diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminal.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminal.ts
index 3915f6d258c00639d8824d19c99238e2081eac13..fafb52086c5e4b31bd7c36674104a67ae041de0a 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminal.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminal.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import { Terminal as XTermTerminal } from 'xterm';
 import { WebLinksAddon as XTermWebLinksAddon } from 'xterm-addon-web-links';
+import { SearchAddon as XTermSearchAddon } from 'xterm-addon-search';
 import { ITerminalInstance, IWindowsShellHelper, ITerminalConfigHelper, ITerminalChildProcess, IShellLaunchConfig } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminal';
 import { createDecorator } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/instantiation';
 import { IProcessEnvironment, Platform } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ export interface ITerminalInstanceService {
 
 	getXtermConstructor(): Promise<typeof XTermTerminal>;
 	getXtermWebLinksConstructor(): Promise<typeof XTermWebLinksAddon>;
+	getXtermSearchConstructor(): Promise<typeof XTermSearchAddon>;
 	createWindowsShellHelper(shellProcessId: number, instance: ITerminalInstance, xterm: XTermTerminal): IWindowsShellHelper;
 	createTerminalProcess(shellLaunchConfig: IShellLaunchConfig, cwd: string, cols: number, rows: number, env: IProcessEnvironment, windowsEnableConpty: boolean): ITerminalChildProcess;
 	getDefaultShell(p: Platform): string;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminalInstance.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminalInstance.ts
index ff16d22e2e6f833b8f93840f4fc00f84bcf4560b..e32b5529ccebd908f721ec50e34e5bfb9b5760d3 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminalInstance.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminalInstance.ts
@@ -32,11 +32,11 @@ import { TerminalConfigHelper } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/term
 import { TerminalLinkHandler } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminalLinkHandler';
 import { TerminalCommandTracker } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminalCommandTracker';
 import { IPanelService } from 'vs/workbench/services/panel/common/panelService';
-import { Terminal as XTermTerminal, IBuffer } from 'xterm';
 import { IAccessibilityService, AccessibilitySupport } from 'vs/platform/accessibility/common/accessibility';
 import { ITerminalInstanceService } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminal';
-import { SearchAddon, ISearchOptions } from 'xterm-addon-search';
 import { TerminalProcessManager } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminalProcessManager';
+import { Terminal as XTermTerminal, IBuffer } from 'xterm';
+import { SearchAddon, ISearchOptions } from 'xterm-addon-search';
 
 // How long in milliseconds should an average frame take to render for a notification to appear
 // which suggests the fallback DOM-based renderer
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ export class TerminalInstance implements ITerminalInstance {
 	private _title: string;
 	private _wrapperElement: HTMLDivElement;
 	private _xterm: XTermTerminal;
-	private _xtermSearch: SearchAddon;
+	private _xtermSearch: SearchAddon | undefined;
 	private _xtermElement: HTMLDivElement;
 	private _terminalHasTextContextKey: IContextKey<boolean>;
 	private _cols: number;
@@ -435,8 +435,10 @@ export class TerminalInstance implements ITerminalInstance {
 			// TODO: Guess whether to use canvas or dom better
 			rendererType: config.rendererType === 'auto' ? 'canvas' : config.rendererType
 		});
-		this._xtermSearch = new SearchAddon();
-		this._xterm.loadAddon(this._xtermSearch);
+		this._terminalInstanceService.getXtermSearchConstructor().then(Addon => {
+			this._xtermSearch = new Addon();
+			this._xterm.loadAddon(this._xtermSearch);
+		});
 		if (this._shellLaunchConfig.initialText) {
 			this._xterm.writeln(this._shellLaunchConfig.initialText);
 		}
@@ -720,10 +722,16 @@ export class TerminalInstance implements ITerminalInstance {
 	}
 
 	public findNext(term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions): boolean {
+		if (!this._xtermSearch) {
+			return false;
+		}
 		return this._xtermSearch.findNext(term, searchOptions);
 	}
 
 	public findPrevious(term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions): boolean {
+		if (!this._xtermSearch) {
+			return false;
+		}
 		return this._xtermSearch.findPrevious(term, searchOptions);
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstanceService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstanceService.ts
index 7abe8980002e4a161388676ed9b6ff2bd2f1eda8..0fcb7cf8a8420adc2b5304c8543a23acab2598c7 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstanceService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstanceService.ts
@@ -4,17 +4,19 @@
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
 import { ITerminalInstanceService } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/browser/terminal';
-import { Terminal as XTermTerminal } from 'xterm';
-import { WebLinksAddon as XTermWebLinksAddon } from 'xterm-addon-web-links';
 import { ITerminalInstance, IWindowsShellHelper, IShellLaunchConfig, ITerminalChildProcess } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminal';
 import { WindowsShellHelper } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/node/windowsShellHelper';
 import { IInstantiationService } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/instantiation';
 import { IProcessEnvironment, Platform } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import { TerminalProcess } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/node/terminalProcess';
 import { getDefaultShell } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/node/terminal';
+import { Terminal as XTermTerminal } from 'xterm';
+import { WebLinksAddon as XTermWebLinksAddon } from 'xterm-addon-web-links';
+import { SearchAddon as XTermSearchAddon } from 'xterm-addon-search';
 
 let Terminal: typeof XTermTerminal;
 let WebLinksAddon: typeof XTermWebLinksAddon;
+let SearchAddon: typeof XTermSearchAddon;
 
 /**
  * A service used by TerminalInstance (and components owned by it) that allows it to break its
@@ -43,6 +45,13 @@ export class TerminalInstanceService implements ITerminalInstanceService {
 		return WebLinksAddon;
 	}
 
+	public async getXtermSearchConstructor(): Promise<typeof XTermSearchAddon> {
+		if (!SearchAddon) {
+			SearchAddon = (await import('xterm-addon-search')).SearchAddon;
+		}
+		return SearchAddon;
+	}
+
 	public createWindowsShellHelper(shellProcessId: number, instance: ITerminalInstance, xterm: XTermTerminal): IWindowsShellHelper {
 		return new WindowsShellHelper(shellProcessId, instance, xterm);
 	}