diff --git a/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.css b/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.css
index dad447ef4..a5431cf65 100644
--- a/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.css
+++ b/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.css
@@ -267,8 +267,7 @@ input[type=button] {
 }
 
 #searchText[keepfocus],
-#searchText:focus,
-#searchText[autofocus] {
+#searchText:focus {
   border-color: hsla(216,100%,60%,.6) hsla(216,76%,52%,.6) hsla(214,100%,40%,.6);
 }
 
@@ -299,14 +298,12 @@ input[type=button] {
 }
 
 #searchText:focus + #searchSubmit,
-#searchText + #searchSubmit:hover,
-#searchText[autofocus] + #searchSubmit {
+#searchText + #searchSubmit:hover {
   border-color: #5985fc #4573e7 #3264d5;
 }
 
 #searchText:focus + #searchSubmit,
-#searchText[keepfocus] + #searchSubmit,
-#searchText[autofocus] + #searchSubmit {
+#searchText[keepfocus] + #searchSubmit {
   box-shadow: 0 1px 0 hsla(0,0%,100%,.2) inset,
               0 0 0 1px hsla(0,0%,100%,.1) inset,
               0 1px 0 hsla(220,54%,20%,.03);
diff --git a/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml b/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml
index a435bfa73..eac62c987 100644
--- a/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml
+++ b/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@
     <div id="searchContainer">
       <form name="searchForm" id="searchForm" onsubmit="onSearchSubmit(event)">
         <div id="searchLogoContainer"><img id="searchEngineLogo"/></div>
-        <input type="text" name="q" value="" id="searchText" maxlength="256"
-               autofocus="autofocus"/>
+        <input type="text" name="q" value="" id="searchText" maxlength="256"/>
         <input id="searchSubmit" type="submit" value="&newtab.searchEngineButton.label;"/>
       </form>
     </div>
diff --git a/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/search.js b/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/search.js
index cafc772bc..40d3e449c 100644
--- a/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/search.js
+++ b/application/palemoon/base/content/newtab/search.js
@@ -116,15 +116,6 @@ function onSearchSubmit(aEvent) {
 
 
 function setupSearchEngine() {
-  // The "autofocus" attribute doesn't focus the form element
-  // immediately when the element is first drawn, so the
-  // attribute is also used for styling when the page first loads.
-  let searchText = document.getElementById("searchText");
-  searchText.addEventListener("blur", function searchText_onBlur() {
-    searchText.removeEventListener("blur", searchText_onBlur);
-    searchText.removeAttribute("autofocus");
-  });
- 
   let searchEngineName = document.documentElement.getAttribute("searchEngineName");
   let searchEngineInfo = SEARCH_ENGINES[searchEngineName];
   let logoElt = document.getElementById("searchEngineLogo");
@@ -139,5 +130,4 @@ function setupSearchEngine() {
     logoElt.parentNode.hidden = true;
     searchText.placeholder = searchEngineName;
   }
-
 }