diff --git a/src/routes/_actions/goToSearch.js b/src/routes/_actions/goToSearch.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..264ac4fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/routes/_actions/goToSearch.js
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import { store } from '../_store/store'
+import { goto } from '../../../__sapper__/client'
+import { emit } from '../_utils/eventBus'
+
+// Go to the search page, and also focus the search input. For accessibility
+// and usability reasons, this only happens on pressing these particular hotkeys.
+export async function goToSearch () {
+  if (store.get().currentPage === 'search') {
+    emit('focusSearchInput')
+  } else {
+    store.set({ focusSearchInput: true })
+    goto('/search')
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/routes/_components/NavShortcuts.html b/src/routes/_components/NavShortcuts.html
index f31d9c37..b2192f72 100644
--- a/src/routes/_components/NavShortcuts.html
+++ b/src/routes/_components/NavShortcuts.html
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 <Shortcut key="g n" on:pressed="goto('/notifications')"/>
 <Shortcut key="g c" on:pressed="goto('/community')"/>
 <Shortcut key="g d" on:pressed="goto('/direct')"/>
-<Shortcut key="s|/" on:pressed="goto('/search')"/>
+<Shortcut key="s|/" on:pressed="goToSearch()"/>
 <Shortcut key="h|?" on:pressed="showShortcutHelpDialog()"/>
 <Shortcut key="c|7" on:pressed="showComposeDialog()"/>
 {#if !$leftRightChangesFocus}
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
   import { importShowComposeDialog } from './dialog/asyncDialogs/importShowComposeDialog'
   import { store } from '../_store/store'
   import { normalizePageName } from '../_utils/normalizePageName'
+  import { goToSearch } from '../_actions/goToSearch'
 
   export default {
     store: () => store,
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@
         console.log('nav shortcuts')
       },
       goto,
+      goToSearch,
       async showShortcutHelpDialog () {
         const showShortcutHelpDialog = await importShowShortcutHelpDialog()
         showShortcutHelpDialog()
diff --git a/src/routes/_components/search/Search.html b/src/routes/_components/search/Search.html
index c93d292f..1e90c2a8 100644
--- a/src/routes/_components/search/Search.html
+++ b/src/routes/_components/search/Search.html
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <form class="search-input-form" on:submit="onSubmit(event)">
   <div class="search-input-wrapper">
-    <input type="search"
+    <input id="the-search-input"
+           type="search"
            class="search-input"
            placeholder="Search"
            aria-label="Search input"
@@ -61,8 +62,17 @@
   import { doSearch } from '../../_actions/search'
   import SearchResults from './SearchResults.html'
   import SvgIcon from '../SvgIcon.html'
+  import { on } from '../../_utils/eventBus'
+  import { tryToFocusElement } from '../../_utils/tryToFocusElement'
 
   export default {
+    oncreate () {
+      on('focusSearchInput', this, () => this.focusSearchInput()) // user typed hotkey on this page itself
+      if (this.store.get().focusSearchInput) { // we arrived here from a goto via the search hotkey
+        this.store.set({ focusSearchInput: false }) // reset
+        this.focusSearchInput()
+      }
+    },
     store: () => store,
     components: {
       LoadingPage,
@@ -70,9 +80,13 @@
       SvgIcon
     },
     methods: {
-      async onSubmit (e) {
+      onSubmit (e) {
         e.preventDefault()
-        doSearch()
+        e.stopPropagation()
+        /* no await */ doSearch()
+      },
+      focusSearchInput () {
+        tryToFocusElement('the-search-input')
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/tests/spec/040-shortcuts-search.js b/tests/spec/040-shortcuts-search.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d937e676
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/spec/040-shortcuts-search.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import {
+  getActiveElementTagName,
+  getNthStatus,
+  getUrl,
+  searchButton, searchInput, searchNavButton
+} from '../utils'
+import { loginAsFoobar } from '../roles'
+import { Selector as $ } from 'testcafe'
+
+fixture`040-shortcuts-search.js`
+  .page`http://localhost:4002`
+
+test('Pressing / goes to search and focuses input but does not prevent left/right hotkeys afterwards', async t => {
+  await loginAsFoobar(t)
+  await t
+    .expect(getNthStatus(1).exists).ok()
+    .pressKey('/')
+    .expect(getUrl()).contains('/search')
+    .expect(getActiveElementTagName()).match(/input/i)
+    .typeText(searchInput, 'foo', { paste: true })
+    .click(searchButton) // unfocus from the input
+    .expect(getActiveElementTagName()).notMatch(/input/i)
+    .pressKey('right')
+    .expect(getUrl()).contains('/settings')
+    .pressKey('left')
+    .expect(getUrl()).contains('/search')
+    // search input is not autofocused if we didn't arrive via the search hotkeys
+    .expect(getActiveElementTagName()).notMatch(/input/i)
+})
+
+test('Pressing / focuses the search input if we are already on the search page', async t => {
+  await loginAsFoobar(t)
+  await t
+    .click(searchNavButton)
+    .expect(getUrl()).contains('/search')
+    .expect(getActiveElementTagName()).notMatch(/input/i)
+    .pressKey('/')
+    .expect(getActiveElementTagName()).match(/input/i)
+})
+
+test('Pressing / without logging in just goes to the search page', async t => {
+  await t
+    .expect(getUrl()).eql('http://localhost:4002/')
+    .expect($('.main-content h1').innerText).eql('Pinafore')
+    .pressKey('/')
+    .expect(getUrl()).contains('/search')
+    .expect(getActiveElementTagName()).notMatch(/input/i)
+})
diff --git a/tests/utils.js b/tests/utils.js
index 8522ef61..91914b7e 100644
--- a/tests/utils.js
+++ b/tests/utils.js
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ export const logInToInstanceLink = $('a[href="/settings/instances/add"]')
 export const copyPasteModeButton = $('.copy-paste-mode-button')
 export const oauthCodeInput = $('#oauthCodeInput')
 export const searchInput = $('.search-input')
+export const searchButton = $('button[aria-label=Search]')
 export const postStatusButton = $('.compose-box-button')
 export const showMoreButton = $('.more-items-header button')
 export const accountProfileName = $('.account-profile .account-profile-name')