diff --git a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListDialog.qml b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListDialog.qml
--- a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListDialog.qml
+++ b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListDialog.qml
@@ -30,15 +30,19 @@
     property alias focusParent: itemListView.focusParent
     property alias model: funnelModel.sourceModel
 
+    property bool aboutToBeDestroyed: false
+
     visible: false
     hideOnWindowDeactivate: plasmoid.hideOnWindowDeactivate
 
     location: PlasmaCore.Types.Floating
 
     offset: units.smallSpacing
 
     onWindowDeactivated: {
-        plasmoid.expanded = false;
+        if (!aboutToBeDestroyed) {
+            plasmoid.expanded = false;
+        }
     }
 
     mainItem: ItemListView {
@@ -75,10 +79,12 @@
     }
 
     function delayedDestroy() {
+        aboutToBeDestroyed = true;
+        plasmoid.hideOnWindowDeactivate = false;
+        visible = false;
+
         Qt.callLater(function() {
             itemDialog.destroy();
         });
     }
-
-
 }
diff --git a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListView.qml b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListView.qml
--- a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListView.qml
+++ b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/ItemListView.qml
@@ -69,15 +69,10 @@
             }
 
             if (childDialog != null) {
-                childDialog.visible = false;
                 childDialog.delayedDestroy();
             }
 
-            windowSystem.monitorWindowFocus(itemList);
-
-            // Gets reenabled after the dialog spawn causes a focus out on this window.
-            // This avoids Kicker closing due to unreliable timing making Dialog::focusOutEvent()
-            // unable to tell focus moved to a child window.
+            // Gets reenabled after the dialog spawn causes a focus-in on the dialog window.
             plasmoid.hideOnWindowDeactivate = false;
 
             childDialog = itemListDialogComponent.createObject(itemList);
@@ -168,7 +163,6 @@
                                 childDialog.model = model.modelForRow(currentIndex);
                                 childDialog.visualParent = listView.currentItem;
                             } else {
-                                childDialog.visible = false;
                                 childDialog.delayedDestroy();
                             }
 
@@ -186,7 +180,6 @@
                             dialogSpawnTimer.restart();
                         }
                     } else if (childDialog != null) {
-                        childDialog.visible = false;
                         childDialog.delayedDestroy();
                         childDialog = null;
                     }
@@ -256,6 +249,8 @@
     }
 
     Component.onCompleted: {
+        windowSystem.monitorWindowFocus(itemList);
+
         if (dialog == null) {
             appendSearchText.connect(root.appendSearchText);
         }
diff --git a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/main.qml b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/main.qml
--- a/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/main.qml
+++ b/applets/kicker/package/contents/ui/main.qml
@@ -262,7 +262,8 @@
         if (plasmoid.hasOwnProperty("activationTogglesExpanded")) {
             plasmoid.activationTogglesExpanded = !isDash
         }
-        windowSystem.focusOut.connect(enableHideOnWindowDeactivate);
+
+        windowSystem.focusIn.connect(enableHideOnWindowDeactivate);
         plasmoid.hideOnWindowDeactivate = true;
 
         if (plasmoid.immutability !== PlasmaCore.Types.SystemImmutable) {
diff --git a/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.h b/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.h
--- a/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.h
+++ b/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
         Q_INVOKABLE void monitorWindowVisibility(QQuickItem *item);
 
     Q_SIGNALS:
-        void focusOut(QQuickWindow *window) const;
+        void focusIn(QQuickWindow *window) const;
         void hidden(QQuickWindow *window) const;
 
     private Q_SLOTS:
diff --git a/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.cpp b/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.cpp
--- a/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.cpp
+++ b/applets/kicker/plugin/windowsystem.cpp
@@ -34,8 +34,9 @@
 
 bool WindowSystem::eventFilter(QObject* watched, QEvent* event)
 {
-    if (event->type() == QEvent::FocusOut) {
-        emit focusOut(qobject_cast<QQuickWindow *>(watched));
+    if (event->type() == QEvent::FocusIn) {
+        removeEventFilter(watched);
+        emit focusIn(qobject_cast<QQuickWindow *>(watched));
     }
 
     return false;