--- a/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
+++ b/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
@@ -632,25 +632,32 @@
               if (aStateFlags & nsIWebProgressListener.STATE_START &&
                   aStateFlags & nsIWebProgressListener.STATE_IS_NETWORK) {
                 if (aWebProgress.isTopLevel) {
                   // Need to use originalLocation rather than location because things
                   // like about:home and about:privatebrowsing arrive with nsIRequest
                   // pointing to their resolved jar: or file: URIs.
                   if (!(originalLocation && gInitialPages.includes(originalLocation.spec) &&
                         originalLocation != "about:blank" &&
+                        this.mBrowser.initialPageLoadedFromURLBar != originalLocation.spec &&
                         this.mBrowser.currentURI && this.mBrowser.currentURI.spec == "about:blank")) {
-                    // This will trigger clearing the location bar. Don't do it if
-                    // we loaded off a blank browser and this is an initial page load
-                    // (e.g. about:privatebrowsing, about:newtab, etc.) so we avoid
-                    // clearing the location bar in case the user is typing in it.
-                    // loading about:blank shouldn't trigger this, either, because its
-                    // loads are "special".
+                    // Indicating that we started a load will allow the location
+                    // bar to be cleared when the load finishes.
+                    // In order to not overwrite user-typed content, we avoid it
+                    // (see if condition above) in a very specific case:
+                    // If the load is of an 'initial' page (e.g. about:privatebrowsing,
+                    // about:newtab, etc.), was not explicitly typed in the location
+                    // bar by the user, is not about:blank (because about:blank can be
+                    // loaded by websites under their principal), and the current
+                    // page in the browser is about:blank (indicating it is a newly
+                    // created or re-created browser, e.g. because it just switched
+                    // remoteness or is a new tab/window).
                     this.mBrowser.urlbarChangeTracker.startedLoad();
                   }
+                  delete this.mBrowser.initialPageLoadedFromURLBar;
                   // If the browser is loading it must not be crashed anymore
                   this.mTab.removeAttribute("crashed");
                 }
 
                 if (this._shouldShowProgress(aRequest)) {
                   if (!(aStateFlags & nsIWebProgressListener.STATE_RESTORING)) {
                     this.mTab.setAttribute("busy", "true");
 

--- a/browser/base/content/test/urlbar/browser_urlbarAboutHomeLoading.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/test/urlbar/browser_urlbarAboutHomeLoading.js
@@ -36,8 +36,31 @@ add_task(function* clearURLBarAfterParen
   });
   document.getElementById("home-button").click();
   yield BrowserTestUtils.browserLoaded(tab.linkedBrowser);
   is(gURLBar.value, "", "URL bar should be empty");
   is(tab.linkedBrowser.userTypedValue, null, "The browser should have no recorded userTypedValue");
   yield BrowserTestUtils.removeTab(tab);
 });
 
+/**
+ * Load about:home directly from an about:newtab page. Because it is an
+ * 'initial' page, we need to treat this specially if the user actually
+ * loads a page like this from the URL bar.
+ */
+add_task(function* clearURLBarAfterManuallyLoadingAboutHome() {
+  let tabOpenedAndSwitchedTo = BrowserTestUtils.switchTab(gBrowser, () => {});
+  // This opens about:newtab:
+  BrowserOpenTab();
+  let tab = yield tabOpenedAndSwitchedTo;
+  is(gURLBar.value, "", "URL bar should be empty");
+  is(tab.linkedBrowser.userTypedValue, null, "userTypedValue should be null");
+
+  gURLBar.value = "about:home";
+  gURLBar.select();
+  let aboutHomeLoaded = BrowserTestUtils.browserLoaded(gBrowser.selectedBrowser, false, "about:home");
+  EventUtils.sendKey("return");
+  yield aboutHomeLoaded;
+
+  is(gURLBar.value, "", "URL bar should be empty");
+  is(tab.linkedBrowser.userTypedValue, null, "userTypedValue should be null");
+  yield BrowserTestUtils.removeTab(tab);
+});

--- a/browser/base/content/urlbarBindings.xml
+++ b/browser/base/content/urlbarBindings.xml
@@ -377,16 +377,19 @@ file, You can obtain one at http://mozil
               }
             });
           }
 
           function continueOperation()
           {
             this.value = url;
             gBrowser.userTypedValue = url;
+            if (gInitialPages.includes(url)) {
+              gBrowser.selectedBrowser.initialPageLoadedFromURLBar = url;
+            }
             try {
               addToUrlbarHistory(url);
             } catch (ex) {
               // Things may go wrong when adding url to session history,
               // but don't let that interfere with the loading of the url.
               Cu.reportError(ex);
             }