diff --git a/public/app/core/utils/explore.ts b/public/app/core/utils/explore.ts
index fdc63b931f7..10bb7997664 100644
--- a/public/app/core/utils/explore.ts
+++ b/public/app/core/utils/explore.ts
@@ -157,49 +157,72 @@ export function buildQueryTransaction(
 
 export const clearQueryKeys: (query: DataQuery) => object = ({ key, refId, ...rest }) => rest;
 
-const isMetricSegment = (segment: { [key: string]: string }) => segment.hasOwnProperty('expr');
+const metricProperties = ['expr', 'target', 'datasource'];
+const isMetricSegment = (segment: { [key: string]: string }) =>
+  metricProperties.some(prop => segment.hasOwnProperty(prop));
 const isUISegment = (segment: { [key: string]: string }) => segment.hasOwnProperty('ui');
 
+enum ParseUrlStateIndex {
+  RangeFrom = 0,
+  RangeTo = 1,
+  Datasource = 2,
+  SegmentsStart = 3,
+}
+
+enum ParseUiStateIndex {
+  Graph = 0,
+  Logs = 1,
+  Table = 2,
+  Strategy = 3,
+}
+
+export const safeParseJson = (text: string) => {
+  if (!text) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    return JSON.parse(decodeURI(text));
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error(error);
+  }
+};
+
 export function parseUrlState(initial: string | undefined): ExploreUrlState {
-  let uiState = DEFAULT_UI_STATE;
-
-  if (initial) {
-    try {
-      const parsed = JSON.parse(decodeURI(initial));
-      if (Array.isArray(parsed)) {
-        if (parsed.length <= 3) {
-          throw new Error('Error parsing compact URL state for Explore.');
-        }
-        const range = {
-          from: parsed[0],
-          to: parsed[1],
-        };
-        const datasource = parsed[2];
-        let queries = [];
-
-        parsed.slice(3).forEach(segment => {
-          if (isMetricSegment(segment)) {
-            queries = [...queries, segment];
-          }
-
-          if (isUISegment(segment)) {
-            uiState = {
-              showingGraph: segment.ui[0],
-              showingLogs: segment.ui[1],
-              showingTable: segment.ui[2],
-              dedupStrategy: segment.ui[3],
-            };
-          }
-        });
-
-        return { datasource, queries, range, ui: uiState };
-      }
-      return parsed;
-    } catch (e) {
-      console.error(e);
-    }
+  const parsed = safeParseJson(initial);
+  const errorResult = { datasource: null, queries: [], range: DEFAULT_RANGE, ui: DEFAULT_UI_STATE };
+
+  if (!parsed) {
+    return errorResult;
+  }
+
+  if (!Array.isArray(parsed)) {
+    return parsed;
+  }
+
+  if (parsed.length <= ParseUrlStateIndex.SegmentsStart) {
+    console.error('Error parsing compact URL state for Explore.');
+    return errorResult;
   }
-  return { datasource: null, queries: [], range: DEFAULT_RANGE, ui: uiState };
+
+  const range = {
+    from: parsed[ParseUrlStateIndex.RangeFrom],
+    to: parsed[ParseUrlStateIndex.RangeTo],
+  };
+  const datasource = parsed[ParseUrlStateIndex.Datasource];
+  const parsedSegments = parsed.slice(ParseUrlStateIndex.SegmentsStart);
+  const queries = parsedSegments.filter(segment => isMetricSegment(segment));
+  const uiState = parsedSegments.filter(segment => isUISegment(segment))[0];
+  const ui = uiState
+    ? {
+        showingGraph: uiState.ui[ParseUiStateIndex.Graph],
+        showingLogs: uiState.ui[ParseUiStateIndex.Logs],
+        showingTable: uiState.ui[ParseUiStateIndex.Table],
+        dedupStrategy: uiState.ui[ParseUiStateIndex.Strategy],
+      }
+    : DEFAULT_UI_STATE;
+
+  return { datasource, queries, range, ui };
 }
 
 export function serializeStateToUrlParam(urlState: ExploreUrlState, compact?: boolean): string {