diff --git a/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.test.tsx b/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.test.tsx
index edee2f153f..139a1b2939 100644
--- a/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.test.tsx
@@ -14,28 +14,32 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { useApi } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
+import { configApiRef } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { render, screen, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { act, renderHook } from '@testing-library/react-hooks';
+import { MockConfigApi, TestApiProvider } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import React from 'react';
 import {
   SearchContextProvider,
   useSearch,
   useSearchContextCheck,
 } from './SearchContext';
-
-jest.mock('@backstage/core-plugin-api', () => ({
-  ...jest.requireActual('@backstage/core-plugin-api'),
-  useApi: jest.fn(),
-}));
+import { searchApiRef } from '../api';
 
 describe('SearchContext', () => {
   const query = jest.fn();
 
-  const wrapper = ({ children, initialState }: any) => (
-    <SearchContextProvider initialState={initialState}>
-      {children}
-    </SearchContextProvider>
+  const wrapper = ({ children, initialState, config = {} }: any) => (
+    <TestApiProvider
+      apis={[
+        [configApiRef, new MockConfigApi(config)],
+        [searchApiRef, { query }],
+      ]}
+    >
+      <SearchContextProvider initialState={initialState}>
+        {children}
+      </SearchContextProvider>
+    </TestApiProvider>
   );
 
   const initialState = {
@@ -46,7 +50,6 @@ describe('SearchContext', () => {
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     query.mockResolvedValue({});
-    (useApi as jest.Mock).mockReturnValue({ query: query });
   });
 
   afterAll(() => {
@@ -56,11 +59,7 @@ describe('SearchContext', () => {
   it('Passes children', async () => {
     const text = 'text';
 
-    render(
-      <SearchContextProvider initialState={initialState}>
-        {text}
-      </SearchContextProvider>,
-    );
+    render(wrapper({ children: text, initialState }));
 
     await waitFor(() => {
       expect(screen.getByText(text)).toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -95,17 +94,61 @@ describe('SearchContext', () => {
     expect(result.current).toEqual(true);
   });
 
-  it('Uses initial state values', async () => {
-    const { result, waitForNextUpdate } = renderHook(() => useSearch(), {
-      wrapper,
-      initialProps: {
-        initialState,
-      },
+  describe('Uses initial state values', () => {
+    it('Uses default initial state values', async () => {
+      const { result, waitForNextUpdate } = renderHook(() => useSearch(), {
+        wrapper,
+      });
+
+      await waitForNextUpdate();
+
+      expect(result.current).toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          term: '',
+          types: [],
+          filters: {},
+          pageLimit: undefined,
+          pageCursor: undefined,
+        }),
+      );
     });
 
-    await waitForNextUpdate();
+    it('Uses provided initial state values', async () => {
+      const { result, waitForNextUpdate } = renderHook(() => useSearch(), {
+        wrapper,
+        initialProps: {
+          initialState,
+        },
+      });
 
-    expect(result.current).toEqual(expect.objectContaining(initialState));
+      await waitForNextUpdate();
+
+      expect(result.current).toEqual(expect.objectContaining(initialState));
+    });
+
+    it('Uses page limit provided via config api', async () => {
+      const { result, waitForNextUpdate } = renderHook(() => useSearch(), {
+        wrapper,
+        initialProps: {
+          initialState,
+          config: {
+            app: {
+              search: {
+                query: {
+                  pageLimit: 100,
+                },
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      await waitForNextUpdate();
+
+      expect(result.current).toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({ ...initialState, pageLimit: 100 }),
+      );
+    });
   });
 
   describe('Resets cursor', () => {
diff --git a/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.tsx b/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.tsx
index 0a4bdf283b..ea041d6bc1 100644
--- a/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.tsx
+++ b/plugins/search-react/src/context/SearchContext.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,11 @@ import {
   createVersionedValueMap,
 } from '@backstage/version-bridge';
 import { JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
-import { AnalyticsContext, useApi } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
+import {
+  AnalyticsContext,
+  useApi,
+  configApiRef,
+} from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { SearchResultSet } from '@backstage/plugin-search-common';
 
 import { searchApiRef } from '../api';
@@ -95,25 +99,16 @@ export const useSearchContextCheck = () => {
 };
 
 /**
- * @public
+ * The initial state of `SearchContextProvider`.
  *
- * Constructs an object representing the initial state default
- * configuration for the SearchPage component
  */
-export const getSearchContextInitialStateDefaults = (): SearchContextState => ({
+export const searchInitialState = {
   term: '',
   types: [],
   filters: {},
   pageLimit: undefined,
   pageCursor: undefined,
-});
-
-/**
- * The initial state of `SearchContextProvider`.
- *
- */
-const searchInitialState: SearchContextState =
-  getSearchContextInitialStateDefaults();
+};
 
 const useSearchContextValue = (
   initialValue: SearchContextState = searchInitialState,
@@ -248,10 +243,20 @@ export const SearchContextProvider = (props: SearchContextProviderProps) => {
   const { initialState, inheritParentContextIfAvailable, children } = props;
   const hasParentContext = useSearchContextCheck();
 
+  const configApi = useApi(configApiRef);
+
+  const searchContextInitialState = {
+    ...searchInitialState,
+    ...(initialState || {}),
+    pageLimit:
+      configApi.getOptionalNumber('app.search.query.pageLimit') ||
+      initialState?.pageLimit,
+  };
+
   return hasParentContext && inheritParentContextIfAvailable ? (
     <>{children}</>
   ) : (
-    <LocalSearchContext initialState={initialState}>
+    <LocalSearchContext initialState={searchContextInitialState}>
       {children}
     </LocalSearchContext>
   );
diff --git a/plugins/search/config.d.ts b/plugins/search/config.d.ts
index ffbbd7636b..7ec00425d3 100644
--- a/plugins/search/config.d.ts
+++ b/plugins/search/config.d.ts
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@ export interface Config {
      */
     search?: {
       /**
-       * An object representing the initial state configuration for the SearchPage
-       * component. By configuring and modifying the values of the initialState
-       * object attributes, you can customize the initial state of the search component
+       * An object representing the default search query configuration.
+       * By configuring and modifying the values of this object,
+       * you can customize the default values of the search component
        * and define how it behaves when it is first loaded or reset.
        */
-      initialState?: {
+      query?: {
         /**
          * A number indicating the maximum number of results to be returned
          * per page during pagination.
diff --git a/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.test.tsx b/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.test.tsx
index f364cb8dd4..be9e7f7b10 100644
--- a/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.test.tsx
@@ -14,41 +14,18 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import {
-  MockConfigApi,
-  TestApiProvider,
-  renderInTestApp,
-} from '@backstage/test-utils';
+import { renderInTestApp } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import React from 'react';
 import { useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';
-import {
-  type SearchContextState,
-  useSearch,
-  getSearchContextInitialStateDefaults,
-} from '@backstage/plugin-search-react';
+import { useSearch } from '@backstage/plugin-search-react';
 import { SearchPage } from './SearchPage';
-import { configApiRef } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
-import type { JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
-
-const TestingContext = React.createContext<SearchContextState>(
-  getSearchContextInitialStateDefaults(),
-);
 
 jest.mock('react-router-dom', () => ({
   ...jest.requireActual('react-router-dom'),
   useLocation: jest.fn().mockReturnValue({
     search: '',
   }),
-  useOutlet: jest.fn().mockImplementation(() => (
-    <TestingContext.Consumer>
-      {value => (
-        <>
-          <h1>Route Children</h1>
-          <div>Page Limit: {value.pageLimit} </div>
-        </>
-      )}
-    </TestingContext.Consumer>
-  )),
+  useOutlet: jest.fn().mockReturnValue('Route Children'),
 }));
 
 const setTermMock = jest.fn();
@@ -60,11 +37,7 @@ jest.mock('@backstage/plugin-search-react', () => ({
   ...jest.requireActual('@backstage/plugin-search-react'),
   SearchContextProvider: jest
     .fn()
-    .mockImplementation(({ initialState, children }) => (
-      <TestingContext.Provider value={initialState}>
-        {children}
-      </TestingContext.Provider>
-    )),
+    .mockImplementation(({ children }) => children),
   useSearch: jest.fn().mockReturnValue({
     term: '',
     setTerm: (term: any) => setTermMock(term),
@@ -77,13 +50,6 @@ jest.mock('@backstage/plugin-search-react', () => ({
   }),
 }));
 
-const renderSearchPageWithConfig = (config: JsonObject = {}) =>
-  renderInTestApp(
-    <TestApiProvider apis={[[configApiRef, new MockConfigApi(config)]]}>
-      <SearchPage />
-    </TestApiProvider>,
-  );
-
 describe('SearchPage', () => {
   const origReplaceState = window.history.replaceState;
 
@@ -110,7 +76,7 @@ describe('SearchPage', () => {
     });
 
     // When we render the page...
-    await renderSearchPageWithConfig();
+    await renderInTestApp(<SearchPage />);
 
     // Then search context should be set with these values...
     expect(setTermMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expectedTerm);
@@ -120,7 +86,7 @@ describe('SearchPage', () => {
   });
 
   it('renders provided router element', async () => {
-    const { getByText } = await renderSearchPageWithConfig();
+    const { getByText } = await renderInTestApp(<SearchPage />);
 
     expect(getByText('Route Children')).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
@@ -140,27 +106,9 @@ describe('SearchPage', () => {
       '?query=bieber&types[]=software-catalog&pageCursor=SOMEPAGE&filters[anyKey]=anyValue',
     );
 
-    await renderSearchPageWithConfig();
+    await renderInTestApp(<SearchPage />);
 
     const calls = (window.history.replaceState as jest.Mock).mock.calls[0];
     expect(calls[2]).toContain(expectedLocation);
   });
-
-  it('initializes the SearchPage with a custom page limit', async () => {
-    const { getByText } = await renderSearchPageWithConfig({
-      app: {
-        search: {
-          initialState: {
-            pageLimit: 50,
-          },
-        },
-      },
-    });
-
-    const calls = (window.history.replaceState as jest.Mock).mock.calls[0];
-    const expectedLocation = encodeURI('?query=&pageCursor=');
-    expect(calls[2]).toContain(expectedLocation);
-
-    expect(getByText('Page Limit: 50')).toBeInTheDocument();
-  });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.tsx b/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.tsx
index edac4d9b2f..3ee444bd32 100644
--- a/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.tsx
+++ b/plugins/search/src/components/SearchPage/SearchPage.tsx
@@ -21,10 +21,8 @@ import { useLocation, useOutlet } from 'react-router-dom';
 import {
   SearchContextProvider,
   useSearch,
-  getSearchContextInitialStateDefaults,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-search-react';
 import { JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
-import { configApiRef, useApi } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 
 export const UrlUpdater = () => {
   const location = useLocation();
@@ -93,15 +91,9 @@ export const UrlUpdater = () => {
  */
 export const SearchPage = () => {
   const outlet = useOutlet();
-  const configApi = useApi(configApiRef);
-
-  const initialState = {
-    ...getSearchContextInitialStateDefaults(),
-    pageLimit: configApi.getOptionalNumber('app.search.initialState.pageLimit'),
-  };
 
   return (
-    <SearchContextProvider initialState={initialState}>
+    <SearchContextProvider>
       <UrlUpdater />
       {outlet}
     </SearchContextProvider>