diff --git a/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview.cpp b/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview.cpp
index cfb6a3151a..5afdd93b34 100644
--- a/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview.cpp
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ QAbstractItemViewPrivate::QAbstractItemViewPrivate()
         selectionMode(QAbstractItemView::ExtendedSelection),
         selectionBehavior(QAbstractItemView::SelectItems),
         currentlyCommittingEditor(nullptr),
+        pressClosedEditor(false),
         pressedModifiers(Qt::NoModifier),
         pressedPosition(QPoint(-1, -1)),
         pressedAlreadySelected(false),
@@ -1777,6 +1778,9 @@ void QAbstractItemView::mousePressEvent(QMouseEvent *event)
     QPoint pos = event->position().toPoint();
     QPersistentModelIndex index = indexAt(pos);
 
+    // this is the mouse press event that closed the last editor (via focus event)
+    d->pressClosedEditor = d->pressClosedEditorWatcher.isActive() && d->lastEditedIndex == index;
+
     if (!d->selectionModel
         || (d->state == EditingState && d->hasEditor(index)))
         return;
@@ -1935,16 +1939,17 @@ void QAbstractItemView::mouseReleaseEvent(QMouseEvent *event)
     bool click = (index == d->pressedIndex && index.isValid() && !releaseFromDoubleClick);
     bool selectedClicked = click && (event->button() == Qt::LeftButton) && d->pressedAlreadySelected;
     EditTrigger trigger = (selectedClicked ? SelectedClicked : NoEditTriggers);
-    const bool edited = click ? edit(index, trigger, event) : false;
+    const bool edited = click && !d->pressClosedEditor ? edit(index, trigger, event) : false;
 
     d->ctrlDragSelectionFlag = QItemSelectionModel::NoUpdate;
 
     if (d->selectionModel && d->noSelectionOnMousePress) {
         d->noSelectionOnMousePress = false;
-        if (!edited)
+        if (!edited && !d->pressClosedEditor)
             d->selectionModel->select(index, selectionCommand(index, event));
     }
 
+    d->pressClosedEditor = false;
     setState(NoState);
 
     if (click) {
@@ -2584,6 +2589,8 @@ void QAbstractItemView::timerEvent(QTimerEvent *event)
         //we only get here if there was no double click
         if (d->pressedIndex.isValid() && d->pressedIndex == currentIndex())
             scrollTo(d->pressedIndex);
+    } else if (event->timerId() == d->pressClosedEditorWatcher.timerId()) {
+        d->pressClosedEditorWatcher.stop();
     }
 }
 
@@ -2854,6 +2861,12 @@ void QAbstractItemView::closeEditor(QWidget *editor, QAbstractItemDelegate::EndE
         if (!index.isValid())
             return; // the editor was not registered
 
+        // start a timer that expires immediately when we return to the event loop
+        // to identify whether this close was triggered by a mousepress-initiated
+        // focus event
+        d->pressClosedEditorWatcher.start(0, this);
+        d->lastEditedIndex = index;
+
         if (!isPersistent) {
             setState(NoState);
             QModelIndex index = d->indexForEditor(editor);
diff --git a/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview_p.h b/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview_p.h
index 521d341b8f..f45d642dcf 100644
--- a/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview_p.h
+++ b/src/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview_p.h
@@ -364,6 +364,9 @@ public:
     QIndexEditorHash indexEditorHash;
     QSet<QWidget*> persistent;
     QWidget *currentlyCommittingEditor;
+    QBasicTimer pressClosedEditorWatcher;
+    QPersistentModelIndex lastEditedIndex;
+    bool pressClosedEditor;
 
     QPersistentModelIndex enteredIndex;
     QPersistentModelIndex pressedIndex;
diff --git a/tests/auto/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview/tst_qabstractitemview.cpp b/tests/auto/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview/tst_qabstractitemview.cpp
index e5b24b1a9b..7c4dc38d6d 100644
--- a/tests/auto/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview/tst_qabstractitemview.cpp
+++ b/tests/auto/widgets/itemviews/qabstractitemview/tst_qabstractitemview.cpp
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ private slots:
     void selectAll();
     void ctrlA();
     void persistentEditorFocus();
+    void pressClosesReleaseDoesntOpenEditor();
     void setItemDelegate();
     void setItemDelegate_data();
     // The dragAndDrop() test doesn't work, and is thus disabled on Mac and Windows
@@ -732,6 +733,63 @@ void tst_QAbstractItemView::persistentEditorFocus()
     }
 }
 
+/*!
+    A press into the selection area of an item being edited, but outside the editor,
+    closes the editor by transferring focus to the view. The corresponding release
+    should then not re-open the editor.
+
+    QTBUG-20456.
+*/
+void tst_QAbstractItemView::pressClosesReleaseDoesntOpenEditor()
+{
+    QStandardItemModel model(0, 1);
+    auto *parent = new QStandardItem("parent");
+    for (const auto &childText : {"child1", "child2"}) {
+        auto *child = new QStandardItem(childText);
+        child->setFlags(Qt::ItemFlag::ItemIsEnabled | Qt::ItemFlag::ItemIsEditable | Qt::ItemIsSelectable);
+        parent->appendRow(child);
+    }
+    model.appendRow(parent);
+
+    QTreeView view;
+    view.setModel(&model);
+    view.setExpanded(model.indexFromItem(parent), true);
+    view.setSelectionMode(QAbstractItemView::SingleSelection);
+    view.setEditTriggers(QAbstractItemView::SelectedClicked | QAbstractItemView::DoubleClicked);
+
+    view.show();
+    QVERIFY(QTest::qWaitForWindowExposed(&view));
+
+    const QRect childRect = view.visualRect(model.indexFromItem(parent->child(0)));
+    QTest::mouseClick(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::NoModifier, childRect.center()); // select
+    QVERIFY(view.selectionModel()->selectedIndexes().contains(model.indexFromItem(parent->child(0))));
+    QTest::mouseClick(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::NoModifier, childRect.center()); // edit
+    QTRY_COMPARE(view.state(), QAbstractItemView::EditingState);
+    QPoint inChildOutsideEditor = QPoint(view.indentation() / 2, childRect.center().y());
+    QTest::mousePress(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::NoModifier, inChildOutsideEditor); // focus itemview, editor closes
+    QCOMPARE(view.state(), QAbstractItemView::NoState);
+    QTest::qWait(10); // process some events, let the internal timer time out
+    QTest::mouseRelease(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::NoModifier, inChildOutsideEditor); // should not reopen editor
+    QTest::qWait(QApplication::doubleClickInterval() * 2);
+    QCOMPARE(view.state(), QAbstractItemView::NoState);
+
+    // with multiple items selected, clicking from the currently edited item into another
+    // selected item closes the current and reopens a new editor
+    view.setSelectionMode(QAbstractItemView::ExtendedSelection);
+    const QRect child2Rect = view.visualRect(model.indexFromItem(parent->child(1)));
+    QTest::mouseClick(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::ControlModifier, child2Rect.center()); // select
+    QVERIFY(view.selectionModel()->selectedIndexes().contains(model.indexFromItem(parent->child(0))));
+    QVERIFY(view.selectionModel()->selectedIndexes().contains(model.indexFromItem(parent->child(1))));
+    QTest::mouseClick(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::NoModifier, child2Rect.center()); // edit
+    QTRY_COMPARE(view.state(), QAbstractItemView::EditingState);
+    QTest::mousePress(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::NoModifier, inChildOutsideEditor); // editor closes
+    QCOMPARE(view.state(), QAbstractItemView::NoState);
+    QTest::qWait(10); // process some events, let the internal timer time out
+    QTest::mouseRelease(view.viewport(), Qt::LeftButton, Qt::NoModifier, inChildOutsideEditor); // should open editor
+    QTest::qWait(QApplication::doubleClickInterval() * 2);
+    QCOMPARE(view.state(), QAbstractItemView::EditingState);
+}
+
 
 #if !defined(Q_OS_MAC) && !defined(Q_OS_WIN)