diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/findController.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/findController.ts
index 334de9e40e2de..42d73eee2d62d 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/findController.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/findController.ts
@@ -228,6 +228,9 @@ export class CommonFindController extends Disposable implements editorCommon.IEd
 	}
 
 	public setSearchString(searchString: string): void {
+		if (this._state.isRegex) {
+			searchString = strings.escapeRegExpCharacters(searchString);
+		}
 		this._state.change({ searchString: searchString }, false);
 	}
 
@@ -538,7 +541,7 @@ export abstract class SelectionMatchFindAction extends EditorAction {
 		if (!this._run(controller)) {
 			controller.start({
 				forceRevealReplace: false,
-				seedSearchStringFromSelection: false,
+				seedSearchStringFromSelection: editor.getConfiguration().contribInfo.find.seedSearchStringFromSelection,
 				seedSearchStringFromGlobalClipboard: false,
 				shouldFocus: FindStartFocusAction.NoFocusChange,
 				shouldAnimate: true
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/test/findController.test.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/test/findController.test.ts
index f48c33a69778f..54d7299ca3492 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/test/findController.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/find/test/findController.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import { Position } from 'vs/editor/common/core/position';
 import { Selection } from 'vs/editor/common/core/selection';
 import { Range } from 'vs/editor/common/core/range';
 import * as platform from 'vs/base/common/platform';
-import { CommonFindController, FindStartFocusAction, IFindStartOptions, NextMatchFindAction, StartFindAction } from 'vs/editor/contrib/find/findController';
+import { CommonFindController, FindStartFocusAction, IFindStartOptions, NextMatchFindAction, StartFindAction, NextSelectionMatchFindAction } from 'vs/editor/contrib/find/findController';
 import { withTestCodeEditor } from 'vs/editor/test/browser/testCodeEditor';
 import { HistoryNavigator } from 'vs/base/common/history';
 import { IContextKeyService } from 'vs/platform/contextkey/common/contextkey';
@@ -475,6 +475,64 @@ suite('FindController', () => {
 		}
 		return result;
 	}
+
+	test('issue #38232: Find Next Selection, regex enabled', () => {
+		withTestCodeEditor([
+			'([funny]',
+			'',
+			'([funny]'
+		], { serviceCollection: serviceCollection }, (editor, cursor) => {
+			clipboardState = '';
+			let findController = editor.registerAndInstantiateContribution<TestFindController>(TestFindController);
+			let nextSelectionMatchFindAction = new NextSelectionMatchFindAction();
+
+			// toggle regex
+			findController.getState().change({ isRegex: true }, false);
+
+			// change selection
+			editor.setSelection(new Selection(1, 1, 1, 9));
+
+			// cmd+f3
+			nextSelectionMatchFindAction.run(null, editor);
+
+			assert.deepEqual(editor.getSelections().map(fromRange), [
+				[3, 1, 3, 9]
+			]);
+
+			findController.dispose();
+		});
+	});
+
+	test('issue #38232: Find Next Selection, regex enabled, find widget open', () => {
+		withTestCodeEditor([
+			'([funny]',
+			'',
+			'([funny]'
+		], { serviceCollection: serviceCollection }, (editor, cursor) => {
+			clipboardState = '';
+			let findController = editor.registerAndInstantiateContribution<TestFindController>(TestFindController);
+			let startFindAction = new StartFindAction();
+			let nextSelectionMatchFindAction = new NextSelectionMatchFindAction();
+
+			// cmd+f - open find widget
+			startFindAction.run(null, editor);
+
+			// toggle regex
+			findController.getState().change({ isRegex: true }, false);
+
+			// change selection
+			editor.setSelection(new Selection(1, 1, 1, 9));
+
+			// cmd+f3
+			nextSelectionMatchFindAction.run(null, editor);
+
+			assert.deepEqual(editor.getSelections().map(fromRange), [
+				[3, 1, 3, 9]
+			]);
+
+			findController.dispose();
+		});
+	});
 });
 
 suite('FindController query options persistence', () => {