diff --git a/frontend/editor/src/core/components/layout/Workbench.tsx b/frontend/editor/src/core/components/layout/Workbench.tsx
index 7dbc6f75be..8bc0794140 100644
--- a/frontend/editor/src/core/components/layout/Workbench.tsx
+++ b/frontend/editor/src/core/components/layout/Workbench.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { useCookieConsent } from "@app/hooks/useCookieConsent";
 import styles from "@app/components/layout/Workbench.module.css";
 
 import WorkbenchBar from "@app/components/shared/WorkbenchBar";
+import WorkbenchFloatingSearch from "@app/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch";
 import LandingPage from "@app/components/shared/LandingPage";
 import DismissAllErrorsButton from "@app/components/shared/DismissAllErrorsButton";
 import { ChatFAB } from "@app/components/chat/ChatFAB";
@@ -77,6 +78,22 @@ export default function Workbench() {
   const [viewerToolbarCollapsed, setViewerToolbarCollapsed] = useState(false);
   const showReopenTab = currentView === "viewer" && viewerToolbarCollapsed;
 
+  // The WorkbenchBar carries file-scoped actions, so it only shows once a file
+  // is open or a custom view supplies content; otherwise the search floats.
+  const activeCustomView = customWorkbenchViews.find(
+    (v) => v.workbenchId === currentView,
+  );
+  const topControlsAvailable =
+    currentView !== "myFiles" && !activeCustomView?.hideTopControls;
+  const hasWorkbenchContent =
+    hasFiles ||
+    fileIds.length > 0 ||
+    !isBaseWorkbench(currentView) ||
+    // Shared signing drives the viewer from the sidebar with no file in context.
+    (currentView === "viewer" && !!signingOverlay?.file);
+  const showWorkbenchBar = topControlsAvailable && hasWorkbenchContent;
+  const showFloatingSearch = topControlsAvailable && !hasWorkbenchContent;
+
   const handlePreviewClose = () => {
     setPreviewFile(null);
     const previousMode = sessionStorage.getItem("previousMode");
@@ -231,41 +248,35 @@ export default function Workbench() {
       data-tour="workbench"
       style={{ backgroundColor: "var(--c-bg)", minWidth: 0 }}
     >
-      {/* Workbench Bar — always visible outside My Files (it hosts the
-          global search), even with no files loaded. */}
-      {currentView !== "myFiles" &&
-        !customWorkbenchViews.find((v) => v.workbenchId === currentView)
-          ?.hideTopControls && (
-          <div className={styles.workbenchBarShell}>
-            <div className={styles.workbenchBarWrapper}>
-              <div className={styles.workbenchBarInner}>
-                <WorkbenchBar
-                  currentView={currentView}
-                  setCurrentView={setCurrentView}
-                  hasFiles={hasFiles}
-                  viewerToolbarCollapsed={viewerToolbarCollapsed}
-                  onCollapseViewerToolbar={setViewerToolbarCollapsed}
-                />
-              </div>
-            </div>
-            {/* Reopen tab: a little handle hanging off the bar's bottom-right
-                while the viewer tool row is retracted. */}
-            {showReopenTab && (
-              <Button
-                type="button"
-                variant="quiet"
-                className={styles.workbenchBarReopenTab}
-                onClick={() => setViewerToolbarCollapsed(false)}
-                aria-expanded={false}
-                aria-label={t("workbenchBar.showToolbar", "Show toolbar")}
-                title={t("workbenchBar.showToolbar", "Show toolbar")}
-                leftSection={
-                  <KeyboardArrowDownIcon sx={{ fontSize: "1rem" }} />
-                }
+      {showWorkbenchBar && (
+        <div className={styles.workbenchBarShell}>
+          <div className={styles.workbenchBarWrapper}>
+            <div className={styles.workbenchBarInner}>
+              <WorkbenchBar
+                currentView={currentView}
+                setCurrentView={setCurrentView}
+                hasFiles={hasFiles}
+                viewerToolbarCollapsed={viewerToolbarCollapsed}
+                onCollapseViewerToolbar={setViewerToolbarCollapsed}
               />
-            )}
+            </div>
           </div>
-        )}
+          {/* Reopen tab for the retracted viewer tool row. */}
+          {showReopenTab && (
+            <Button
+              type="button"
+              variant="quiet"
+              className={styles.workbenchBarReopenTab}
+              onClick={() => setViewerToolbarCollapsed(false)}
+              aria-expanded={false}
+              aria-label={t("workbenchBar.showToolbar", "Show toolbar")}
+              title={t("workbenchBar.showToolbar", "Show toolbar")}
+              leftSection={<KeyboardArrowDownIcon sx={{ fontSize: "1rem" }} />}
+            />
+          )}
+        </div>
+      )}
+      {showFloatingSearch && <WorkbenchFloatingSearch />}
 
       {/* Dismiss All Errors Button */}
       <DismissAllErrorsButton />
diff --git a/frontend/editor/src/core/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch.css b/frontend/editor/src/core/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..47c7e9eed4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/editor/src/core/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch.css
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+/* Unpainted floating search for the empty workbench. Height + top margin match
+   the WorkbenchBar's band so opening a file swaps it in without a shift. */
+.workbench-floating-search {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  min-height: 38px;
+  margin-top: var(--nav-gutter);
+  padding: 0 1rem;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.workbench-floating-search .super-search {
+  flex: 0 1 24rem;
+  width: min(100%, 24rem);
+  max-width: 24rem;
+}
+
+.workbench-floating-search .super-search input {
+  background-color: transparent;
+  padding-top: 4px;
+  padding-bottom: 4px;
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+}
+
+[data-mantine-color-scheme="dark"]
+  .workbench-floating-search
+  .super-search
+  input {
+  background-color: transparent;
+}
diff --git a/frontend/editor/src/core/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch.tsx b/frontend/editor/src/core/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..37e858adff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/editor/src/core/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import SuperSearch from "@app/components/shared/superSearch/SuperSearch";
+import { useEditorSearchScopes } from "@app/hooks/useSuperSearch";
+import "@app/components/shared/WorkbenchFloatingSearch.css";
+
+// The editor's global search, floated while no file is open (mirrors the
+// processor's PortalSearchBar). Renders only when the WorkbenchBar doesn't, so
+// reusing the default input id is safe.
+export default function WorkbenchFloatingSearch() {
+  const scopes = useEditorSearchScopes();
+  return (
+    <div className="workbench-floating-search">
+      <SuperSearch scopes={scopes} />
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/frontend/editor/src/portal/components/PortalSearchBar.css b/frontend/editor/src/portal/components/PortalSearchBar.css
index cf1d9971c7..8e253b6136 100644
--- a/frontend/editor/src/portal/components/PortalSearchBar.css
+++ b/frontend/editor/src/portal/components/PortalSearchBar.css
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
-/* Slim strip at the top of the main column hosting the shared search bar.
-   Deliberately unpainted: only the input itself shows, on the page ground. */
+/* Unpainted strip at the top of the main column. Height matches the sidebar's
+   logo row (.portal-sidebar__logo, 51px) so the search lines up with the brand. */
 .portal-searchbar {
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
   justify-content: center;
-  padding: 0.22rem 1rem;
+  min-height: 3.1875rem;
+  padding: 0 1rem;
   flex-shrink: 0;
 }