diff --git a/content/examples/shortcodes/search/en.md b/content/examples/shortcodes/search/en.md
index 3a728db6b7..adefad9ae6 100644
--- a/content/examples/shortcodes/search/en.md
+++ b/content/examples/shortcodes/search/en.md
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ With this shortcode you can embed a search results widget on the page.
 ## Example
 
 ```
-{{</* search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false */>}}
+{{</* search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false tags="encodings,commented cue" */>}}
 ```
 
-{{< search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false >}}
+{{< search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false tags="encodings,commented cue" >}}
 
 
 ## Attributes
@@ -21,3 +21,6 @@ contentType
 
 showContentTypes
 : optional - If set to false the content type dropdown won't show
+
+tags
+: optional - Adds preselected tags
diff --git a/hugo/assets/ts/helpers/search.ts b/hugo/assets/ts/helpers/search.ts
index a1e514facd..b0b44a889b 100644
--- a/hugo/assets/ts/helpers/search.ts
+++ b/hugo/assets/ts/helpers/search.ts
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ export const parseQuery = (query: string): ParsedQuery => {
 
         const regExp = new RegExp(`${ facetInput }:([^"]\\S+)`, 'g');
         const regExpWithQuotes = new RegExp(`${ facetInput }:"([^"]+)"|(\\+)`, 'g');
-        const matches = [ ...query.matchAll(regExp), ...query.matchAll(regExpWithQuotes) ];
+        const matches = [...query.matchAll(regExp), ...query.matchAll(regExpWithQuotes)];
 
         for (const match of matches) {
             if (match) {
diff --git a/hugo/assets/ts/widgets/search-filter.ts b/hugo/assets/ts/widgets/search-filter.ts
index 18ec0d5b57..a1237664bb 100644
--- a/hugo/assets/ts/widgets/search-filter.ts
+++ b/hugo/assets/ts/widgets/search-filter.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 // eslint-disable-next-line
 import Fuse from 'fuse.js';
-import { BaseWidget } from './base-widget';
-import { FilterEvent, FilterItem, ParsedQuery, SearchEvents } from '../interfaces/search';
 import { parseQuery, queryToUrlParams } from '../helpers/search';
+import { FilterEvent, FilterItem, ParsedQuery, SearchEvents } from '../interfaces/search';
+import { BaseWidget } from './base-widget';
 
 export class SearchFilter extends BaseWidget {
     public static readonly NAME = 'filter';
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export class SearchFilter extends BaseWidget {
     private readonly items: FilterItem[];
     private filteredItems: FilterItem[];
     private selectedItems: string[];
+    private preselectedItems: string[];
     private parsedQuery: ParsedQuery;
     private fuse: Fuse<FilterItem>;
 
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ export class SearchFilter extends BaseWidget {
         };
         this.fuse = new Fuse(this.items, options);
 
-        this.getParamsFromUrl();
+        this.getParams();
         this.searchList();
         this.initListeners();
         this.element.classList.remove('is-loading');
@@ -139,21 +140,40 @@ export class SearchFilter extends BaseWidget {
         this.updateUrl();
     }
 
-    private updateUrl() {
-        window.location.href = `${ window.location.href.split('?')[0] }?${ queryToUrlParams(this.parsedQuery) }`;
+    private updateUrl(refresh = true) {
+        const url = `${ window.location.href.split('?')[0] }?${ queryToUrlParams(this.parsedQuery) }`;
+        if (!refresh) {
+            window.history.pushState(null, '', url);
+        } else {
+            window.location.href = url;
+        }
     }
 
-    private getParamsFromUrl(): void {
+    private getParams(): void {
+        // Get url params
         const url = new URL(window.location.href);
         const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(url.search);
         const query = searchParams.get('q');
 
         this.parsedQuery = parseQuery(query);
 
-        if (!query) {
-            this.selectedItems = [];
-        } else {
-            this.selectedItems = this.parsedQuery.facets[this.filterName] ?? [];
+        let urlParamsChanged = false;
+        let selectedItems = this.parsedQuery.facets[this.filterName] ?? [];
+
+        // Get preselected items if no items set in url (if set in urL: url wins from preselected)
+        if (selectedItems.length === 0 && this.element.dataset.preselectedItems && this.element.dataset.preselectedItems !== '') {
+            this.preselectedItems = this.element.dataset.preselectedItems.split(',').map(val => val.trim());
+            // Update selected items
+            selectedItems = Array.from(new Set([...selectedItems, ...this.preselectedItems]));
+            urlParamsChanged = true;
+        }
+
+        // Update parsed query & save selected items
+        this.parsedQuery.facets[this.filterName] = selectedItems;
+        this.selectedItems = selectedItems;
+
+        if (urlParamsChanged) {
+            this.updateUrl(false);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/hugo/content/en/examples/shortcodes/search/index.md b/hugo/content/en/examples/shortcodes/search/index.md
index 3a728db6b7..adefad9ae6 100644
--- a/hugo/content/en/examples/shortcodes/search/index.md
+++ b/hugo/content/en/examples/shortcodes/search/index.md
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ With this shortcode you can embed a search results widget on the page.
 ## Example
 
 ```
-{{</* search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false */>}}
+{{</* search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false tags="encodings,commented cue" */>}}
 ```
 
-{{< search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false >}}
+{{< search contentType="How-to Guides" showContentTypes=false tags="encodings,commented cue" >}}
 
 
 ## Attributes
@@ -21,3 +21,6 @@ contentType
 
 showContentTypes
 : optional - If set to false the content type dropdown won't show
+
+tags
+: optional - Adds preselected tags
diff --git a/hugo/layouts/partials/filter.html b/hugo/layouts/partials/filter.html
index 56489707e8..51f24f7427 100644
--- a/hugo/layouts/partials/filter.html
+++ b/hugo/layouts/partials/filter.html
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@
 {{ $heading := printf "search_%s_heading" $translationKey }}
 {{ $inputLabel := printf "search_%s_input" $translationKey }}
 {{ $noResults := printf "search_%s_no-results" $translationKey }}
+{{ $preselectedItems := .preselectedItems }}
 
 <details class="filter{{ if $cssClass }} {{ $cssClass }}{{ end }} is-loading"
          data-dropdown data-filter="{{ $name }}"
          data-filter-items="{{ $filters | jsonify }}"
+         {{ if $preselectedItems }} data-preselected-items="{{ $preselectedItems }}"{{ end }}
          {{ if $open }} open{{ end }}
 >
     <summary class="filter__title button button--small button--white">
diff --git a/hugo/layouts/partials/search.html b/hugo/layouts/partials/search.html
index 031e23ce08..ff5b6d4c05 100644
--- a/hugo/layouts/partials/search.html
+++ b/hugo/layouts/partials/search.html
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 {{ $showContentTypes := .showContentTypes | default true }}
 {{ $contentTypes := slice }}
 {{ $contentType := .contentType | default "" }}
+{{ $preselectedTags := .preselectedTags | default "" }}
 {{ $type := .type | default "full" }}
 {{ $placeholder := (T "search_placeholder" ) }}
 
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@
                     "translationKey" "tags"
                     "name" "tags"
                     "filters" .Site.Params.tags
+                    "preselectedItems" $preselectedTags
                 ) -}}
 
                 {{ if $showContentTypes }}
diff --git a/hugo/layouts/shortcodes/search.html b/hugo/layouts/shortcodes/search.html
index 2240fa2f0b..0ef75d188b 100644
--- a/hugo/layouts/shortcodes/search.html
+++ b/hugo/layouts/shortcodes/search.html
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 {{- $contentType := .Get "contentType" | default "" -}}
 {{- $showContentTypes := .Get "showContentTypes" | default true -}}
+{{- $preselectedTags := .Get "tags" | default "" -}}
 
 {{- partial "search"  (dict
     "type" "widget"
     "contentType" $contentType
     "showContentTypes" $showContentTypes
+    "preselectedTags" $preselectedTags
     "context" .
 ) -}}