diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/SearchFieldWidget.java b/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/SearchFieldWidget.java
index 1017982f..c84607e7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/SearchFieldWidget.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/SearchFieldWidget.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ public class SearchFieldWidget extends EditBox {
     private final Consumer<String> updateConsumer;
 
     private boolean isEmpty = true;
+    private boolean doNotUpdate = false;
 
     public SearchFieldWidget(YACLScreen yaclScreen, Font font, int x, int y, int width, int height, Component text, Component emptyText, Consumer<String> updateConsumer) {
         super(font, x, y, width, height, text);
@@ -33,6 +34,12 @@ public void extractWidgetRenderState(@NonNull GuiGraphicsExtractor graphics, int
         }
     }
 
+    public void setValueDoNotUpdate(String value) {
+        doNotUpdate = true;
+        setValue(value);
+        doNotUpdate = false;
+    }
+
     private void update(String query) {
         boolean wasEmpty = isEmpty;
         isEmpty = query.isEmpty();
@@ -40,6 +47,7 @@ private void update(String query) {
         if (isEmpty && wasEmpty)
             return;
 
+        if (doNotUpdate) return;
         updateConsumer.accept(query);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/YACLScreen.java b/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/YACLScreen.java
index 9c7db1fc..97c593eb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/YACLScreen.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/YACLScreen.java
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.components.Button;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.components.MultiLineLabel;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.components.Tooltip;
+import net.minecraft.client.gui.components.events.GuiEventListener;
+import net.minecraft.client.gui.components.tabs.Tab;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.components.tabs.TabManager;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.navigation.ScreenRectangle;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.screens.Screen;
@@ -27,6 +29,7 @@
 import net.minecraft.client.renderer.RenderPipelines;
 import net.minecraft.network.chat.CommonComponents;
 import net.minecraft.network.chat.Component;
+import net.minecraft.network.chat.MutableComponent;
 import net.minecraft.resources.Identifier;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
@@ -54,6 +57,11 @@ public class YACLScreen extends Screen {
     public ControllerPopupWidget<?> currentPopupController = null;
     public boolean popupControllerVisible = false;
 
+    /**
+     * The tab where the user started searching
+     */
+    private @Nullable CategoryTab preferredTab = null;
+
     public YACLScreen(YetAnotherConfigLib config, Screen parent) {
         super(config.title());
         this.config = config;
@@ -284,6 +292,43 @@ public static void renderMultilineTooltip(GuiGraphicsExtractor graphics, Font fo
         }
     }
 
+    public void updateGlobalSearch(String search) {
+        Tab nextTabWithSearch = null;
+        if (preferredTab != null) {
+            preferredTab.optionList.getType().updateSearchQuery(search);
+            if (preferredTab.hasSearch()) nextTabWithSearch = preferredTab;
+        }
+        Tab currentTab = tabNavigationBar.getTabManager().getCurrentTab();
+        int cursorPos = currentTab instanceof CategoryTab categoryTab ? categoryTab.searchField.getCursorPosition() : -1;
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < tabNavigationBar.getTabs().size(); i++) {
+            Tab tab = tabNavigationBar.getTabs().get(i);
+            if (tab == preferredTab) continue;
+            if (tab instanceof CategoryTab categoryTab) {
+                categoryTab.optionList.getType().updateSearchQuery(search);
+                categoryTab.searchField.setValueDoNotUpdate(search);
+                if (cursorPos != -1) categoryTab.searchField.setCursorPosition(cursorPos);
+                if (nextTabWithSearch == null && categoryTab.hasSearch()) {
+                    nextTabWithSearch = categoryTab;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        // switch if the next tab is the preferred one or switch if the current tab does not have the search
+        if (nextTabWithSearch != null && nextTabWithSearch != currentTab && (nextTabWithSearch == preferredTab || !(currentTab instanceof CategoryTab categoryTab && categoryTab.hasSearch()))) {
+            tabManager.setCurrentTab(nextTabWithSearch, false);
+            if (nextTabWithSearch instanceof CategoryTab newTab) {
+                setFocused(newTab.searchField);
+            }
+        }
+        tabNavigationBar.updateTabNames();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setFocused(@Nullable GuiEventListener focused) {
+        super.setFocused(focused);
+        if (focused != null && !(focused instanceof SearchFieldWidget)) preferredTab = null;
+    }
+
     public static class CategoryTab implements TabExt {
         private static final Identifier DARKER_BG = YACLPlatform.mcRl("textures/gui/menu_list_background.png");
 
@@ -338,7 +383,11 @@ public CategoryTab(YACLScreen screen, ConfigCategory category, ScreenRectangle t
                     paddedWidth - 2, 18,
                     Component.translatable("gui.recipebook.search_hint"),
                     Component.translatable("gui.recipebook.search_hint"),
-                    searchQuery -> optionList.getType().updateSearchQuery(searchQuery)
+                    s -> {
+                        if (screen.preferredTab == null) screen.preferredTab = this;
+                        screen.updateGlobalSearch(s);
+
+                    }
             );
 
             this.optionList = YACLSelectionList.asWidget(
@@ -360,9 +409,17 @@ public CategoryTab(YACLScreen screen, ConfigCategory category, ScreenRectangle t
             updateButtons();
         }
 
+        public boolean hasSearch() {
+            return optionList.getType().children().stream().anyMatch(o -> o.searchQueryMatches);
+        }
+
         @Override
         public Component getTabTitle() {
-            return category.name();
+            MutableComponent copy = category.name().copy();
+            if (!hasSearch()) {
+                copy.withStyle(ChatFormatting.DARK_GRAY, ChatFormatting.STRIKETHROUGH);
+            }
+            return copy;
         }
 
         @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/tab/ScrollableNavigationBar.java b/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/tab/ScrollableNavigationBar.java
index 0c91ca7c..33cff48a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/tab/ScrollableNavigationBar.java
+++ b/src/main/java/dev/isxander/yacl3/gui/tab/ScrollableNavigationBar.java
@@ -153,6 +153,12 @@ protected void ensureVisible(TabButton tabButton) {
         }
     }
 
+    public void updateTabNames() {
+        for (TabButton tabButton : accessor.yacl$getTabButtons()) {
+            tabButton.setMessage(tabButton.tab().getTabTitle());
+        }
+    }
+
     public ImmutableList<Tab> getTabs() {
         return accessor.yacl$getTabs();
     }