diff --git a/tabby-terminal/src/components/baseTerminalTab.component.pug b/tabby-terminal/src/components/baseTerminalTab.component.pug
index 62cae54e0..97eccee4f 100644
--- a/tabby-terminal/src/components/baseTerminalTab.component.pug
+++ b/tabby-terminal/src/components/baseTerminalTab.component.pug
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 .terminal-toolbar-spacer
 .content(#content, [style.opacity]='frontendIsReady ? 1 : 0')
 search-panel(
-    *ngIf='showSearchPanel && hasFocus && frontend',
+    *ngIf='showSearchPanel && frontend',
+    [class.d-none]='!hasFocus',
     @toolbarSlide,
     [@.disabled]='!config.store.accessibility.animations',
     [frontend]='frontend',
diff --git a/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.pug b/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.pug
index 55820df1e..a8fee1f1d 100644
--- a/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.pug
+++ b/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.pug
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
         (ngModelChange)='onQueryChange()',
         [class.text-danger]='state.resultCount == 0',
         (click)='$event.stopPropagation()',
-        (keyup.enter)='findPrevious()',
+        (keydown.enter)='onKeyDown($event)',
+        (keyup.enter)='onKeyUp($event)',
+        (blur)='onBlur()',
         (keyup.up)='findPrevious()',
         (keyup.down)='findNext()',
         (keyup.esc)='close.emit()',
diff --git a/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.ts b/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.ts
index 83c840476..91fcdcf70 100644
--- a/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.ts
+++ b/tabby-terminal/src/components/searchPanel.component.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Component, Input, Output, EventEmitter } from '@angular/core'
+import { Component, Input, Output, EventEmitter, NgZone, OnDestroy } from '@angular/core'
 import { Subject, debounceTime } from 'rxjs'
 import { Frontend, SearchOptions, SearchState } from '../frontends/frontend'
 import { ConfigService, NotificationsService, TranslateService } from 'tabby-core'
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ import { ConfigService, NotificationsService, TranslateService } from 'tabby-cor
     templateUrl: './searchPanel.component.pug',
     styleUrls: ['./searchPanel.component.scss'],
 })
-export class SearchPanelComponent {
-    @Input() query: string
+export class SearchPanelComponent implements OnDestroy {
+    query = ''
     @Input() frontend: Frontend
     state: SearchState = { resultCount: 0 }
     options: SearchOptions = {
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ export class SearchPanelComponent {
     @Output() close = new EventEmitter()
 
     private queryChanged = new Subject<string>()
+    private holdTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+    private repeatTimer: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null
+
+    private readonly HOLD_DELAY = 400
+    private readonly REPEAT_INTERVAL = 100
 
     icons = {
         'case': require('../icons/case.svg'),
@@ -34,6 +39,7 @@ export class SearchPanelComponent {
         private notifications: NotificationsService,
         private translate: TranslateService,
         public config: ConfigService,
+        private ngZone: NgZone,
     ) {
         this.queryChanged.pipe(debounceTime(250)).subscribe(() => {
             this.findPrevious(true)
@@ -45,6 +51,44 @@ export class SearchPanelComponent {
         this.queryChanged.next(this.query)
     }
 
+    onKeyDown (event: KeyboardEvent): void {
+        if (event.key !== 'Enter' || event.repeat) { return }
+        if (this.holdTimer ?? this.repeatTimer) { return }
+
+        this.holdTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+            this.holdTimer = null
+            this.ngZone.runOutsideAngular(() => {
+                this.repeatTimer = setInterval(() => {
+                    this.ngZone.run(() => {
+                        this.findPrevious()
+                        if (!this.state.resultCount) {
+                            // nothing to cycle through - one notice is enough
+                            this.stopRepeat()
+                        }
+                    })
+                }, this.REPEAT_INTERVAL)
+            })
+        }, this.HOLD_DELAY)
+    }
+
+    private stopRepeat (fireOnTap = false): void {
+        if (this.holdTimer) {
+            clearTimeout(this.holdTimer)
+            this.holdTimer = null
+            if (fireOnTap) { this.findPrevious() }
+        }
+        if (this.repeatTimer) { clearInterval(this.repeatTimer); this.repeatTimer = null }
+    }
+
+    onKeyUp (event: KeyboardEvent): void {
+        if (event.key !== 'Enter') { return }
+        this.stopRepeat(true)
+    }
+
+    onBlur (): void {
+        this.stopRepeat(false)
+    }
+
     findNext (incremental = false): void {
         if (!this.query) {
             return
@@ -75,5 +119,6 @@ export class SearchPanelComponent {
 
     ngOnDestroy (): void {
         this.queryChanged.complete()
+        this.stopRepeat()
     }
 }