diff --git a/ui/src/app/layout/home.controller.js b/ui/src/app/layout/home.controller.js
index 5091da8415..520cfb5ae9 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/layout/home.controller.js
+++ b/ui/src/app/layout/home.controller.js
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ export default function HomeController(types, loginService, userService, deviceS
     vm.searchTextUpdated = searchTextUpdated;
     vm.sidenavClicked = sidenavClicked;
     vm.toggleFullscreen = toggleFullscreen;
+    vm.openSearch = openSearch;
+    vm.closeSearch = closeSearch;
 
     $scope.$on('$stateChangeSuccess', function (evt, to, toParams, from) {
         watchEntitySubtype(false);
@@ -128,6 +130,25 @@ export default function HomeController(types, loginService, userService, deviceS
         }
     }
 
+    function openSearch() {
+        if ($scope.searchConfig.searchEnabled) {
+            $scope.searchConfig.showSearch = true;
+            $timeout(() => {
+                angular.element('#tb-search-text-input', $element).focus();
+            });
+        }
+    }
+
+    function closeSearch() {
+        if ($scope.searchConfig.searchEnabled) {
+            $scope.searchConfig.showSearch = false;
+            if ($scope.searchConfig.searchText.length) {
+                $scope.searchConfig.searchText = '';
+                searchTextUpdated();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     function searchTextUpdated() {
         $scope.$broadcast('searchTextUpdated');
     }
diff --git a/ui/src/app/layout/home.tpl.html b/ui/src/app/layout/home.tpl.html
index 8e642eb7b0..7b6d9c4e4e 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/layout/home.tpl.html
+++ b/ui/src/app/layout/home.tpl.html
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 					   class="md-icon-button" aria-label="{{ 'action.back' | translate }}" ng-click="vm.goBack()" ng-class="{'tb-invisible': vm.displaySearchMode()}">
 				  <md-icon aria-label="{{ 'action.back' | translate }}" class="material-icons">arrow_back</md-icon>
 			  </md-button>
-	          <md-button class="md-icon-button" aria-label="{{ 'action.back' | translate }}" ng-click="searchConfig.showSearch = !searchConfig.showSearch" ng-class="{'tb-invisible': !vm.displaySearchMode()}" >
+	          <md-button class="md-icon-button" aria-label="{{ 'action.back' | translate }}" ng-click="vm.closeSearch()" ng-class="{'tb-invisible': !vm.displaySearchMode()}" >
 		      	  <md-icon aria-label="{{ 'action.back' | translate }}" class="material-icons">arrow_back</md-icon>
 	          </md-button>		    
 			  <div flex layout="row" ng-show="!vm.displaySearchMode()" tb-no-animate class="md-toolbar-tools">
@@ -64,10 +64,10 @@
 				  </div>
 				  <md-input-container ng-class="{'tb-entity-search': vm.displayEntitySubtypeSearch()}" flex>
 					  <label>&nbsp;</label>
-					  <input ng-model="searchConfig.searchText" ng-change="vm.searchTextUpdated()" placeholder="{{ 'common.enter-search' | translate }}"/>
+					  <input id="tb-search-text-input" ng-model="searchConfig.searchText" ng-change="vm.searchTextUpdated()" placeholder="{{ 'common.enter-search' | translate }}"/>
 				  </md-input-container>
 			  </div>
-		      <md-button class="md-icon-button" aria-label="{{ 'action.search' | translate }}" ng-show="searchConfig.searchEnabled" ng-click="searchConfig.showSearch = !searchConfig.showSearch">
+		      <md-button class="md-icon-button" aria-label="{{ 'action.search' | translate }}" ng-show="searchConfig.searchEnabled" ng-click="vm.openSearch()">
 		      	  <md-icon aria-label="{{ 'action.search' | translate }}" class="material-icons">search</md-icon>
           	  </md-button>
 		      <md-button ng-show="!vm.displaySearchMode()" hide-xs hide-sm class="md-icon-button" ng-click="vm.toggleFullscreen()" aria-label="{{ 'fullscreen.toggle' | translate }}">