diff --git a/src/view/use-drag-handle/use-focus-retainer.js b/src/view/use-drag-handle/use-focus-retainer.js
index cb02823f4a..bae213d4c9 100644
--- a/src/view/use-drag-handle/use-focus-retainer.js
+++ b/src/view/use-drag-handle/use-focus-retainer.js
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ export default function useFocusRetainer(args: Args): Result {
     isFocusedRef.current = false;
   }, []);
 
+  // This effect handles:
+  // - giving focus on mount
+  // - registering focus on unmount
   useIsomorphicLayoutEffect(() => {
     // mounting: try to restore focus
     const first: Args = lastArgsRef.current;
@@ -63,9 +66,19 @@ export default function useFocusRetainer(args: Args): Result {
     };
   }, [getDraggableRef]);
 
-  const lastDraggableRef = useRef<?HTMLElement>(getDraggableRef());
+  // will always be null on the first render as nothing has mounted yet
+  const lastDraggableRef = useRef<?HTMLElement>(null);
 
+  // This effect restores focus to an element when a
+  // ref changes while a component is still mounted.
+  // This can happen when a drag handle is moved into a portal
   useIsomorphicLayoutEffect(() => {
+    // this can happen on the first mount - no draggable ref is set
+    // this effect is not handling initial mounting
+    if (!lastDraggableRef.current) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     const draggableRef: ?HTMLElement = getDraggableRef();
 
     // Cannot focus on nothing
diff --git a/test/unit/view/drag-handle/focus-management.spec.js b/test/unit/view/drag-handle/focus-management.spec.js
index 865ef2aafc..b1dacbce37 100644
--- a/test/unit/view/drag-handle/focus-management.spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/view/drag-handle/focus-management.spec.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import React, { type Node } from 'react';
 import invariant from 'tiny-invariant';
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
+import { Simulate } from 'react-dom/test-utils';
 import { mount } from 'enzyme';
 import type { ReactWrapper } from 'enzyme';
 import type { DragHandleProps } from '../../../../src/view/use-drag-handle/drag-handle-types';
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ import forceUpdate from '../../../utils/force-update';
 import AppContext, {
   type AppContextValue,
 } from '../../../../src/view/context/app-context';
+import createRef from '../../../utils/create-ref';
 
 const body: ?HTMLElement = document.body;
 invariant(body, 'Cannot find body');
@@ -385,4 +387,53 @@ describe('Focus retention moving between lists (focus retention between mounts)'
     // focus maintained on button
     expect(button).toBe(document.activeElement);
   });
+
+  it('should not steal focus from an element with auto focus on mount', () => {
+    function App() {
+      const ref = createRef();
+      return (
+        <AppContext.Provider value={appContext}>
+          <WithDragHandle
+            draggableId="draggable"
+            callbacks={getStubCallbacks()}
+            isDragging={false}
+            isDropAnimating={false}
+            isEnabled
+            getDraggableRef={ref.getRef}
+            canDragInteractiveElements={false}
+            getShouldRespectForcePress={() => true}
+          >
+            {(dragHandleProps: ?DragHandleProps) => (
+              <div
+                ref={ref.setRef}
+                {...dragHandleProps}
+                className="drag-handle"
+              >
+                Drag me!
+                {/* autoFocus attribute does give focus, but does not trigger onFocus callback */}
+                <textarea
+                  ref={(el: ?HTMLElement) => {
+                    // Replicating auto focus
+                    // by leveraging the ref function.
+                    invariant(
+                      el instanceof HTMLElement,
+                      'Expected el to be a html element',
+                    );
+                    el.focus();
+                    // letting react know about it
+                    Simulate.focus(el);
+                  }}
+                />
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </WithDragHandle>
+        </AppContext.Provider>
+      );
+    }
+
+    const wrapper: ReactWrapper<*> = mount(<App />);
+
+    // asserting drag handle did not steal focus
+    expect(wrapper.find('textarea').getDOMNode()).toBe(document.activeElement);
+  });
 });