diff --git a/lua/harpoon/config.lua b/lua/harpoon/config.lua
index a8ddcd97..316ec43a 100644
--- a/lua/harpoon/config.lua
+++ b/lua/harpoon/config.lua
@@ -190,11 +190,6 @@ function M.get_default_config()
             ---@return HarpoonListItem
             create_list_item = function(config, name)
                 name = name
-                    -- TODO: should we do path normalization???
-                    -- i know i have seen sometimes it becoming an absolute
-                    -- path, if that is the case we can use the context to
-                    -- store the bufname and then have value be the normalized
-                    -- value
                     or normalize_path(
                         vim.api.nvim_buf_get_name(
                             vim.api.nvim_get_current_buf()
@@ -224,8 +219,11 @@ function M.get_default_config()
             ---@param list HarpoonList
             BufLeave = function(arg, list)
                 local bufnr = arg.buf
-                local bufname = vim.api.nvim_buf_get_name(bufnr)
-                local item = list:get_by_display(bufname)
+                local bufname = normalize_path(
+                    vim.api.nvim_buf_get_name(bufnr),
+                    list.config.get_root_dir()
+                )
+                local item = list:get_by_value(bufname)
 
                 if item then
                     local pos = vim.api.nvim_win_get_cursor(0)
diff --git a/lua/harpoon/list.lua b/lua/harpoon/list.lua
index 2f9989ed..e860c4c4 100644
--- a/lua/harpoon/list.lua
+++ b/lua/harpoon/list.lua
@@ -224,9 +224,15 @@ function HarpoonList:get(index)
     return self.items[index]
 end
 
-function HarpoonList:get_by_display(name)
-    local displayed = self:display()
-    local index = index_of(displayed, #displayed, name)
+function HarpoonList:get_by_value(value)
+    local index = index_of(self.items, self._length, value, {
+        equals = function(element, item)
+            if item == nil then
+                return false
+            end
+            return element == item.value
+        end,
+    })
     if index == -1 then
         return nil
     end