--- a/browser/components/preferences/in-content-new/preferences.js
+++ b/browser/components/preferences/in-content-new/preferences.js
@@ -146,32 +146,38 @@ function telemetryBucketForCategory(cate
 
 function onHashChange() {
   gotoPref();
 }
 
 function gotoPref(aCategory) {
   let categories = document.getElementById("categories");
   const kDefaultCategoryInternalName = "paneGeneral";
+  const kDefaultCategory = "general";
   let hash = document.location.hash;
 
   let category = aCategory || hash.substr(1) || kDefaultCategoryInternalName;
   let breakIndex = category.indexOf("-");
   // Subcategories allow for selecting smaller sections of the preferences
   // until proper search support is enabled (bug 1353954).
   let subcategory = breakIndex != -1 && category.substring(breakIndex + 1);
   if (subcategory) {
     category = category.substring(0, breakIndex);
   }
   category = friendlyPrefCategoryNameToInternalName(category);
   if (category != "paneSearchResults") {
     gSearchResultsPane.searchInput.value = "";
     gSearchResultsPane.searchResultsCategory.hidden = true;
     gSearchResultsPane.findSelection.removeAllRanges();
     gSearchResultsPane.removeAllSearchTooltips();
+  } else if (!gSearchResultsPane.searchInput.value) {
+    // Something tried to send us to the search results pane without
+    // a query string. Default to the General pane instead.
+    category = kDefaultCategoryInternalName;
+    document.location.hash = kDefaultCategory;
   }
 
   // Updating the hash (below) or changing the selected category
   // will re-enter gotoPref.
   if (gLastHash == category && !subcategory)
     return;
   let item = categories.querySelector(".category[value=" + category + "]");
   if (!item) {