diff --git a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/DashboardRepresentation.qml b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/DashboardRepresentation.qml
--- a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/DashboardRepresentation.qml
+++ b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/DashboardRepresentation.qml
@@ -258,14 +258,16 @@
             }
         }
 
-        PlasmaComponents.TextField {
+        TextEdit {
             id: searchField
 
             width: 0
             height: 0
 
             visible: false
 
+            persistentSelection: true
+
             onTextChanged: {
                 if (tabBar.activeTab == 0) {
                     runnerModel.query = searchField.text;
@@ -277,9 +279,12 @@
             function clear() {
                 text = "";
             }
+
+            onSelectionStartChanged: Qt.callLater(searchHeading.updateSelection)
+            onSelectionEndChanged: Qt.callLater(searchHeading.updateSelection)
         }
 
-        PlasmaExtras.Heading {
+        TextEdit {
             id: searchHeading
 
             anchors {
@@ -289,16 +294,24 @@
             y: (middleRow.anchors.topMargin / 2) - (smallScreen ? (height/10) : 0)
 
             font.pointSize: dummyHeading.font.pointSize * 1.5
-
-            elide: Text.ElideRight
             wrapMode: Text.NoWrap
             opacity: 1.0
 
-            color: "white"
+            selectByMouse: false
+            cursorVisible: false
 
-            level: 1
+            color: "white"
 
             text: searching ? i18n("Searching for '%1'", searchField.text) : i18n("Type to search.")
+
+            function updateSelection() {
+                if (!searchField.selectedText) {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                var delta = text.lastIndexOf(searchField.text, text.length - 2);
+                searchHeading.select(searchField.selectionStart + delta, searchField.selectionEnd + delta);
+            }
         }
 
         PlasmaComponents.ToolButton {
diff --git a/applets/kicker/plugin/dashboardwindow.cpp b/applets/kicker/plugin/dashboardwindow.cpp
--- a/applets/kicker/plugin/dashboardwindow.cpp
+++ b/applets/kicker/plugin/dashboardwindow.cpp
@@ -190,6 +190,10 @@
             e->nativeScanCode(), e->nativeVirtualKey(), e->nativeModifiers(),
             e->text(), e->isAutoRepeat(), e->count());
         QCoreApplication::postEvent(this, eventCopy);
+
+        // We _need_ to do it twice to make sure the event ping-pong needed
+        // for delivery happens before we sap focus again.
+        QCoreApplication::processEvents();
         QCoreApplication::processEvents();
 
         if (previousFocusItem) {