diff --git a/src/MarkdownTextInput.web.tsx b/src/MarkdownTextInput.web.tsx
index 9872079a..429785b9 100644
--- a/src/MarkdownTextInput.web.tsx
+++ b/src/MarkdownTextInput.web.tsx
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ const MarkdownTextInput = React.forwardRef<TextInput, MarkdownTextInputProps>(
       spellCheck,
       style = {},
       value,
+      autoFocus = false,
     },
     ref,
   ) => {
@@ -500,6 +501,14 @@ const MarkdownTextInput = React.forwardRef<TextInput, MarkdownTextInputProps>(
       };
     }, []);
 
+    useEffect(() => {
+      // focus the input on mount if autoFocus is set
+      if (!(divRef.current && autoFocus)) {
+        return;
+      }
+      divRef.current.focus();
+    }, []);
+
     return (
       // eslint-disable-next-line jsx-a11y/no-static-element-interactions
       <div