diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Application/Navigation/NavigationTabCoordinator.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Application/Navigation/NavigationTabCoordinator.swift
index b7bef22b8..a22f54229 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Application/Navigation/NavigationTabCoordinator.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Application/Navigation/NavigationTabCoordinator.swift
@@ -100,7 +100,16 @@ import SwiftUI
     }
     
     /// The currently selected tab's tag.
-    var selectedTab: Tag?
+    var selectedTab: Tag? {
+        didSet {
+            if oldValue != selectedTab {
+                previousTab = oldValue
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /// The tab that was selected before the current one, used to return to it (e.g. cancelling search).
+    private(set) var previousTab: Tag?
     
     // MARK: Sheets
     
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/FlowCoordinators/UserSessionFlowCoordinator.swift b/ElementX/Sources/FlowCoordinators/UserSessionFlowCoordinator.swift
index 0da890f78..5e9ad6e6b 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/FlowCoordinators/UserSessionFlowCoordinator.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/FlowCoordinators/UserSessionFlowCoordinator.swift
@@ -229,6 +229,9 @@ class UserSessionFlowCoordinator: FlowCoordinatorProtocol {
                 switch action {
                 case .presentRoom(let roomID):
                     handleAppRoute(.room(roomID: roomID, via: []), animated: true)
+                case .cancel:
+                    // Return to the tab the user came from, but never back into search.
+                    navigationTabCoordinator.selectedTab = navigationTabCoordinator.previousTab == .search ? .chats : navigationTabCoordinator.previousTab ?? .chats
                 }
             }
             .store(in: &cancellables)
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenCoordinator.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenCoordinator.swift
index e663ed8d1..be5311da4 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenCoordinator.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenCoordinator.swift
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ struct SearchScreenCoordinatorParameters {
 
 enum SearchScreenCoordinatorAction {
     case presentRoom(roomID: String)
+    case cancel
 }
 
 final class SearchScreenCoordinator: CoordinatorProtocol {
@@ -38,6 +39,8 @@ final class SearchScreenCoordinator: CoordinatorProtocol {
             switch action {
             case .presentRoom(let roomID):
                 actionsSubject.send(.presentRoom(roomID: roomID))
+            case .cancel:
+                actionsSubject.send(.cancel)
             }
         }
         .store(in: &cancellables)
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenModels.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenModels.swift
index d8f423eb6..63a27d0f2 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenModels.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenModels.swift
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import Foundation
 
 enum SearchScreenViewModelAction {
     case presentRoom(roomID: String)
+    case cancel
 }
 
 struct SearchScreenViewState: BindableState {
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ enum SearchScreenViewAction {
     case selectRoom(roomID: String)
     case reachedTop
     case reachedBottom
+    case cancel
 }
 
 struct SearchScreenRoom: Identifiable, Equatable {
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenViewModel.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenViewModel.swift
index 05a7baf2d..52d219e86 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenViewModel.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/SearchScreenViewModel.swift
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ class SearchScreenViewModel: SearchScreenViewModelType, SearchScreenViewModelPro
             updateVisibleRange(edge: .top)
         case .reachedBottom:
             updateVisibleRange(edge: .bottom)
+        case .cancel:
+            actionsSubject.send(.cancel)
         }
     }
     
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/View/SearchScreen.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/View/SearchScreen.swift
index 8273ba77b..9044c66d5 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/View/SearchScreen.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/SearchScreen/View/SearchScreen.swift
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ struct SearchScreen: View {
             }
         }
         .searchResultsKeyboardNavigation(moveUp: { moveSelection(backwards: true) },
-                                         moveDown: { moveSelection(backwards: false) })
+                                         moveDown: { moveSelection(backwards: false) },
+                                         cancel: { context.send(viewAction: .cancel) })
         // The TabView calls onAppear each time the search tab is selected, so the field re-focuses
         // and the selection resets on every switch.
         .onAppear {
@@ -189,12 +190,12 @@ private struct SearchScreenRoomCellButtonStyle: ButtonStyle {
 }
 
 private extension View {
-    /// Forwards hardware up/down arrow presses from the system search field to the given closures.
+    /// Forwards hardware up/down arrow and escape presses from the system search field to the given closures.
     ///
     /// The `.search` role tab owns its text field, so there's no SwiftUI hook for its key presses. We reach the
     /// field through the navigation stack (as ``SearchFieldStyle`` does) and swap its class for one that overrides
     /// `pressesBegan` — the same key interception the old global search performed on its own field.
-    func searchResultsKeyboardNavigation(moveUp: @escaping () -> Void, moveDown: @escaping () -> Void) -> some View {
+    func searchResultsKeyboardNavigation(moveUp: @escaping () -> Void, moveDown: @escaping () -> Void, cancel: @escaping () -> Void) -> some View {
         introspect(.navigationStack, on: .supportedVersions, scope: .ancestor) { navigationController in
             guard let textField = navigationController.navigationBar.topItem?.searchController?.searchBar.searchTextField else {
                 return
@@ -210,6 +211,8 @@ private extension View {
                     moveUp()
                 case .keyboardDownArrow:
                     moveDown()
+                case .keyboardEscape:
+                    cancel()
                 default:
                     return false
                 }
diff --git a/UnitTests/Sources/SearchScreenViewModelTests.swift b/UnitTests/Sources/SearchScreenViewModelTests.swift
index 52c7e76f1..a862b9254 100644
--- a/UnitTests/Sources/SearchScreenViewModelTests.swift
+++ b/UnitTests/Sources/SearchScreenViewModelTests.swift
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ struct SearchScreenViewModelTests {
             switch action {
             case .presentRoom(let roomID):
                 roomID == "2"
+            case .cancel:
+                false
             }
         }
         
@@ -40,4 +42,20 @@ struct SearchScreenViewModelTests {
         
         try await deferred.fulfill()
     }
+    
+    @Test
+    func cancel() async throws {
+        let deferred = deferFulfillment(viewModel.actionsPublisher) { action in
+            switch action {
+            case .cancel:
+                true
+            default:
+                false
+            }
+        }
+        
+        context.send(viewAction: .cancel)
+        
+        try await deferred.fulfill()
+    }
 }