diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/app_state.ts b/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/app_state.ts
index b9db38c5a..7b48a0ffb 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/app_state.ts
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/app_state.ts
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ export class AppState {
   readonly noAccountWarning: NoAccountWarningState;
   readonly sync = new SyncState();
   isSessionsModalVisible = false;
+  mouseUp = Promise.resolve();
 
   private appEventObserverRemovers: (() => void)[] = [];
 
@@ -195,6 +196,7 @@ export class AppState {
       this.notifyEvent(event);
     };
     this.registerVisibilityObservers();
+    document.addEventListener('mousedown', this.onMouseDown);
 
     if (this.bridge.appVersion.includes('-beta')) {
       this.showBetaWarning = storage.get(StorageKey.ShowBetaWarning) ?? true;
@@ -231,9 +233,16 @@ export class AppState {
       this.rootScopeCleanup2 = undefined;
     }
     document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', this.onVisibilityChange);
+    document.removeEventListener('mousedown', this.onMouseDown);
     this.onVisibilityChange = undefined;
   }
 
+  onMouseDown = (): void => {
+    this.mouseUp = new Promise((resolve) => {
+      document.addEventListener('mouseup', () => resolve(), { once: true });
+    });
+  };
+
   openSessionsModal() {
     this.isSessionsModalVisible = true;
   }
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes-view.pug b/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes-view.pug
index 1e7657102..6212a755e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes-view.pug
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes-view.pug
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@
               i.icon.ion-plus.add-button
         .filter-section(role='search')
           input#search-bar.filter-bar(
-            ng-blur='self.onFilterEnter()',
+            ng-ref='self.searchBar'
+            ng-focus='self.onSearchInputFocus()'
+            ng-blur='self.onSearchInputBlur()',
             ng-change='self.filterTextChanged()',
             ng-keyup='$event.keyCode == 13 && self.onFilterEnter();',
             ng-model='self.state.noteFilter.text',
@@ -24,13 +26,19 @@
             ng-click='self.clearFilterText();',
             ng-show='self.state.noteFilter.text'
             ) ✕
-        label.sk-horizontal-group.tight.mt-3
-          input(
-            type="checkbox"
-            ng-checked="self.state.noteFilter.includeProtectedNoteText"
-            ng-on-click="self.onIncludeProtectedNoteTextChange($event)"
-          )
-          p.capitalize Include protected contents
+        label.sk-panel-row.justify-left.mt-1(
+          ng-if='self.state.searchIsFocused || self.state.searchOptionsAreFocused'
+          style="padding-bottom: 0"
+        )
+          .sk-horizontal-group.tight
+            input(
+              ng-focus="self.onSearchOptionsFocus()"
+              ng-blur="self.onSearchOptionsBlur()"
+              type="checkbox"
+              ng-checked="self.state.noteFilter.includeProtectedNoteText"
+              ng-on-click="self.onIncludeProtectedNoteTextChange($event)"
+            )
+            p.sk-p.capitalize Include protected contents
         no-account-warning(
           application='self.application'
           app-state='self.appState'
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes_view.ts b/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes_view.ts
index 44f60a6a3..2fcd72a4c 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes_view.ts
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/views/notes/notes_view.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ type NotesState = {
     text: string;
     includeProtectedNoteText: boolean;
   }
+  searchIsFocused: boolean;
+  searchOptionsAreFocused: boolean;
   mutable: { showMenu: boolean }
   completedFullSync: boolean
   [PrefKey.TagsPanelWidth]?: number
@@ -73,6 +75,7 @@ class NotesViewCtrl extends PureViewCtrl<unknown, NotesState> {
   private searchKeyObserver: any
   private noteFlags: Partial<Record<UuidString, NoteFlag[]>> = {}
   private removeObservers: Array<() => void> = [];
+  private searchBar?: JQLite;
 
   /* @ngInject */
   constructor($timeout: ng.ITimeoutService,) {
@@ -135,6 +138,8 @@ class NotesViewCtrl extends PureViewCtrl<unknown, NotesState> {
       panelTitle: '',
       completedFullSync: false,
       hideTags: true,
+      searchIsFocused: false,
+      searchOptionsAreFocused: false
     };
   }
 
@@ -156,6 +161,7 @@ class NotesViewCtrl extends PureViewCtrl<unknown, NotesState> {
   }
 
   async onIncludeProtectedNoteTextChange(event: Event) {
+    this.searchBar?.[0].focus();
     if (this.state.noteFilter.includeProtectedNoteText) {
       this.state.noteFilter.includeProtectedNoteText = false;
     } else {
@@ -707,6 +713,38 @@ class NotesViewCtrl extends PureViewCtrl<unknown, NotesState> {
     await this.reloadNotes();
   }
 
+  async onSearchInputBlur() {
+    /**
+     * Wait a non-zero amount of time so the newly-focused element can have
+     * enough time to set its state
+     */
+    await this.$timeout(10);
+    await this.appState.mouseUp;
+    this.setState({
+      searchIsFocused: this.searchBar?.[0] === document.activeElement,
+    });
+    this.onFilterEnter();
+  }
+
+  onSearchInputFocus() {
+    this.setState({
+      searchIsFocused: true
+    });
+  }
+
+  onSearchOptionsFocus() {
+    this.setState({
+      searchOptionsAreFocused: true
+    });
+  }
+
+  async onSearchOptionsBlur() {
+    await this.$timeout(100);
+    this.setState({
+      searchOptionsAreFocused: false
+    });
+  }
+
   onFilterEnter() {
     /**
      * For Desktop, performing a search right away causes