diff --git a/plugins/gui/include/gui/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.h b/plugins/gui/include/gui/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.h
index fbc868eada0..c12ba34396c 100644
--- a/plugins/gui/include/gui/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.h
+++ b/plugins/gui/include/gui/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.h
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ namespace hal
         SearchOptionsDialog(QWidget *parent = nullptr);
         void emitOptions();
         SearchOptions* getOptions() const;
+        void setOptions(SearchOptions* opts, bool incSearch, int minIncSearch) const;
         QString getText() const;
         int getMinIncSearchValue();
         bool getIncrementalSearch();
diff --git a/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchbar.cpp b/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchbar.cpp
index bcbd5e28d6f..f01b0077c5b 100644
--- a/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchbar.cpp
+++ b/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchbar.cpp
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@ namespace hal
         //TODO discuss if previous options should be passed back to the dialog to build dialog from them.
         // otherwise the use has to enter the same options again
         SearchOptionsDialog sd;
+        sd.setOptions(mCurrentOptions, mIncrementalSearch, mMinCharsToStartIncSearch);
         if (sd.exec() == QDialog::Accepted)
         {
             mCurrentOptions = sd.getOptions();
diff --git a/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.cpp b/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.cpp
index 68b300b9c8e..a4990914add 100644
--- a/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.cpp
+++ b/plugins/gui/src/searchbar/searchoptions_dialog.cpp
@@ -54,8 +54,6 @@ namespace hal
 
     }
 
-
-
     void SearchOptionsDialog::emitStartSearch()
     {
         qInfo() << "emitStartSearch from searchOptionsDialog";
@@ -80,6 +78,16 @@ namespace hal
         return retval;
     }
 
+    void SearchOptionsDialog::setOptions(SearchOptions* opts, bool incSearch, int minIncSearch) const
+    {
+        mExactMatchBox->setChecked(opts->isMExactMatch());
+        mCaseSensitiveBox->setChecked(opts->isMCaseSensitive());
+        mRegExBox->setChecked(opts->isMRegularExpression());
+        mIncrementalSearchBox->setChecked(incSearch);
+
+        mSpinBox->setValue(minIncSearch);
+    }
+
     QString SearchOptionsDialog::getText() const
     {
         return mSearchText;