diff --git a/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/Model/HomePageAddressBarModel.swift b/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/Model/HomePageAddressBarModel.swift
index 038ce2eca3..a945c8a700 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/Model/HomePageAddressBarModel.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/Model/HomePageAddressBarModel.swift
@@ -44,7 +44,20 @@ extension HomePage.Models {
                 }
             }
         }
-        @Published var value: AddressBarTextField.Value = .text("", userTyped: false)
+        @Published var value: AddressBarTextField.Value = .text("", userTyped: false) {
+            didSet {
+                if shouldDisplayInitialPlaceholder && !value.string.isEmpty {
+                    shouldDisplayInitialPlaceholder = false
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * This property is a workaround for placeholder not being displayed on the address bar in SwiftUI until focused.
+         *
+         * It's cleared after first edit on the field.
+         */
+        @Published var shouldDisplayInitialPlaceholder = true
 
         var addressBarTextField: AddressBarTextField? {
             guard shouldShowAddressBar else {
diff --git a/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/AddressBarTextFieldView.swift b/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/AddressBarTextFieldView.swift
index 0a6ceaf39e..b07133181c 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/AddressBarTextFieldView.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/AddressBarTextFieldView.swift
@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ struct BigSearchBox: View {
     let isCompact: Bool
     let supportsFixedColorScheme: Bool
 
+    @EnvironmentObject var addressBarModel: HomePage.Models.AddressBarModel
+    @Environment(\.colorScheme) private var colorScheme
+
     init(isCompact: Bool, supportsFixedColorScheme: Bool = true) {
         self.isCompact = isCompact
         self.supportsFixedColorScheme = supportsFixedColorScheme
@@ -106,9 +109,22 @@ struct BigSearchBox: View {
 
     @ViewBuilder
     func searchField() -> some View {
-        AddressBarTextFieldView(supportsFixedColorScheme: supportsFixedColorScheme)
-            .frame(height: Const.searchBoxHeight)
-            .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.2), radius: 4, x: 0, y: 3)
-            .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.15), radius: 0, x: 0, y: 0)
+        ZStack {
+            AddressBarTextFieldView(supportsFixedColorScheme: supportsFixedColorScheme)
+                .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.2), radius: 4, x: 0, y: 3)
+                .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.15), radius: 0, x: 0, y: 0)
+            if #available(macOS 12.0, *), addressBarModel.shouldDisplayInitialPlaceholder {
+                HStack {
+                    Text(UserText.addressBarPlaceholder)
+                        .foregroundColor(Color(nsColor: NSColor.placeholderTextColor))
+                        .background(Color.homePageAddressBarBackground)
+                        .font(.system(size: 15))
+                        .padding(.leading, 38)
+                        .animation(.none, value: colorScheme) // don't animate color scheme change because NSTextField doesn't
+                    Spacer()
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        .frame(height: Const.searchBoxHeight)
     }
 }
diff --git a/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/HomePageViewController.swift b/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/HomePageViewController.swift
index 2f063bc939..9a0b903e6b 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/HomePageViewController.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGo/HomePage/View/HomePageViewController.swift
@@ -126,7 +126,6 @@ final class HomePageViewController: NSViewController {
     override func viewDidAppear() {
         super.viewDidAppear()
         refreshModels()
-        addressBarModel.addressBarTextField?.makeMeFirstResponder()
 
         showSettingsOnboardingIfNeeded()
     }
@@ -276,7 +275,7 @@ final class HomePageViewController: NSViewController {
     }
 
     private func showSettingsOnboardingIfNeeded() {
-        if !settingsVisibilityModel.didShowSettingsOnboarding {
+        if addressBarModel.shouldShowAddressBar && !settingsVisibilityModel.didShowSettingsOnboarding {
             // async dispatch in order to get the final value for self.view.bounds
             DispatchQueue.main.async {
                 guard let superview = self.view.superview else {
diff --git a/DuckDuckGo/MainWindow/MainViewController.swift b/DuckDuckGo/MainWindow/MainViewController.swift
index 42bfe7ba16..997c390578 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGo/MainWindow/MainViewController.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGo/MainWindow/MainViewController.swift
@@ -476,14 +476,7 @@ final class MainViewController: NSViewController {
         let tabContent = tabContent ?? selectedTabViewModel.tab.content
 
         if case .newtab = tabContent {
-            let homeAddressBarTextField = browserTabViewController.homePageViewController?.addressBarModel?.addressBarTextField
-            let isHomeAddressBarVisible = browserTabViewController.homePageViewController?.appearancePreferences.isSearchBarVisible == true
-            if isHomeAddressBarVisible, let homeAddressBarTextField {
-                homeAddressBarTextField.makeMeFirstResponder()
-            } else {
-                navigationBarViewController.addressBarViewController?.addressBarTextField.makeMeFirstResponder()
-            }
-
+            navigationBarViewController.addressBarViewController?.addressBarTextField.makeMeFirstResponder()
         } else {
             // ignore published tab switch: BrowserTabViewController
             // adjusts first responder itself