diff --git a/components/mail/__tests__/mail-app-mv-search.test.tsx b/components/mail/__tests__/mail-app-mv-search.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1fdc6b175
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/mail/__tests__/mail-app-mv-search.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import type { Email, Mailbox } from '@/lib/jmap/types';
+import { useAuthStore } from '@/stores/auth-store';
+import { useEmailStore } from '@/stores/email-store';
+import { useSettingsStore } from '@/stores/settings-store';
+import { usePluginStore } from '@/stores/plugin-store';
+import { useThemeStore } from '@/stores/theme-store';
+import { DEFAULT_SEARCH_FILTERS } from '@/lib/jmap/search-utils';
+
+// Mountain View shows an open message in place of the list. A search started
+// from the top bar while reading has to close it, or the results land in a
+// list nobody can see until they press back. (#1468)
+
+type TopBarSearch = {
+  onSubmit: (query: string) => void;
+  onSelectContact: (contact: { email: string; name?: string }, field: 'from' | 'to') => void;
+};
+vi.mock('@/components/layout/mv-top-bar', () => ({
+  MvTopBar: ({ search }: { search: TopBarSearch }) => (
+    <>
+      <button onClick={() => search.onSubmit('invoice')}>stub search</button>
+      <button onClick={() => search.onSelectContact({ email: 'bob@example.org' }, 'from')}>stub contact</button>
+    </>
+  ),
+}));
+vi.mock('@/components/search/mv-search-form', () => ({
+  MvSearchForm: ({ onSearch }: { onSearch: () => void }) => <button onClick={onSearch}>stub filter search</button>,
+}));
+vi.mock('@/components/email/email-viewer', () => ({ EmailViewer: () => <div>message viewer</div> }));
+vi.mock('@/components/email/email-composer', () => ({ EmailComposer: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/layout/sidebar', () => ({ Sidebar: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/layout/navigation-rail', () => ({ NavigationRail: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/layout/calendar-event-notification-toaster', () => ({ CalendarEventNotificationToaster: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/layout/share-notification-toaster', () => ({ ShareNotificationToaster: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/layout/mobile-header', () => ({ MobileHeader: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/layout/mv-side-panel', () => ({ MvSidePanel: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/email/message-list-tabs', () => ({ useMessageListPanelProps: (id: string) => ({ id }), MessageListTabs: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/search/search-box', () => ({ SearchBox: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/components/tour/tour-provider', () => ({ useTour: () => ({ activeTour: null, registerStep: vi.fn() }) }));
+vi.mock('@/components/plugins/plugin-slot', () => ({ PluginSlot: () => null }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-plugin-slot-offers', () => ({ usePluginSlotOffers: () => [] }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-config', () => ({ useConfig: () => ({ appName: 'Mail' }) }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-identity-sync', () => ({ useIdentitySync: () => {} }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-pro-multi-account-identities', () => ({ useProMultiAccountIdentities: () => [] }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-pro-multi-account-mailboxes', () => ({ useProMultiAccountMailboxes: () => {} }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-wopi-status', () => ({ useWopiStatus: () => null, canWopiOpen: () => false }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-browser-navigation', () => ({ useBrowserNavigation: () => {} }));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/use-media-query', () => ({
+  useDeviceDetection: () => ({ isMobile: false, isTablet: false, isDesktop: true }),
+  useMediaQuery: () => false,
+  useIsDesktop: () => true,
+}));
+vi.mock('@/lib/push-bindings', () => ({ reconcilePushBindings: () => {}, releasePushBindings: () => {} }));
+vi.mock('@/components/email/email-list', () => ({ EmailList: () => <div>message list</div> }));
+
+const { MailApp } = await import('../mail-app');
+
+const inbox = { id: 'inbox', name: 'Inbox', role: 'inbox', totalEmails: 2, unreadEmails: 0 } as Mailbox;
+const row = (id: string) => ({
+  id, threadId: `t-${id}`, subject: id, receivedAt: '2026-10-31T10:00:00Z', keywords: { $seen: true }, mailboxIds: { inbox: true },
+}) as unknown as Email;
+
+let searchEmails: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+let advancedSearch: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('Unexpected network request')));
+  vi.stubGlobal('ResizeObserver', class { observe() {} unobserve() {} disconnect() {} });
+  usePluginStore.setState({ initializePlugins: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) });
+  useThemeStore.setState({ syncServerThemes: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) });
+  const client = {
+    getAccountId: () => 'acc', getUsername: () => 'a@example.org',
+    getSieveAccountId: () => null, hasDelayedSend: () => false, getSession: () => null,
+    getThread: vi.fn(async (threadId: string) => ({ id: threadId, emailIds: [threadId.slice(2)] })),
+    getEmail: vi.fn(async (id: string) => ({ ...row(id), bodyValues: {} })),
+    markAsRead: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+  };
+  useAuthStore.setState({
+    isAuthenticated: true, isLoading: false, client: client as never, activeAccountId: 'login-a', identities: [],
+    getClientForAccount: () => client as never,
+    getAllConnectedClients: () => new Map([['login-a', client]]) as never,
+  });
+  useSettingsStore.setState({ enableUnifiedMailbox: false, interfaceLayout: 'mountain-view', mailLayout: 'focus' } as never);
+  searchEmails = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+  advancedSearch = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+  const emails = [row('m1'), row('m2')];
+  useEmailStore.setState({
+    emails, selectedEmail: emails[0], selectedMailbox: 'inbox', selectedKeyword: null, mailboxes: [inbox],
+    viewingAccountId: null, accountMailboxes: {}, isUnifiedView: false, unifiedRole: null,
+    isScheduledView: false, isLoadingEmail: false, isLoading: false, searchQuery: '',
+    searchFilters: { ...DEFAULT_SEARCH_FILTERS }, searchMailboxId: '', isAdvancedSearchOpen: false,
+    selectedEmailKeys: new Set(), unreadSection: null,
+    fetchMailboxes: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined), fetchEmails: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    fetchQuota: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined), fetchTagCounts: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    refreshScheduledMetadata: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    fetchEmailContent: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    searchEmails, advancedSearch,
+  } as never);
+});
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.restoreAllMocks();
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+});
+
+const selectedId = () => useEmailStore.getState().selectedEmail?.id ?? null;
+
+describe('searching in Mountain View while a message is open', () => {
+  it('closes the message and runs the search from the top bar', async () => {
+    render(<MailApp />);
+    expect(selectedId()).toBe('m1');
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('stub search'));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(searchEmails).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.anything(), 'invoice'));
+    expect(selectedId()).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('closes the message for a contact picked from the suggestions', async () => {
+    render(<MailApp />);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('stub contact'));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(advancedSearch).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(selectedId()).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('closes the message for a search from the filter form', async () => {
+    useEmailStore.setState({ isAdvancedSearchOpen: true } as never);
+    render(<MailApp />);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('stub filter search'));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(advancedSearch).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(selectedId()).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/components/mail/mail-app.tsx b/components/mail/mail-app.tsx
index 38d0b9037..873b5abc1 100644
--- a/components/mail/mail-app.tsx
+++ b/components/mail/mail-app.tsx
@@ -3779,8 +3779,17 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
 
   const handleLogout = logout;
 
+  // Mountain View shows an open message in place of the list, so a search
+  // started while reading would fill a list nobody can see. Close the
+  // message first and show the results, as its back button would. (#1468)
+  const showSearchResults = () => {
+    if (!mvShell || cursorOnly || !useEmailStore.getState().selectedEmail) return;
+    selectEmail(null);
+  };
+
   const handleSearch = async (query: string) => {
     if (!client) return;
+    showSearchResults();
     // Nothing the mail view renders from is written before the request has
     // left (see afterRequestDispatch): searchEmails records the query itself,
     // and the history entry only feeds the suggestion dropdown.
@@ -3799,6 +3808,7 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
   // dropped rather than ANDed into the query as a full-text term.
   const handleSelectContactSuggestion = async (contact: ContactSuggestion, field: ContactSearchField) => {
     if (!client) return;
+    showSearchResults();
     setSearchQuery("");
     setSearchFilters({ [field]: contact.email });
     await advancedSearch(client);
@@ -3842,6 +3852,7 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
 
   const handleAdvancedSearch = async () => {
     if (!client) return;
+    showSearchResults();
     await advancedSearch(client);
   };