diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Pane.cpp b/src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Pane.cpp
index a9e77d38cfd..eb2c88c98a5 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Pane.cpp
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Pane.cpp
@@ -645,6 +645,10 @@ void Pane::UpdateSettings(const TerminalSettingsCreateResult& settings, const GU
             auto unfocusedSettings{ settings.UnfocusedSettings() };
             if (unfocusedSettings)
             {
+                // Note: the unfocused settings needs to be entirely unchanged _except_ we need to
+                // set its parent to the settings object that lives in the control. This is because
+                // the overrides made by the control live in that settings object, so we want to make
+                // sure the unfocused settings inherit from that.
                 unfocusedSettings.SetParent(_control.Settings().as<TerminalSettings>());
             }
             _control.UnfocusedAppearance(unfocusedSettings);
diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/Profile.cpp b/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/Profile.cpp
index bc6914e1cec..a3fc5c6ae0b 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/Profile.cpp
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/Profile.cpp
@@ -180,13 +180,12 @@ void Profile::InsertParentHelper(winrt::com_ptr<Profile> child, winrt::com_ptr<P
     if (index)
     {
         child->InsertParent(index.value(), parent);
-        child->_FinalizeInheritance();
     }
     else
     {
         child->InsertParent(parent);
-        child->_FinalizeInheritance();
     }
+    child->_FinalizeInheritance();
 }
 
 // Method Description:
diff --git a/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/TerminalSettings.cpp b/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/TerminalSettings.cpp
index 20dfacbd828..1c4fd45cd90 100644
--- a/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/TerminalSettings.cpp
+++ b/src/cascadia/TerminalSettingsModel/TerminalSettings.cpp
@@ -191,6 +191,15 @@ namespace winrt::Microsoft::Terminal::Settings::Model::implementation
     // - Creates a TerminalSettingsCreateResult from a parent TerminalSettingsCreateResult
     // - The returned defaultSettings inherits from the parent's defaultSettings, and the
     //   returned unfocusedSettings inherits from the returned defaultSettings
+    // - Note that the unfocused settings needs to be entirely unchanged _except_ we need to
+    //   set its parent to the other settings object that we return. This is because the overrides
+    //   made by the control will live in that other settings object, so we want to make
+    //   sure the unfocused settings inherit from that.
+    // - Another way to think about this is that initially we have UnfocusedSettings inherit
+    //   from DefaultSettings. This function simply adds another TerminalSettings object
+    //   in the middle of these two, so UnfocusedSettings now inherits from the new object
+    //   and the new object inherits from the DefaultSettings. And this new object is what
+    //   the control can put overrides in.
     // Arguments:
     // - parent: the TerminalSettingsCreateResult that we create a new one from
     // Return Value: