diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js.es6
index 51993bb3420..e3bff2559fd 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js.es6
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@
 
     w.gl.utils.getSelectedFragment = () => {
       const selection = window.getSelection();
+      if (selection.rangeCount === 0) return null;
       const documentFragment = selection.getRangeAt(0).cloneContents();
       if (documentFragment.textContent.length === 0) return null;
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable.js b/app/assets/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable.js
index 4ef516af8c8..4dcc5ebe28f 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable.js
@@ -39,17 +39,20 @@
     }
 
     ShortcutsIssuable.prototype.replyWithSelectedText = function() {
-      var quote, replyField, documentFragment, selected, separator;
+      var quote, documentFragment, selected, separator;
+      var replyField = $('.js-main-target-form #note_note');
 
       documentFragment = window.gl.utils.getSelectedFragment();
-      if (!documentFragment) return;
+      if (!documentFragment) {
+        replyField.focus();
+        return;
+      }
 
       // If the documentFragment contains more than just Markdown, don't copy as GFM.
       if (documentFragment.querySelector('.md, .wiki')) return;
 
       selected = window.gl.CopyAsGFM.nodeToGFM(documentFragment);
 
-      replyField = $('.js-main-target-form #note_note');
       if (selected.trim() === "") {
         return;
       }
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/empty-selection-reply-shortcut.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/empty-selection-reply-shortcut.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5a42c98a800
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/empty-selection-reply-shortcut.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: Change the reply shortcut to focus the field even without a selection.
+merge_request: 8873
+author: Brian Hall
diff --git a/spec/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable_spec.js b/spec/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable_spec.js
index 386fc8f514e..db2302c4fb0 100644
--- a/spec/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable_spec.js
+++ b/spec/javascripts/shortcuts_issuable_spec.js
@@ -27,11 +27,19 @@
         return this.selector = 'form.js-main-target-form textarea#note_note';
       });
       describe('with empty selection', function() {
-        return it('does nothing', function() {
-          stubSelection('');
+        it('does not return an error', function() {
           this.shortcut.replyWithSelectedText();
           return expect($(this.selector).val()).toBe('');
         });
+        return it('triggers `input`', function() {
+          var focused;
+          focused = false;
+          $(this.selector).on('focus', function() {
+            return focused = true;
+          });
+          this.shortcut.replyWithSelectedText();
+          return expect(focused).toBe(true);
+        });
       });
       describe('with any selection', function() {
         beforeEach(function() {