diff --git a/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/eventedittest.cpp b/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/eventedittest.cpp
index be611f1755c633f169c0126e0361f969671b6232..e6f4a38a97ab5e7d503952b4832ba05cdafbbdb5 100644
--- a/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/eventedittest.cpp
+++ b/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/eventedittest.cpp
@@ -142,6 +142,12 @@ void EventEditTest::shouldNotEmitWhenMessageIsNotChanged()
 void EventEditTest::shouldEmitEventWhenPressEnter()
 {
     MessageViewer::EventEdit edit;
+    edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
+    QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
+    QVERIFY(edit.isVisible());
+
     KMime::Message::Ptr msg(new KMime::Message);
     QString subject = QStringLiteral("Test Note");
     msg->subject(true)->fromUnicodeString(subject, "us-ascii");
@@ -173,6 +179,8 @@ void EventEditTest::shouldHideWidgetWhenPressEscape()
 {
     MessageViewer::EventEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
     QLineEdit *eventedit = edit.findChild<QLineEdit *>(QStringLiteral("eventedit"));
     eventedit->setFocus();
@@ -317,6 +325,8 @@ void EventEditTest::shouldSetFocusWhenWeCallTodoEdit()
 {
     MessageViewer::EventEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
     QLineEdit *noteedit = edit.findChild<QLineEdit *>(QStringLiteral("eventedit"));
     QVERIFY(noteedit);
diff --git a/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/noteedittest.cpp b/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/noteedittest.cpp
index 73e0a703f1fa45594949eae02fdfc4d4386dba14..eef040fa32d960458c74c2d0181af5e7d98f5548 100644
--- a/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/noteedittest.cpp
+++ b/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/noteedittest.cpp
@@ -303,6 +303,8 @@ void NoteEditTest::shouldHideWidgetWhenPressEscape()
 {
     MessageViewer::NoteEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
     QLineEdit *noteedit = edit.findChild<QLineEdit *>(QStringLiteral("noteedit"));
     noteedit->setFocus();
@@ -360,6 +362,8 @@ void NoteEditTest::shouldSetFocusWhenWeCallNoteEdit()
 {
     MessageViewer::NoteEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
     KMime::Message::Ptr msg(new KMime::Message);
     QString subject = QStringLiteral("Test Note");
diff --git a/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/todoedittest.cpp b/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/todoedittest.cpp
index 9fcd968555def93ee8e6621abd614cc9bba6b6e6..4121d8450fd4a251a25fa0c6c652e6dcb476a967 100644
--- a/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/todoedittest.cpp
+++ b/plugins/messageviewerplugins/autotests/todoedittest.cpp
@@ -253,6 +253,7 @@ void TodoEditTest::shouldClearAllWhenCloseWidget()
 {
     MessageViewer::TodoEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
 
     KMime::Message::Ptr msg(new KMime::Message);
@@ -310,6 +311,8 @@ void TodoEditTest::shouldHideWidgetWhenPressEscape()
 {
     MessageViewer::TodoEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
     QLineEdit *noteedit = edit.findChild<QLineEdit *>(QStringLiteral("noteedit"));
     noteedit->setFocus();
@@ -367,6 +370,8 @@ void TodoEditTest::shouldSetFocusWhenWeCallTodoEdit()
 {
     MessageViewer::TodoEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
     KMime::Message::Ptr msg(new KMime::Message);
     QString subject = QStringLiteral("Test Note");
@@ -407,6 +412,8 @@ void TodoEditTest::shouldHaveLineEditFocus()
 {
     MessageViewer::TodoEdit edit;
     edit.show();
+    // make sure the window is active so we can test for focus
+    qApp->setActiveWindow(&edit);
     QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&edit);
     KMime::Message::Ptr msg(new KMime::Message);
     QString subject = QStringLiteral("Test Note");