function updateLastRefresh(timeRange: OnRefreshProps) {
 
 export const TopNav: FC = () => {
   const { chrome, timefilter, timeHistory } = useUiContext();
+  const [globalState, setGlobalState] = useUrlState('_g');
   const getRecentlyUsedRanges = getRecentlyUsedRangesFactory(timeHistory);
 
-  const [refreshInterval, setRefreshInterval] = useState(timefilter.getRefreshInterval());
+  const [refreshInterval, setRefreshInterval] = useState(
+    globalState?.refreshInterval ?? timefilter.getRefreshInterval()
+  );
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setGlobalState({ refreshInterval });
+    timefilter.setRefreshInterval(refreshInterval);
+  }, [refreshInterval?.pause, refreshInterval?.value]);
+
   const [time, setTime] = useState(timefilter.getTime());
   const [recentlyUsedRanges, setRecentlyUsedRanges] = useState(getRecentlyUsedRanges());
   const [isAutoRefreshSelectorEnabled, setIsAutoRefreshSelectorEnabled] = useState(
@@ -96,20 +105,13 @@ export const TopNav: FC = () => {
   }
 
   function updateInterval({
-    isPaused,
-    refreshInterval: interval,
+    isPaused: pause,
+    refreshInterval: value,
   }: {
     isPaused: boolean;
     refreshInterval: number;
   }) {
-    const newInterval = {
-      pause: isPaused,
-      value: interval,
-    };
-    // Update timefilter for controllers listening for changes
-    timefilter.setRefreshInterval(newInterval);
-    // Update state
-    setRefreshInterval(newInterval);
+    setRefreshInterval({ pause, value });
   }
 
   return (