diff --git a/src/Searching.ts b/src/Searching.ts
index f9b2830e85..d507bd10ef 100644
--- a/src/Searching.ts
+++ b/src/Searching.ts
@@ -718,4 +718,8 @@ export interface SearchInfo {
      * The total count of matching results as returned by the backend.
      */
     count?: number;
+    /**
+     * Describe the error if any occured.
+     */
+    error?: Error;
 }
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomSearchView.tsx b/src/components/structures/RoomSearchView.tsx
index cd03a0140a..4aadabd723 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomSearchView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomSearchView.tsx
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ import { _t } from "../../languageHandler";
 import { haveRendererForEvent } from "../../events/EventTileFactory";
 import SearchResultTile from "../views/rooms/SearchResultTile";
 import { searchPagination, SearchScope } from "../../Searching";
-import Modal from "../../Modal";
-import ErrorDialog from "../views/dialogs/ErrorDialog";
 import type ResizeNotifier from "../../utils/ResizeNotifier";
 import MatrixClientContext from "../../contexts/MatrixClientContext";
 import { RoomPermalinkCreator } from "../../utils/permalinks/Permalinks";
@@ -45,7 +43,7 @@ interface Props {
     abortController?: AbortController;
     resizeNotifier: ResizeNotifier;
     className: string;
-    onUpdate(inProgress: boolean, results: ISearchResults | null): void;
+    onUpdate(inProgress: boolean, results: ISearchResults | null, error: Error | null): void;
 }
 
 // XXX: todo: merge overlapping results somehow?
@@ -70,7 +68,7 @@ export const RoomSearchView = forwardRef<ScrollPanel, Props>(
 
         const handleSearchResult = useCallback(
             (searchPromise: Promise<ISearchResults>): Promise<boolean> => {
-                onUpdate(true, null);
+                onUpdate(true, null, null);
 
                 return searchPromise.then(
                     async (results): Promise<boolean> => {
@@ -116,7 +114,7 @@ export const RoomSearchView = forwardRef<ScrollPanel, Props>(
 
                         setHighlights(highlights);
                         setResults({ ...results }); // copy to force a refresh
-                        onUpdate(false, results);
+                        onUpdate(false, results, null);
                         return false;
                     },
                     (error) => {
@@ -125,11 +123,7 @@ export const RoomSearchView = forwardRef<ScrollPanel, Props>(
                             return false;
                         }
                         logger.error("Search failed", error);
-                        Modal.createDialog(ErrorDialog, {
-                            title: _t("error_dialog|search_failed|title"),
-                            description: error?.message ?? _t("error_dialog|search_failed|server_unavailable"),
-                        });
-                        onUpdate(false, null);
+                        onUpdate(false, null, error);
                         return false;
                     },
                 );
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx b/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
index 3426ef7e97..7ad4abe15d 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
@@ -1716,11 +1716,12 @@ export class RoomView extends React.Component<IRoomProps, IRoomState> {
         this.onSearch(this.state.search?.term ?? "", scope);
     };
 
-    private onSearchUpdate = (inProgress: boolean, searchResults: ISearchResults | null): void => {
+    private onSearchUpdate = (inProgress: boolean, searchResults: ISearchResults | null, error: Error | null): void => {
         this.setState({
             search: {
                 ...this.state.search!,
                 count: searchResults?.count,
+                error: error ?? undefined,
                 inProgress,
             },
         });
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSearchAuxPanel.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSearchAuxPanel.tsx
index fa0a24abe9..be821c7de1 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSearchAuxPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomSearchAuxPanel.tsx
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ const RoomSearchAuxPanel: React.FC<Props> = ({ searchInfo, isRoomEncrypted, onSe
                                 { count: searchInfo.count },
                                 { query: () => <strong>{searchInfo.term}</strong> },
                             )
+                        ) : searchInfo?.error !== undefined ? (
+                            searchInfo?.error.message
                         ) : (
                             <InlineSpinner />
                         )}
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index 202951e6a6..37a3a0718e 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -1133,11 +1133,7 @@
             "title": "Unable to copy room link"
         },
         "error_loading_user_profile": "Could not load user profile",
-        "forget_room_failed": "Failed to forget room %(errCode)s",
-        "search_failed": {
-            "server_unavailable": "Server may be unavailable, overloaded, or search timed out :(",
-            "title": "Search failed"
-        }
+        "forget_room_failed": "Failed to forget room %(errCode)s"
     },
     "error_user_not_logged_in": "User is not logged in",
     "event_preview": {
diff --git a/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomSearchView-test.tsx b/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomSearchView-test.tsx
index e52da13be6..300a4c1ab3 100644
--- a/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomSearchView-test.tsx
+++ b/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomSearchView-test.tsx
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ describe("<RoomSearchView/>", () => {
 
         await screen.findByRole("progressbar");
         await screen.findByText("Potato");
-        expect(onUpdate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(false, expect.objectContaining({}));
+        expect(onUpdate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(false, expect.objectContaining({}), null);
 
         rerender(
             <MatrixClientContext.Provider value={client}>
@@ -314,7 +314,8 @@ describe("<RoomSearchView/>", () => {
         });
     });
 
-    it("should show modal if error is encountered", async () => {
+    it("report error if one is encountered", async () => {
+        const onUpdate = jest.fn();
         const deferred = defer<ISearchResults>();
 
         render(
@@ -326,14 +327,18 @@ describe("<RoomSearchView/>", () => {
                     promise={deferred.promise}
                     resizeNotifier={resizeNotifier}
                     className="someClass"
-                    onUpdate={jest.fn()}
+                    onUpdate={onUpdate}
                 />
             </MatrixClientContext.Provider>,
         );
-        deferred.reject(new Error("Some error"));
+        deferred.reject("Some error");
+        try {
+            // Wait for RoomSearchView to process the promise
+            await deferred.promise;
+        } catch {}
 
-        await screen.findByText("Search failed");
-        await screen.findByText("Some error");
+        expect(onUpdate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(false, null, "Some error");
+        expect(onUpdate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     });
 
     it("should combine search results when the query is present in multiple sucessive messages", async () => {