Find window or Ctrl+F automatically shifts focus to an element after first character entered

[JillRichardsonPratt]

Preflight Checklist

• [ x] I agree to follow the Code of Conduct that this project adheres to.
• [x ] I have searched the issue tracker for a feature request that matches the one I want to file, without success.

You must agree to search and the code of conduct. You must fill in this entire template. If you delete part/all or miss parts out your issue will be closed.

Describe the bug
Once a character is entered into the find dialogue, the focus shifts automatically to the first element containing that character. This behaviour is not expected and, when the user continues entering the second character of their search term, the first element's contents are wiped and replaced with the second character. If the user does not realise in time to reverse it, their diagram is altered without their knowledge.

This issue existed a few weeks ago and was fixed but it is now happening again.

The issue is not happening when I created a brand new diagram today, but it is happening with all of the other diagrams I use. In case it matters, some are years old (1.5MB, 1.6MB, 2.9MB) and one is about a year old (1.6MB).

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Open the draw.io diagram that contains at least one element that contains text (eg "hello")
2. Use Ctrl+f to bring up the draw.io find window
3. Type a character (eg "h") in the find window
4. The focus automatically switches from the find window to the first item that contains that character
5. Type the next character (eg "e")
6. Although the user believes they are still typing the search term, the first element containing the first character is overwritten with the second character.

Expected behavior
To enter the full search term and use the 'Find' button or click Enter before the focus shifts

Screenshots
I cannot create a shareable diagram because the issue does not exist in the diagram I created today.

draw.io version (In the Help->About menu of the draw.io editor):

• draw.io version: web app v30.2.6

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• OS: Windows, MacOS, Linux...

Additional context
I'm using Chrome 149.0.7827.197 and Windows 11 Pro.

[draw-io-triage-bot]

👋 Thank you for opening this issue!

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Summary: When using Ctrl+F (Find) in draw.io desktop on older/larger diagrams, typing the first character in the search field causes focus to jump to the first matching shape, and the second keystroke overwrites that shape's text instead of continuing the search query. The issue does not reproduce with newly created diagrams, suggesting something in the file content triggers it.

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🔍 Possible Related Issues

This issue might be related to existing issues:

🟡 #1013 - Cannot wrap text after copy and paste text
Both issues involve unexpected focus/text editing behavior potentially triggered by special characters or styled text content in shapes. The user in #1013 reported issues with text handling after pasting styled content, and this issue involves focus unexpectedly jumping to a shape and overwriting its text. The affected older diagrams may contain similarly problematic text content.

Please check if any of these address your issue. If this is a duplicate, we may close this issue and continue the conversation there.

📝 Additional Information Needed

To help us investigate this more effectively, could you please provide:

• draw.io version: The user left the version as the template placeholder 'x.y.z'. The exact version of draw.io desktop is needed to confirm whether this is a regression and in which version.
• OS: The user left the OS as the template placeholder 'Windows, MacOS, Linux...'. The actual operating system and version should be specified.
• Sample file: The user mentions the issue only occurs with older/larger diagrams, not with a newly created one. Providing one of the affected .drawio files (with sensitive content removed/replaced) would greatly help reproduce and debug the issue.

We also have some questions:

• What exact version of draw.io desktop are you using? (Check Help -> About)
• What operating system and version are you running?
• You mentioned this was previously fixed — do you recall approximately which version had the fix, or when the fix stopped working?
• Could you share one of the affected diagram files (with any sensitive content replaced with dummy text)? Since the issue doesn't reproduce with a new diagram, the file itself likely contains something that triggers the bug.
• Do the affected diagrams contain any special formatting, embedded HTML labels, or special characters in their text elements that the new diagram does not?

📋 Bug Report Template

**Environment:**
- draw.io version: [e.g., web app / desktop 24.x.x / Confluence plugin]
- Browser (if web): [e.g., Chrome 120, Firefox 121]
- OS: [e.g., Windows 11, macOS 14, Ubuntu 22.04]

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. Go to ...
2. Click on ...
3. See error

**Expected Behavior:**
What you expected to happen.

**Actual Behavior:**
What actually happened.

**Screenshots/Files:**
If applicable, add screenshots or attach the .drawio file.

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_{🤖 This is an automated response to help with initial triage. A human maintainer will review this issue. If you've provided all the requested information, no further action is needed - we'll get back to you soon!}

[JillRichardsonPratt]

What exact version of draw.io desktop are you using? (Check Help -> About)

• draw.io version: web app v30.2.6
• browser: Chrome 149.0.7827.197

What operating system and version are you running?

• OS: Windows 11 Pro

You mentioned this was previously fixed — do you recall approximately which version had the fix, or when the fix stopped working?
Fix worked several weeks ago up until 18 June 2026.

Could you share one of the affected diagram files (with any sensitive content replaced with dummy text)? Since the issue doesn't reproduce with a new diagram, the file itself likely contains something that triggers the bug.

• I cannot provide a screenshot of the sensitive files. When I create a new file the issue does not happen.

Do the affected diagrams contain any special formatting, embedded HTML labels, or special characters in their text elements that the new diagram does not?

• I don't know how to check this.

[ec-hack]

I have the same issue using the Desktop version, 30.2.6 on Windows 11.

I created a blank diagram and was able to recreate the issue.