diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/editorNavigationQuickAccess.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/editorNavigationQuickAccess.ts
index 5fcd0072247844731277757616c8f978ab9ffd68..d4756234321fc8553bac120ce5ae3f10905100c4 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/editorNavigationQuickAccess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/editorNavigationQuickAccess.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ interface IEditorLineDecoration {
 	overviewRulerDecorationId: string;
 }
 
+export interface IEditorNavigationQuickAccessOptions {
+	canAcceptInBackground?: boolean;
+}
+
 /**
  * A reusable quick access provider for the editor with support
  * for adding decorations for navigating in the currently active file
@@ -29,11 +33,16 @@ interface IEditorLineDecoration {
  */
 export abstract class AbstractEditorNavigationQuickAccessProvider implements IQuickAccessProvider {
 
+	constructor(protected options?: IEditorNavigationQuickAccessOptions) { }
+
 	//#region Provider methods
 
 	provide(picker: IQuickPick<IQuickPickItem>, token: CancellationToken): IDisposable {
 		const disposables = new DisposableStore();
 
+		// Apply options if any
+		picker.canAcceptInBackground = !!this.options?.canAcceptInBackground;
+
 		// Disable filtering & sorting, we control the results
 		picker.matchOnLabel = picker.matchOnDescription = picker.matchOnDetail = picker.sortByLabel = false;
 
@@ -110,10 +119,12 @@ export abstract class AbstractEditorNavigationQuickAccessProvider implements IQu
 	 */
 	protected abstract provideWithoutTextEditor(picker: IQuickPick<IQuickPickItem>, token: CancellationToken): IDisposable;
 
-	protected gotoLocation(editor: IEditor, options: { range: IRange, keyMods: IKeyMods, forceSideBySide?: boolean }): void {
+	protected gotoLocation(editor: IEditor, options: { range: IRange, keyMods: IKeyMods, forceSideBySide?: boolean, preserveFocus?: boolean }): void {
 		editor.setSelection(options.range);
 		editor.revealRangeInCenter(options.range, ScrollType.Smooth);
-		editor.focus();
+		if (!options.preserveFocus) {
+			editor.focus();
+		}
 	}
 
 	protected getModel(editor: IEditor | IDiffEditor): ITextModel | undefined {
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts
index 835b99d634db37cdfbc8fc91e5451db190d0c269..555dd0192944b16805b22472a0887198f34a273c 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ export abstract class AbstractGotoLineQuickAccessProvider extends AbstractEditor
 
 	static PREFIX = ':';
 
+	constructor() {
+		super({ canAcceptInBackground: true });
+	}
+
 	protected provideWithoutTextEditor(picker: IQuickPick<IGotoLineQuickPickItem>): IDisposable {
 		const label = localize('cannotRunGotoLine', "Open a text editor first to go to a line.");
 
@@ -31,16 +35,18 @@ export abstract class AbstractGotoLineQuickAccessProvider extends AbstractEditor
 		const disposables = new DisposableStore();
 
 		// Goto line once picked
-		disposables.add(picker.onDidAccept(() => {
+		disposables.add(picker.onDidAccept(event => {
 			const [item] = picker.selectedItems;
 			if (item) {
 				if (!this.isValidLineNumber(editor, item.lineNumber)) {
 					return;
 				}
 
-				this.gotoLocation(editor, { range: this.toRange(item.lineNumber, item.column), keyMods: picker.keyMods });
+				this.gotoLocation(editor, { range: this.toRange(item.lineNumber, item.column), keyMods: picker.keyMods, preserveFocus: event.inBackground });
 
-				picker.hide();
+				if (!event.inBackground) {
+					picker.hide();
+				}
 			}
 		}));
 
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts
index 60ac2ca94643eda505e8df21673c3c41f4bf6e83..3c7185513564eb16f0f73db072b796ea28711e4f 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts
@@ -10,12 +10,13 @@ import { DisposableStore, IDisposable, Disposable } from 'vs/base/common/lifecyc
 import { IEditor, ScrollType } from 'vs/editor/common/editorCommon';
 import { ITextModel } from 'vs/editor/common/model';
 import { IRange, Range } from 'vs/editor/common/core/range';
-import { AbstractEditorNavigationQuickAccessProvider } from 'vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/editorNavigationQuickAccess';
+import { AbstractEditorNavigationQuickAccessProvider, IEditorNavigationQuickAccessOptions } from 'vs/editor/contrib/quickAccess/editorNavigationQuickAccess';
 import { DocumentSymbol, SymbolKinds, SymbolTag, DocumentSymbolProviderRegistry, SymbolKind } from 'vs/editor/common/modes';
 import { OutlineModel, OutlineElement } from 'vs/editor/contrib/documentSymbols/outlineModel';
 import { values } from 'vs/base/common/collections';
 import { trim, format } from 'vs/base/common/strings';
 import { fuzzyScore, FuzzyScore, createMatches } from 'vs/base/common/filters';
+import { assign } from 'vs/base/common/objects';
 
 interface IGotoSymbolQuickPickItem extends IQuickPickItem {
 	kind: SymbolKind,
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ interface IGotoSymbolQuickPickItem extends IQuickPickItem {
 	range?: { decoration: IRange, selection: IRange },
 }
 
-export interface IGotoSymbolQuickAccessProviderOptions {
+export interface IGotoSymbolQuickAccessProviderOptions extends IEditorNavigationQuickAccessOptions {
 	openSideBySideDirection: () => undefined | 'right' | 'down'
 }
 
@@ -34,8 +35,8 @@ export abstract class AbstractGotoSymbolQuickAccessProvider extends AbstractEdit
 	static SCOPE_PREFIX = ':';
 	static PREFIX_BY_CATEGORY = `${AbstractGotoSymbolQuickAccessProvider.PREFIX}${AbstractGotoSymbolQuickAccessProvider.SCOPE_PREFIX}`;
 
-	constructor(private options?: IGotoSymbolQuickAccessProviderOptions) {
-		super();
+	constructor(protected options?: IGotoSymbolQuickAccessProviderOptions) {
+		super(assign(options, { canAcceptInBackground: true }));
 	}
 
 	protected provideWithoutTextEditor(picker: IQuickPick<IGotoSymbolQuickPickItem>): IDisposable {
@@ -92,12 +93,14 @@ export abstract class AbstractGotoSymbolQuickAccessProvider extends AbstractEdit
 		const disposables = new DisposableStore();
 
 		// Goto symbol once picked
-		disposables.add(picker.onDidAccept(() => {
+		disposables.add(picker.onDidAccept(event => {
 			const [item] = picker.selectedItems;
 			if (item && item.range) {
-				this.gotoLocation(editor, { range: item.range.selection, keyMods: picker.keyMods });
+				this.gotoLocation(editor, { range: item.range.selection, keyMods: picker.keyMods, preserveFocus: event.inBackground });
 
-				picker.hide();
+				if (!event.inBackground) {
+					picker.hide();
+				}
 			}
 		}));
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts
index 3087dfeb240243986a87aaa4b92f23abdcc8ad83..4b2a6cb01fe6cc2e3c705e689505ff205e35b1d2 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoLineQuickAccess.ts
@@ -37,13 +37,14 @@ export class GotoLineQuickAccessProvider extends AbstractGotoLineQuickAccessProv
 		return this.editorService.activeTextEditorControl;
 	}
 
-	protected gotoLocation(editor: IEditor, options: { range: IRange, keyMods: IKeyMods, forceSideBySide?: boolean }): void {
+	protected gotoLocation(editor: IEditor, options: { range: IRange, keyMods: IKeyMods, forceSideBySide?: boolean, preserveFocus?: boolean }): void {
 
 		// Check for sideBySide use
 		if ((options.keyMods.ctrlCmd || options.forceSideBySide) && this.editorService.activeEditor) {
 			this.editorService.openEditor(this.editorService.activeEditor, {
 				selection: options.range,
-				pinned: options.keyMods.alt || this.configuration.openEditorPinned
+				pinned: options.keyMods.alt || this.configuration.openEditorPinned,
+				preserveFocus: options.preserveFocus
 			}, SIDE_GROUP);
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts
index acff6f07b5519e92a8ed5ac1fffd818e4e6d6fd0..f85d3f139c6db81ac2a529443927b6f5e3b4f9aa 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/quickaccess/gotoSymbolQuickAccess.ts
@@ -40,13 +40,14 @@ export class GotoSymbolQuickAccessProvider extends AbstractGotoSymbolQuickAccess
 		return this.editorService.activeTextEditorControl;
 	}
 
-	protected gotoLocation(editor: IEditor, options: { range: IRange, keyMods: IKeyMods, forceSideBySide?: boolean }): void {
+	protected gotoLocation(editor: IEditor, options: { range: IRange, keyMods: IKeyMods, forceSideBySide?: boolean, preserveFocus?: boolean }): void {
 
 		// Check for sideBySide use
 		if ((options.keyMods.ctrlCmd || options.forceSideBySide) && this.editorService.activeEditor) {
 			this.editorService.openEditor(this.editorService.activeEditor, {
 				selection: options.range,
-				pinned: options.keyMods.alt || this.configuration.openEditorPinned
+				pinned: options.keyMods.alt || this.configuration.openEditorPinned,
+				preserveFocus: options.preserveFocus
 			}, SIDE_GROUP);
 		}