diff --git a/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.css b/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.css
index 3dbfb1da4a9e3..85d1a7dd73808 100644
--- a/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.css
+++ b/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.css
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@
   }
 }
 
+.step-filter {
+  margin-bottom: 8px;
+}
+
 @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {
   .test-result {
     padding: 0 !important;
diff --git a/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.tsx b/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.tsx
index 0a689be253710..279235a530c1b 100644
--- a/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.tsx
+++ b/packages/html-reporter/src/testResultView.tsx
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ export const TestResultView: React.FC<{
     return { screenshots: [...screenshots], videos, traces, otherAttachments, diffs, errors, otherAttachmentAnchors, screenshotAnchors, errorContext };
   }, [result]);
 
+  const [stepFilterText, setStepFilterText] = React.useState('');
+  React.useEffect(() => setStepFilterText(''), [result]);
+
   const prompt = useAsyncMemo(async () => {
     if (report.json().options?.noCopyPrompt)
       return undefined;
@@ -130,7 +133,11 @@ export const TestResultView: React.FC<{
       })}
     </AutoChip>}
     {!!result.steps.length && <AutoChip header='Test Steps'>
-      {result.steps.map((step, i) => <StepTreeItem key={`step-${i}`} step={step} result={result} test={test} depth={0}/>)}
+      <form className='subnav-search step-filter' onSubmit={e => e.preventDefault()}>
+        {icons.search()}
+        <input className='form-control subnav-search-input input-contrast width-full' type='search' spellCheck={false} placeholder='Filter steps' aria-label='Filter steps' value={stepFilterText} onChange={e => setStepFilterText(e.target.value)} />
+      </form>
+      {result.steps.map((step, i) => <StepTreeItem key={`step-${i}`} step={step} result={result} test={test} depth={0} filterText={stepFilterText}/>)}
     </AutoChip>}
 
     {diffs.map((diff, index) =>
@@ -197,13 +204,22 @@ function pickDiffForError(error: string, diffs: ImageDiff[]): ImageDiff | undefi
   return diffs.find(diff => error.includes(diff.name));
 }
 
+function stepMatchesFilter(step: TestStep, filterText: string): boolean {
+  if (step.title.toLowerCase().includes(filterText.toLowerCase()))
+    return true;
+  return step.steps.some(s => stepMatchesFilter(s, filterText));
+}
+
 const StepTreeItem: React.FC<{
   test: TestCase;
   result: TestResult;
   step: TestStep;
   depth: number,
-}> = ({ test, step, result, depth }) => {
+  filterText?: string,
+}> = ({ test, step, result, depth, filterText }) => {
   const searchParams = useSearchParams();
+  if (filterText && !stepMatchesFilter(step, filterText))
+    return null;
   return <TreeItem title={<div aria-label={step.title} className='step-title-container'>
     {statusIcon(step.error || step.duration === -1 ? 'failed' : (step.skipped ? 'skipped' : 'passed'))}
     <span className='step-title-text'>
@@ -222,9 +238,9 @@ const StepTreeItem: React.FC<{
     <span className='step-duration'>{msToString(step.duration)}</span>
   </div>} loadChildren={step.steps.length || step.snippet ? () => {
     const snippet = step.snippet ? [<CodeSnippet testId='test-snippet' key='line' code={step.snippet} />] : [];
-    const steps = step.steps.map((s, i) => <StepTreeItem key={i} step={s} depth={depth + 1} result={result} test={test} />);
+    const steps = step.steps.map((s, i) => <StepTreeItem key={i} step={s} depth={depth + 1} result={result} test={test} filterText={filterText} />);
     return snippet.concat(steps);
-  } : undefined} depth={depth}/>;
+  } : undefined} depth={depth} expandByDefault={!!filterText}/>;
 };
 
 type WorkerLists = Map<number, { tests: TestCaseSummary[], runs: number[] }>;
diff --git a/packages/html-reporter/src/treeItem.tsx b/packages/html-reporter/src/treeItem.tsx
index 3e06d7087a0e3..924dfe7053ecd 100644
--- a/packages/html-reporter/src/treeItem.tsx
+++ b/packages/html-reporter/src/treeItem.tsx
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ export const TreeItem: React.FunctionComponent<{
   flash?: boolean
 }> = ({ title, loadChildren, onClick, expandByDefault, depth, style, flash }) => {
   const [expanded, setExpanded] = React.useState(expandByDefault || false);
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    setExpanded(expandByDefault || false);
+  }, [expandByDefault]);
   return <div role='treeitem' className={clsx('tree-item', flash && 'yellow-flash')} style={style}>
     <div className='tree-item-title' style={{ paddingLeft: depth * 22 + 4 }} onClick={() => { onClick?.(); setExpanded(!expanded); }} >
       {loadChildren && !!expanded && icons.downArrow()}
diff --git a/tests/playwright-test/reporter-html.spec.ts b/tests/playwright-test/reporter-html.spec.ts
index e2dbfadef157b..0814f905c216b 100644
--- a/tests/playwright-test/reporter-html.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/playwright-test/reporter-html.spec.ts
@@ -822,6 +822,47 @@ for (const useIntermediateMergeReport of [true, false] as const) {
       ]);
     });
 
+    test('should filter steps', async ({ runInlineTest, page, showReport }) => {
+      const result = await runInlineTest({
+        'a.test.js': `
+          import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
+          test('has steps', async ({}) => {
+            await test.step('click button', async () => {});
+            await test.step('fill form', async () => {
+              await test.step('fill username', async () => {});
+              await test.step('fill password', async () => {});
+            });
+            await test.step('submit form', async () => {});
+          });
+        `,
+      }, { reporter: 'dot,html' }, { PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OPEN: 'never' });
+      expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+      expect(result.passed).toBe(1);
+
+      await showReport();
+      await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'has steps' }).click();
+
+      const filterInput = page.getByLabel('Filter steps');
+      await expect(filterInput).toBeVisible();
+
+      // filter matching a subset of steps
+      await filterInput.fill('fill');
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'fill form' })).toBeVisible();
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'click button' })).toBeHidden();
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'submit form' })).toBeHidden();
+      // matching parent is auto-expanded to show matching children (like trace viewer)
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'fill username' })).toBeVisible();
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'fill password' })).toBeVisible();
+
+      // clear filter restores all steps collapsed
+      await filterInput.clear();
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'click button' })).toBeVisible();
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'submit form' })).toBeVisible();
+      // children of fill form are collapsed again after clearing the filter
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'fill username' })).toBeHidden();
+      await expect(page.locator('.tree-item-title', { hasText: 'fill password' })).toBeHidden();
+    });
+
     test('should show step snippets from non-root', async ({ runInlineTest, page, showReport }) => {
       const result = await runInlineTest({
         'playwright.config.js': `