diff --git a/macos/Ghostty.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj b/macos/Ghostty.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
index fb24d0813..6d883ded8 100644
--- a/macos/Ghostty.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
+++ b/macos/Ghostty.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@
 				Helpers/CrossKit.swift,
 				"Helpers/Extensions/NSImage+Extension.swift",
 				"Helpers/Extensions/OSColor+Extension.swift",
+				"Helpers/Extensions/OSPasteboard+Extension.swift",
 			);
 			target = 8193244C2F24E6C000A9ED8F /* DockTilePlugin */;
 		};
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/OSSurfaceView.swift b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/OSSurfaceView.swift
index d07a2e0c8..2bf9e4cf3 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/OSSurfaceView.swift	
+++ b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/OSSurfaceView.swift	
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import Foundation
 import GhosttyKit
+import SwiftUI
 
 extension Ghostty {
     class OSSurfaceView: OSView, ObservableObject {
@@ -115,13 +116,42 @@ extension Ghostty {
 // MARK: Search State
 
 extension Ghostty.OSSurfaceView {
-    class SearchState: ObservableObject {
+    @MainActor class SearchState: ObservableObject {
+        /// The pasteboard used to persist the search needle.
+        ///
+        /// The `.find` pasteboard lets us sync our needle across the system and other find bars.
+        private let pasteboard: OSPasteboard
+
         @Published var needle: String = ""
         @Published var selected: UInt?
         @Published var total: UInt?
 
-        init(from startSearch: Ghostty.Action.StartSearch) {
-            self.needle = startSearch.needle ?? ""
+        /// The range of the needle's text selection in the find bar.
+        @Published var needleSelection: Range<String.Index>?
+
+        init(
+            from startSearch: Ghostty.Action.StartSearch,
+            pasteboard: OSPasteboard = OSPasteboard.find
+        ) {
+            self.pasteboard = pasteboard
+            if let needle = startSearch.needle, !needle.isEmpty {
+                self.needle = needle
+                writePasteboardNeedle()
+            } else {
+                readPasteboardNeedle()
+            }
+        }
+
+        func readPasteboardNeedle() {
+            let pasteboardNeedle = pasteboard.string
+            if let pasteboardNeedle, pasteboardNeedle != needle {
+                needle = pasteboardNeedle
+                needleSelection = needle.startIndex..<needle.endIndex
+            }
+        }
+
+        func writePasteboardNeedle() {
+            pasteboard.string = needle
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/SurfaceView.swift b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/SurfaceView.swift
index 4b90a3016..825927323 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/SurfaceView.swift	
+++ b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Surface View/SurfaceView.swift	
@@ -377,7 +377,11 @@ extension Ghostty {
         var body: some View {
             GeometryReader { geo in
                 HStack(spacing: 4) {
-                    TextField("Search", text: $searchState.needle)
+                    BackportSelectionTextField(
+                        "Search",
+                        text: $searchState.needle,
+                        selection: $searchState.needleSelection
+                    )
                     .textFieldStyle(.plain)
                     .frame(width: 180)
                     .padding(.leading, 8)
@@ -401,6 +405,18 @@ extension Ghostty {
                                 .padding(.trailing, 8)
                         }
                     }
+                    .onChange(of: searchState.needle) { _ in
+                        searchState.writePasteboardNeedle()
+                    }
+                    .onReceive(
+                        NotificationCenter.default.publisher(
+                            for: OSApplication.didBecomeActiveNotification
+                        )
+                    ) { _ in
+                        // When the app becomes active, we want to check for external changes
+                        // to our synced needle.
+                        searchState.readPasteboardNeedle()
+                    }
 #if canImport(AppKit)
                     .onExitCommand {
                         if searchState.needle.isEmpty {
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Helpers/Backport.swift b/macos/Sources/Helpers/Backport.swift
index e2afb5b0c..168612221 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Helpers/Backport.swift
+++ b/macos/Sources/Helpers/Backport.swift
@@ -131,3 +131,49 @@ enum BackportNSGlassStyle {
     }
     #endif
 }
+
+/// Backported `TextField` that supports text selection on macOS 15/iOS 18 and up. The `selection`
+/// has no effect on versions below macOS 15/iOS 18.
+struct BackportSelectionTextField: View {
+    private let titleKey: LocalizedStringKey
+    @Binding private var text: String
+    @Binding private var textSelection: Range<String.Index>?
+
+    init(
+        _ titleKey: LocalizedStringKey,
+        text: Binding<String>,
+        selection: Binding<Range<String.Index>?>
+    ) {
+        self.titleKey = titleKey
+        self._text = text
+        self._textSelection = selection
+    }
+
+    var body: some View {
+        if #available(iOS 18.0, macOS 15, *) {
+            TextField(
+                titleKey,
+                text: _text,
+                selection: Binding(
+                    get: {
+                        if let textSelection {
+                            TextSelection(range: textSelection)
+                        } else {
+                            nil
+                        }
+                    },
+                    set: { selection in
+                        if let selection,
+                           case .selection(let range) = selection.indices {
+                            self.textSelection = range
+                        } else {
+                            self.textSelection = nil
+                        }
+                    }
+                )
+            )
+        } else {
+            TextField(titleKey, text: _text)
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Helpers/CrossKit.swift b/macos/Sources/Helpers/CrossKit.swift
index 690e811bb..c7b782072 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Helpers/CrossKit.swift
+++ b/macos/Sources/Helpers/CrossKit.swift
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ typealias OSView = NSView
 typealias OSColor = NSColor
 typealias OSSize = NSSize
 typealias OSPasteboard = NSPasteboard
+typealias OSApplication = NSApplication
 
 protocol OSViewRepresentable: NSViewRepresentable where NSViewType == OSViewType {
     associatedtype OSViewType: NSView
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ typealias OSView = UIView
 typealias OSColor = UIColor
 typealias OSSize = CGSize
 typealias OSPasteboard = UIPasteboard
+typealias OSApplication = UIApplication
 
 protocol OSViewRepresentable: UIViewRepresentable {
     associatedtype OSViewType: UIView
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Helpers/Extensions/OSPasteboard+Extension.swift b/macos/Sources/Helpers/Extensions/OSPasteboard+Extension.swift
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6a59124e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/Sources/Helpers/Extensions/OSPasteboard+Extension.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#if canImport(AppKit)
+
+/// Normalizes the interface between NSPasteboard and UIPasteboard for working with pasteboard
+/// strings.
+extension OSPasteboard {
+    @MainActor static let find = OSPasteboard(name: .find)
+
+    /// The pasteboard's current string value.
+    @MainActor var string: String? {
+        get {
+            string(forType: .string)
+        }
+        set {
+            clearContents()
+            if let newValue {
+                setString(newValue, forType: .string)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#elseif canImport(UIKit)
+
+extension OSPasteboard {
+    static let find = OSPasteboard.withUniqueName()
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/macos/Tests/Ghostty/Surface View/SurfaceView+SearchStateTests.swift b/macos/Tests/Ghostty/Surface View/SurfaceView+SearchStateTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1e0231d31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/Tests/Ghostty/Surface View/SurfaceView+SearchStateTests.swift	
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+import AppKit
+import GhosttyKit
+import Testing
+@testable import Ghostty
+
+@MainActor struct SurfaceView_SearchStateTests {
+    typealias SearchState = Ghostty.OSSurfaceView.SearchState
+    typealias StartSearch = Ghostty.Action.StartSearch
+
+    /// A unique pasteboard for each test case prevents flakiness.
+    let pasteboard = OSPasteboard.withUniqueName()
+
+    init() {
+        pasteboard.setString("pb", forType: .string)
+    }
+
+    @Test func init_withNilNeedle_readsPasteboardNeedle() {
+        let sut = SearchState(
+            from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: nil)),
+            pasteboard: pasteboard
+        )
+        #expect(sut.needle == "pb")
+    }
+
+    @Test func init_withEmptyNeedle_readsPasteboardNeedle() {
+        "".withCString { needle in
+            let sut = SearchState(
+                from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: needle)),
+                pasteboard: pasteboard
+            )
+            #expect(sut.needle == "pb")
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test func init_withNeedle_setsNeedle() {
+        "start".withCString { needle in
+            let sut = SearchState(
+                from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: needle)),
+                pasteboard: pasteboard
+            )
+            #expect(sut.needle == "start")
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test func init_withNeedle_writesPasteboard() {
+        "start".withCString { needle in
+            _ = SearchState(
+                from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: needle)),
+                pasteboard: pasteboard
+            )
+            #expect(pasteboard.string(forType: .string) == "start")
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test func writePasteboardNeedle_writesPasteboard() {
+        let sut = SearchState(
+            from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: nil)),
+            pasteboard: pasteboard
+        )
+        sut.needle = "sut"
+        sut.writePasteboardNeedle()
+        #expect(pasteboard.string(forType: .string) == "sut")
+    }
+
+    @Test func readPasteboardNeedle_whenPasteboardNeedleIsNil() {
+        let sut = SearchState(
+            from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: nil)),
+            pasteboard: pasteboard
+        )
+        pasteboard.clearContents()
+        sut.needle = "sut"
+        sut.readPasteboardNeedle()
+        #expect(sut.needle == "sut")
+    }
+
+    @Test func readPasteboardNeedle_whenPasteboardNeedleIsValid() {
+        let sut = SearchState(
+            from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: nil)),
+            pasteboard: pasteboard
+        )
+        sut.needle = "sut"
+        sut.readPasteboardNeedle()
+        #expect(sut.needle == "pb")
+    }
+
+    @Test func readPasteboardNeedle_setsNeedleSelectionRange() {
+        let sut = SearchState(
+            from: StartSearch(c: .init(needle: nil)),
+            pasteboard: pasteboard
+        )
+        sut.needle = "sut"
+        sut.readPasteboardNeedle()
+
+        let expected = "pb".startIndex..<"pb".endIndex
+        #expect(sut.needleSelection == expected)
+    }
+}