diff --git a/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.spec.tsx b/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.spec.tsx
index bde834dfa5..4726a95479 100644
--- a/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.spec.tsx
+++ b/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.spec.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import ColorPicker from './ColorPicker';
 import EditCard, { EditCardProps } from './EditCard';
 import Note from './Note';
 import * as onClickOutsideModule from './utils/onClickOutside';
+import { MAIN_CONTENT_ID } from '../../../context/constants';
+import { renderToDom } from '../../../../test/reactutils';
 
 jest.mock('./ColorPicker', () => (props: any) => <div mock-color-picker {...props} />);
 jest.mock('./Note', () => (props: any) => <div mock-note {...props} ref={props.textareaRef} />);
@@ -576,6 +578,65 @@ describe('EditCard', () => {
     mockSpyUser.mockClear();
   });
 
+  it('blurs and removes selections when navigating to different elements', () => {
+    const mockSpyUser = jest.spyOn(selectAuth, 'user')
+      .mockReturnValue(formatUser(testAccountsUser));
+    const onHeightChange = jest.fn();
+
+    renderToDom(
+      <div id={MAIN_CONTENT_ID} tabIndex={-1}>
+        <TestContainer services={services} store={store}>
+          <a href='#foo'>text</a>
+          <EditCard
+            {...{...editCardProps, hasUnsavedHighlight: false}}
+            onHeightChange={onHeightChange}
+            isActive={true}
+          />
+        </TestContainer>
+      </div>
+    );
+
+    document?.getElementById(MAIN_CONTENT_ID)?.focus();
+    document?.querySelector('a')?.focus();
+    document?.getElementById(MAIN_CONTENT_ID)?.focus();
+    expect(editCardProps.onBlur).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+    mockSpyUser.mockClear();
+    jest.resetAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('doesn\'t blur when there is data (existing highlight)', () => {
+    const mockSpyUser = jest.spyOn(selectAuth, 'user')
+      .mockReturnValue(formatUser(testAccountsUser));
+    const onHeightChange = jest.fn();
+    const data = {
+      color: highlightStyles[0].label,
+      ...highlightData,
+    };
+
+    renderToDom(
+      <div id={MAIN_CONTENT_ID} tabIndex={-1}>
+        <TestContainer services={services} store={store}>
+          <a href='#foo'>text</a>
+          <EditCard
+            {...{
+              ...editCardProps,
+              hasUnsavedHighlight: false,
+            }}
+            data={data}
+            onHeightChange={onHeightChange}
+            isActive={true}
+          />
+        </TestContainer>
+      </div>
+    );
+
+    document?.getElementById(MAIN_CONTENT_ID)?.focus();
+    document?.querySelector('a')?.focus();
+    document?.getElementById(MAIN_CONTENT_ID)?.focus();
+    expect(editCardProps.onBlur).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    mockSpyUser.mockClear();
+  });
+
   it('doesn\'t blur when clicking outside and editing', () => {
     highlight.getStyle.mockReturnValue('red');
 
diff --git a/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.tsx b/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.tsx
index 043959d374..b78d21ed25 100644
--- a/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.tsx
+++ b/src/app/content/highlights/components/EditCard.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { Highlight } from '@openstax/highlighter';
 import { HighlightColorEnum } from '@openstax/highlighter/dist/api';
-import { HTMLElement, HTMLTextAreaElement } from '@openstax/types/lib.dom';
+import { HTMLElement, HTMLTextAreaElement, FocusEvent } from '@openstax/types/lib.dom';
 import React from 'react';
 import { FormattedMessage, useIntl } from 'react-intl';
 import { useDispatch, useSelector } from 'react-redux';
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
   useOnClickOutside
 } from './utils/onClickOutside';
 import scrollHighlightIntoView from './utils/scrollHighlightIntoView';
+import { MAIN_CONTENT_ID } from '../../../context/constants';
 
 export interface EditCardProps {
   isActive: boolean;
@@ -134,24 +135,45 @@ function ActiveEditCard({
   const resetAnnotation = React.useCallback(() => {
     setPendingAnnotation(defaultAnnotation);
   }, [defaultAnnotation]);
-  const [editingAnnotation, setEditing] = React.useState<boolean>(
-    !!props.data && !!props.data.annotation
+  const [editingAnnotation, setEditing] = React.useState(
+    Boolean(props?.data?.annotation)
   );
   const [confirmingDelete, setConfirmingDelete] = React.useState<boolean>(
     false
   );
 
-  const onBlur = props.onBlur;
+  const {onBlur, hasUnsavedHighlight} = props;
   const blurIfNotEditing = React.useCallback(() => {
-    if (!props.hasUnsavedHighlight && !editingAnnotation) {
+    if (!hasUnsavedHighlight && !editingAnnotation) {
       onBlur();
     }
-  }, [props.hasUnsavedHighlight, editingAnnotation, onBlur]);
+  }, [onBlur, hasUnsavedHighlight, editingAnnotation]);
+
+  const deselectRange = React.useCallback(
+    ({target}: FocusEvent) => {
+      const targetAsNode = target as HTMLElement;
+      const mainEl = document?.getElementById(MAIN_CONTENT_ID);
+
+      if (!props.data?.color && mainEl?.contains(targetAsNode)) {
+        blurIfNotEditing();
+        document?.getSelection()?.removeAllRanges();
+      }
+    },
+    [blurIfNotEditing, props.data?.color]
+  );
 
   const elements = [element, ...props.highlight.elements].filter(
     isElementForOnClickOutside
   );
 
+  React.useEffect(
+    () => {
+      document?.addEventListener('focusin', deselectRange);
+      return () => document?.removeEventListener('focusin', deselectRange);
+    },
+    [deselectRange]
+  );
+
   useOnClickOutside(elements, props.isActive, blurIfNotEditing, {
     capture: true,
   });