diff --git a/src/public/app/widgets/quick_search.js b/src/public/app/widgets/quick_search.js
index fb628d354..2ae905ac2 100644
--- a/src/public/app/widgets/quick_search.js
+++ b/src/public/app/widgets/quick_search.js
@@ -148,6 +148,8 @@ export default class QuickSearchWidget extends BasicWidget {
     }
 
     async showInFullSearch() {
+        this.$dropdownToggle.dropdown("hide");
+
         const searchNote = await dateNotesService.createSearchNote({searchString: this.$searchString.val()});
 
         await froca.loadSearchNote(searchNote.noteId);
diff --git a/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_protected_fulltext.js b/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_protected_fulltext.js
index 6b171c3e7..b24d3801a 100644
--- a/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_protected_fulltext.js
+++ b/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_protected_fulltext.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ const protectedSessionService = require('../../protected_session');
 const striptags = require('striptags');
 const utils = require("../../utils");
 
+// FIXME: create common subclass with NoteContentUnprotectedFulltextExp to avoid duplication
 class NoteContentProtectedFulltextExp extends Expression {
     constructor(operator, tokens, raw) {
         super();
@@ -46,15 +47,7 @@ class NoteContentProtectedFulltextExp extends Expression {
                 continue;
             }
 
-            content = utils.normalize(content);
-
-            if (type === 'text' && mime === 'text/html') {
-                if (!this.raw && content.length < 20000) { // striptags is slow for very large notes
-                    content = striptags(content);
-                }
-
-                content = content.replace(/&nbsp;/g, ' ');
-            }
+            content = this.preprocessContent(content, type, mime);
 
             if (!this.tokens.find(token => !content.includes(token))) {
                 resultNoteSet.add(becca.notes[noteId]);
@@ -63,6 +56,23 @@ class NoteContentProtectedFulltextExp extends Expression {
 
         return resultNoteSet;
     }
+
+    preprocessContent(content, type, mime) {
+        content = utils.normalize(content.toString());
+
+        if (type === 'text' && mime === 'text/html') {
+            if (!this.raw && content.length < 20000) { // striptags is slow for very large notes
+                // allow link to preserve URLs: https://github.com/zadam/trilium/issues/2412
+                content = striptags(content, ['a']);
+
+                // at least the closing tag can be easily stripped
+                content = content.replace(/<\/a>/ig, "");
+            }
+
+            content = content.replace(/&nbsp;/g, ' ');
+        }
+        return content;
+    }
 }
 
 module.exports = NoteContentProtectedFulltextExp;
diff --git a/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_unprotected_fulltext.js b/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_unprotected_fulltext.js
index ad43cef46..60df92570 100644
--- a/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_unprotected_fulltext.js
+++ b/src/services/search/expressions/note_content_unprotected_fulltext.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ const becca = require('../../../becca/becca');
 const striptags = require('striptags');
 const utils = require("../../utils");
 
+// FIXME: create common subclass with NoteContentProtectedFulltextExp to avoid duplication
 class NoteContentUnprotectedFulltextExp extends Expression {
     constructor(operator, tokens, raw) {
         super();
@@ -32,15 +33,7 @@ class NoteContentUnprotectedFulltextExp extends Expression {
                 continue;
             }
 
-            content = utils.normalize(content.toString());
-
-            if (type === 'text' && mime === 'text/html') {
-                if (!this.raw && content.length < 20000) { // striptags is slow for very large notes
-                    content = striptags(content);
-                }
-
-                content = content.replace(/&nbsp;/g, ' ');
-            }
+            content = this.preprocessContent(content, type, mime);
 
             if (!this.tokens.find(token => !content.includes(token))) {
                 resultNoteSet.add(becca.notes[noteId]);
@@ -49,6 +42,23 @@ class NoteContentUnprotectedFulltextExp extends Expression {
 
         return resultNoteSet;
     }
+
+    preprocessContent(content, type, mime) {
+        content = utils.normalize(content.toString());
+
+        if (type === 'text' && mime === 'text/html') {
+            if (!this.raw && content.length < 20000) { // striptags is slow for very large notes
+                // allow link to preserve URLs: https://github.com/zadam/trilium/issues/2412
+                content = striptags(content, ['a']);
+
+                // at least the closing tag can be easily stripped
+                content = content.replace(/<\/a>/ig, "");
+            }
+
+            content = content.replace(/&nbsp;/g, ' ');
+        }
+        return content;
+    }
 }
 
 module.exports = NoteContentUnprotectedFulltextExp;