diff --git a/components/email/__tests__/quoted-html-focus.test.ts b/components/email/__tests__/quoted-html-focus.test.ts
index ec0987658..8d155eb6c 100644
--- a/components/email/__tests__/quoted-html-focus.test.ts
+++ b/components/email/__tests__/quoted-html-focus.test.ts
@@ -66,3 +66,54 @@ describe('QuotedHtml focus', () => {
     expect(editor.state.selection.eq(before)).toBe(true);
   });
 });
+
+describe('editor focus from the keyboard', () => {
+  // A new message is built with the signature in it, which leaves the
+  // selection after the signature. Tabbing in from Subject typed there.
+  function mountCompose(): Editor {
+    const e = new Editor({
+      extensions: [Document, Paragraph, Text, QuotedHtml],
+      content: '<p></p><p>-- </p><p>User A</p>',
+    });
+    e.view.dispatch(e.state.tr.setSelection(TextSelection.atEnd(e.state.doc)));
+    return e;
+  }
+
+  it('puts the caret at the start on the first focus', () => {
+    editor = mountCompose();
+
+    editor.view.dom.dispatchEvent(new FocusEvent('focus'));
+
+    expect(editor.state.selection.from).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the caret where a click put it', () => {
+    editor = mountCompose();
+    const end = editor.state.selection.from;
+
+    // ProseMirror's own click handling asks for the element under the
+    // pointer, which jsdom does not implement.
+    const doc = document as Document & { elementFromPoint: Document['elementFromPoint'] };
+    const original = doc.elementFromPoint;
+    doc.elementFromPoint = () => null;
+    try {
+      editor.view.dom.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent('mousedown', { bubbles: true }));
+      editor.view.dom.dispatchEvent(new FocusEvent('focus'));
+    } finally {
+      doc.elementFromPoint = original;
+    }
+
+    expect(editor.state.selection.from).toBe(end);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the position when focus comes back later', () => {
+    editor = mountCompose();
+    editor.view.dom.dispatchEvent(new FocusEvent('focus'));
+    editor.view.dispatch(editor.state.tr.setSelection(TextSelection.atEnd(editor.state.doc)));
+    const end = editor.state.selection.from;
+
+    editor.view.dom.dispatchEvent(new FocusEvent('focus'));
+
+    expect(editor.state.selection.from).toBe(end);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/components/email/quoted-html.ts b/components/email/quoted-html.ts
index 025711f7d..40d708bbc 100644
--- a/components/email/quoted-html.ts
+++ b/components/email/quoted-html.ts
@@ -76,27 +76,38 @@ export const QuotedHtml = TiptapNode.create({
   },
 
   addProseMirrorPlugins() {
+    // Set once the user put the caret somewhere (click, tap) or the editor
+    // already had focus, so later focus keeps that position.
+    let placedByUser = false;
+    const markPlaced = () => {
+      placedByUser = true;
+      return false;
+    };
     return [
       new Plugin({
         key: new PluginKey("quotedHtmlFocus"),
         props: {
           handleDOMEvents: {
-            // A reply can open with the quote (or the signature) selected as
-            // a node. Tabbing into the body kept that selection, and the first
-            // key typed replaced the whole block. Focus puts the caret at the
-            // start instead; a click still lands where it was aimed, because
+            mousedown: markPlaced,
+            touchstart: markPlaced,
+            // Where the editor's selection rests before the user touched it
+            // is an accident of how the body was built: on the quote (or
+            // signature) as a node in a reply, where the first key typed
+            // replaced the whole block, or after the signature in a new
+            // message. Focus from the keyboard puts the caret at the start
+            // instead; a click still lands where it was aimed, because
             // ProseMirror handles the click after the focus event.
             focus: (view) => {
               const { selection, doc } = view.state;
-              if (
-                selection instanceof NodeSelection &&
-                ATOM_BLOCKS.has(selection.node.type.name)
-              ) {
+              const onAtom = selection instanceof NodeSelection
+                && ATOM_BLOCKS.has(selection.node.type.name);
+              if (onAtom || !placedByUser) {
                 const start = Selection.atStart(doc);
-                if (start instanceof TextSelection) {
+                if (start instanceof TextSelection && !start.eq(selection)) {
                   view.dispatch(view.state.tr.setSelection(start));
                 }
               }
+              placedByUser = true;
               return false;
             },
           },