diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d051e59f1..fc3e9b4b2 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Changelog for Fontra
 
+## 2024-11-28
+
+- Keep the focus on the canvas when clicking icon buttons and (some) list cell buttons [PR 1829](https://github.com/googlefonts/fontra/pull/1829)
+
 ## 2024-11-27
 
 - Add 'Add background image' menu to context menu [PR 1827](https://github.com/googlefonts/fontra/pull/1827)
diff --git a/src/fontra/client/core/utils.js b/src/fontra/client/core/utils.js
index 9a8d96b87..0c7849063 100644
--- a/src/fontra/client/core/utils.js
+++ b/src/fontra/client/core/utils.js
@@ -670,3 +670,16 @@ export function colorizeImage(inputImage, color) {
     });
   });
 }
+
+export class FocusKeeper {
+  get save() {
+    // Return a bound method that can be used as an event handler
+    return (event) => {
+      this._focusedElement = findNestedActiveElement();
+    };
+  }
+
+  restore() {
+    this._focusedElement?.focus();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/fontra/client/web-components/icon-button.js b/src/fontra/client/web-components/icon-button.js
index 2e832e11f..f5204527f 100644
--- a/src/fontra/client/web-components/icon-button.js
+++ b/src/fontra/client/web-components/icon-button.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { InlineSVG } from "./inline-svg.js";
 import * as html from "/core/html-utils.js";
 import { UnlitElement } from "/core/html-utils.js";
+import { FocusKeeper } from "/core/utils.js";
 
 export class IconButton extends UnlitElement {
   static styles = `
@@ -67,11 +68,14 @@ export class IconButton extends UnlitElement {
   }
 
   render() {
+    const focus = new FocusKeeper();
     this._button = html.button(
       {
+        onmousedown: focus.save,
         onclick: (event) => {
           this._buttonOnClick?.(event);
           event.stopImmediatePropagation();
+          focus.restore();
         },
         disabled: this._buttonDisabled,
       },
diff --git a/src/fontra/views/editor/panel-designspace-navigation.js b/src/fontra/views/editor/panel-designspace-navigation.js
index 699813a0e..6e0a012e7 100644
--- a/src/fontra/views/editor/panel-designspace-navigation.js
+++ b/src/fontra/views/editor/panel-designspace-navigation.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
   boolInt,
   enumerate,
   escapeHTMLCharacters,
+  FocusKeeper,
   objectsEqual,
   range,
   rgbaToCSS,
@@ -1344,11 +1345,13 @@ function makeIconCellFactory(
   switchValue = null
 ) {
   return (item, colDesc) => {
+    const focus = new FocusKeeper();
     const value = item[colDesc.key];
     const clickSymbol = triggerOnDoubleClick ? "ondblclick" : "onclick";
     const iconElement = html.createDomElement("inline-svg", {
       src: iconPaths[boolInt(value)],
       style: "width: 1.2em; height: 1.2em;",
+      onmousedown: focus.save,
       ondblclick: (event) => {
         event.stopImmediatePropagation();
       },
@@ -1361,6 +1364,7 @@ function makeIconCellFactory(
         if (!selectItem) {
           event.stopImmediatePropagation();
         }
+        focus.restore();
       },
     });
     item[controllerKey].addKeyListener(colDesc.key, (event) => {
@@ -1467,11 +1471,16 @@ function cellColorStyle(color) {
 }
 
 function makeClickableIconHeader(iconPath, onClick) {
+  const focus = new FocusKeeper();
   return html.div(
     {
       class: "clickable-icon-header",
       style: "height: 1.2em; width: 1.2em;",
-      onclick: onClick,
+      onmousedown: focus.save,
+      onclick: (event) => {
+        onClick(event);
+        focus.restore();
+      },
     },
     [
       html.createDomElement("inline-svg", {