diff --git a/src/gui/kernel/qguiapplication.cpp b/src/gui/kernel/qguiapplication.cpp
index 883b22b7ed..0935f654eb 100644
--- a/src/gui/kernel/qguiapplication.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/kernel/qguiapplication.cpp
@@ -2498,8 +2498,15 @@ void QGuiApplicationPrivate::processActivatedEvent(QWindowSystemInterfacePrivate
     if (self) {
         self->notifyActiveWindowChange(previous);
 
-        if (previousFocusObject != qApp->focusObject())
+        if (previousFocusObject != qApp->focusObject() ||
+            // We are getting an activation change but there is no new focusObject, and we also
+            // don't have a previousFocusObject in the previously active window anymore. This can
+            // happen when window gets destroyed (see QWidgetWindow::focusObject returning nullptr
+            // when already in the QWidget destructor), so update the focusObject to avoid dangling
+            // pointers. See also QWidget::clearFocus(), which tries to cover for this as well.
+            (previous && previousFocusObject == nullptr && qApp->focusObject() == nullptr)) {
             self->_q_updateFocusObject(qApp->focusObject());
+        }
     }
 
     emit qApp->focusWindowChanged(newFocus);
diff --git a/src/widgets/kernel/qwidget.cpp b/src/widgets/kernel/qwidget.cpp
index 3926436b07..5a17a45c74 100644
--- a/src/widgets/kernel/qwidget.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/kernel/qwidget.cpp
@@ -6707,7 +6707,14 @@ void QWidget::clearFocus()
     }
 
     QTLWExtra *extra = window()->d_func()->maybeTopData();
-    QObject *originalFocusObject = (extra && extra->window) ? extra->window->focusObject() : nullptr;
+    QObject *originalFocusObject = nullptr;
+    if (extra && extra->window) {
+        originalFocusObject = extra->window->focusObject();
+        // the window's focus object might already be nullptr if we are in the destructor, but we still
+        // need to update QGuiApplication and input context if we have a focus widget.
+        if (!originalFocusObject)
+            originalFocusObject = focusWidget();
+    }
 
     QWidget *w = this;
     while (w) {
diff --git a/tests/auto/widgets/kernel/qwidget_window/tst_qwidget_window.cpp b/tests/auto/widgets/kernel/qwidget_window/tst_qwidget_window.cpp
index 5ae4526af2..9016d84e91 100644
--- a/tests/auto/widgets/kernel/qwidget_window/tst_qwidget_window.cpp
+++ b/tests/auto/widgets/kernel/qwidget_window/tst_qwidget_window.cpp
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 #include <qlabel.h>
 #include <qmainwindow.h>
 #include <qtoolbar.h>
+#include <qsignalspy.h>
 #include <private/qwindow_p.h>
 #include <private/qguiapplication_p.h>
 #include <qpa/qplatformintegration.h>
@@ -131,6 +132,8 @@ private slots:
     void mouseMoveWithPopup_data();
     void mouseMoveWithPopup();
 
+    void resetFocusObjectOnDestruction();
+
 private:
     QSize m_testWidgetSize;
     const int m_fuzz;
@@ -1574,5 +1577,38 @@ void tst_QWidget_window::mouseMoveWithPopup()
     QCOMPARE(topLevel.popup->mouseReleaseCount, 1);
 }
 
+void tst_QWidget_window::resetFocusObjectOnDestruction()
+{
+    QSignalSpy focusObjectChangedSpy(qApp, &QGuiApplication::focusObjectChanged);
+
+    // single top level widget that has focus
+    std::unique_ptr<QWidget> widget(new QWidget);
+    widget->setObjectName("Widget 1");
+    widget->setFocus();
+    widget->show();
+    QVERIFY(QTest::qWaitForWindowActive(widget.get()));
+
+    int activeCount = focusObjectChangedSpy.count();
+    widget.reset();
+    QVERIFY(focusObjectChangedSpy.count() > activeCount);
+    QCOMPARE(focusObjectChangedSpy.last().last().value<QObject*>(), nullptr);
+    focusObjectChangedSpy.clear();
+
+    // top level widget with focused child
+    widget.reset(new QWidget);
+    widget->setObjectName("Widget 2");
+    QWidget *child = new QWidget(widget.get());
+    child->setObjectName("Child widget");
+    child->setFocus();
+    widget->show();
+    QVERIFY(QTest::qWaitForWindowActive(widget.get()));
+
+    activeCount = focusObjectChangedSpy.count();
+    widget.reset();
+    // we might get more than one signal emission
+    QVERIFY(focusObjectChangedSpy.count() > activeCount);
+    QCOMPARE(focusObjectChangedSpy.last().last().value<QObject*>(), nullptr);
+}
+
 QTEST_MAIN(tst_QWidget_window)
 #include "tst_qwidget_window.moc"