diff --git a/changelog/10562.improvement.rst b/changelog/10562.improvement.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..46f3d95ba24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/10562.improvement.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+``--stepwise`` now continues from the test that was running when the session was interrupted, for example by quitting the debugger with ``q``, instead of starting over.
diff --git a/src/_pytest/stepwise.py b/src/_pytest/stepwise.py
index c14b6fc250b..1a761793c17 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/stepwise.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/stepwise.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 from _pytest import nodes
 from _pytest.cacheprovider import Cache
 from _pytest.config import Config
+from _pytest.config import ExitCode
 from _pytest.config.argparsing import Parser
 from _pytest.main import Session
 from _pytest.nodeid import NodeId
@@ -107,6 +108,8 @@ def __init__(self, config: Config) -> None:
         self.skip: bool = config.getoption("stepwise_skip")
         self.reset: bool = config.getoption("stepwise_reset")
         self.cached_info = self._load_cached_info()
+        # The test currently running, if any.
+        self.running_test: NodeId | None = None
 
     def _load_cached_info(self) -> StepwiseCacheInfo:
         cached_dict: dict[str, Any] | None = self.cache.get(STEPWISE_CACHE_DIR, None)
@@ -197,16 +200,27 @@ def pytest_runtest_logreport(self, report: TestReport) -> None:
                 if report.id == self.cached_info.last_failed:
                     self.cached_info.last_failed = None
 
+    def pytest_runtest_logstart(self, nodeid: str) -> None:
+        self.running_test = NodeId.parse(nodeid)
+
+    def pytest_runtest_logfinish(self) -> None:
+        self.running_test = None
+
     def pytest_report_collectionfinish(self) -> list[str] | None:
         if self.config.get_verbosity() >= 0 and self.report_status:
             return [f"stepwise: {x}" for x in self.report_status]
         return None
 
-    def pytest_sessionfinish(self) -> None:
+    def pytest_sessionfinish(self, exitstatus: int | ExitCode) -> None:
         if hasattr(self.config, "workerinput"):
             # Do not update cache if this process is a xdist worker to prevent
             # race conditions (#10641).
             return
+        if exitstatus == ExitCode.INTERRUPTED and self.running_test is not None:
+            # The session was interrupted while a test was running, for example
+            # by quitting the debugger, so that test has no failed report:
+            # continue from it next time (#10562).
+            self.cached_info.last_failed = self.running_test
         self.cached_info.update_date_to_now()
         last_failed = self.cached_info.last_failed
         self.cache.set(
diff --git a/testing/test_stepwise.py b/testing/test_stepwise.py
index d2ad3bae500..3d6156369f9 100644
--- a/testing/test_stepwise.py
+++ b/testing/test_stepwise.py
@@ -543,3 +543,39 @@ def test_1(): pass
             "* 1 passed in *",
         ]
     )
+
+
+def test_continue_from_test_interrupted_by_quitting_debugger(
+    pytester: Pytester, monkeypatch: MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    """Quitting the debugger interrupts the session without a failed report,
+    --stepwise should continue from that test next time (#10562)."""
+    pytester.makepyfile(
+        """
+        import os
+        import pytest
+
+        def test_1(): pass
+
+        def test_2():
+            if os.environ.get("QUIT_DEBUGGER"):
+                # What pytest does when "q" is used in the debugger.
+                pytest.exit("Quitting debugger")
+
+        def test_3(): pass
+        """
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setenv("QUIT_DEBUGGER", "1")
+    result = pytester.runpytest("--stepwise", "-v")
+    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*::test_1 *PASSED*", "*Quitting debugger*"])
+
+    monkeypatch.delenv("QUIT_DEBUGGER")
+    result = pytester.runpytest("--stepwise", "-v")
+    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(
+        [
+            "stepwise: skipping 1 already passed items (cache from *, use --sw-reset to discard).",
+            "*::test_2 *PASSED*",
+            "*::test_3 *PASSED*",
+            "* 2 passed, 1 deselected in *",
+        ]
+    )