diff --git a/stylesheets/_modules.scss b/stylesheets/_modules.scss
index e1dba3231..1c07abfa7 100644
--- a/stylesheets/_modules.scss
+++ b/stylesheets/_modules.scss
@@ -8655,8 +8655,13 @@ button.module-image__border-overlay:focus {
     height: 100%;
 
     .ql-editor {
+      caret-color: transparent;
       padding: 0;
 
+      &--loaded {
+        caret-color: auto;
+      }
+
       &.ql-blank::before {
         left: 0;
         right: 0;
diff --git a/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx b/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx
index e0ae8fb27..3fb396a51 100644
--- a/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx
@@ -24,7 +24,11 @@ import {
   matchReactEmoji,
 } from '../quill/emoji/matchers';
 import { matchMention } from '../quill/mentions/matchers';
-import { MemberRepository, getDeltaToRemoveStaleMentions } from '../quill/util';
+import {
+  MemberRepository,
+  getDeltaToRemoveStaleMentions,
+  getTextAndMentionsFromOps,
+} from '../quill/util';
 
 Quill.register('formats/emoji', EmojiBlot);
 Quill.register('formats/mention', MentionBlot);
@@ -221,32 +225,7 @@ export const CompositionInput: React.ComponentType<Props> = props => {
       return ['', []];
     }
 
-    const mentions: Array<BodyRangeType> = [];
-
-    const text = ops.reduce((acc, { insert }) => {
-      if (typeof insert === 'string') {
-        return acc + insert;
-      }
-
-      if (insert.emoji) {
-        return acc + insert.emoji;
-      }
-
-      if (insert.mention) {
-        mentions.push({
-          length: 1, // The length of `\uFFFC`
-          mentionUuid: insert.mention.uuid,
-          replacementText: insert.mention.title,
-          start: acc.length,
-        });
-
-        return `${acc}\uFFFC`;
-      }
-
-      return acc;
-    }, '');
-
-    return [text.trim(), mentions];
+    return getTextAndMentionsFromOps(ops);
   };
 
   const focus = () => {
@@ -368,7 +347,7 @@ export const CompositionInput: React.ComponentType<Props> = props => {
       return false;
     }
 
-    if (large) {
+    if (propsRef.current.large) {
       return true;
     }
 
@@ -435,6 +414,26 @@ export const CompositionInput: React.ComponentType<Props> = props => {
     return true;
   };
 
+  const onCtrlA = () => {
+    const quill = quillRef.current;
+
+    if (quill === undefined) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    quill.setSelection(0, 0);
+  };
+
+  const onCtrlE = () => {
+    const quill = quillRef.current;
+
+    if (quill === undefined) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    quill.setSelection(quill.getLength(), 0);
+  };
+
   const onChange = () => {
     const quill = quillRef.current;
 
@@ -564,6 +563,8 @@ export const CompositionInput: React.ComponentType<Props> = props => {
                   handler: onShortKeyEnter,
                 },
                 onEscape: { key: 27, handler: onEscape }, // 27 = Escape
+                onCtrlA: { key: 65, ctrlKey: true, handler: onCtrlA }, // 65 = a
+                onCtrlE: { key: 69, ctrlKey: true, handler: onCtrlE }, // 69 = e
               },
             },
             emojiCompletion: {
@@ -603,6 +604,7 @@ export const CompositionInput: React.ComponentType<Props> = props => {
 
                 setTimeout(() => {
                   quill.setSelection(quill.getLength(), 0);
+                  quill.root.classList.add('ql-editor--loaded');
                 }, 0);
               });
 
diff --git a/ts/quill/util.ts b/ts/quill/util.ts
index fc5aae7dc..d858becad 100644
--- a/ts/quill/util.ts
+++ b/ts/quill/util.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import Delta from 'quill-delta';
 import { DeltaOperation } from 'quill';
 
 import { ConversationType } from '../state/ducks/conversations';
+import { BodyRangeType } from '../types/Util';
 
 const FUSE_OPTIONS = {
   shouldSort: true,
@@ -15,6 +16,52 @@ const FUSE_OPTIONS = {
   keys: ['name', 'firstName', 'profileName', 'title'],
 };
 
+export const getTextAndMentionsFromOps = (
+  ops: Array<DeltaOperation>
+): [string, Array<BodyRangeType>] => {
+  const mentions: Array<BodyRangeType> = [];
+
+  const text = ops.reduce((acc, { insert }, index) => {
+    if (typeof insert === 'string') {
+      let textToAdd;
+      switch (index) {
+        case 0: {
+          textToAdd = insert.trimLeft();
+          break;
+        }
+        case ops.length - 1: {
+          textToAdd = insert.trimRight();
+          break;
+        }
+        default: {
+          textToAdd = insert;
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+      return acc + textToAdd;
+    }
+
+    if (insert.emoji) {
+      return acc + insert.emoji;
+    }
+
+    if (insert.mention) {
+      mentions.push({
+        length: 1, // The length of `\uFFFC`
+        mentionUuid: insert.mention.uuid,
+        replacementText: insert.mention.title,
+        start: acc.length,
+      });
+
+      return `${acc}\uFFFC`;
+    }
+
+    return acc;
+  }, '');
+
+  return [text, mentions];
+};
+
 export const getDeltaToRemoveStaleMentions = (
   ops: Array<DeltaOperation>,
   memberUuids: Array<string>
diff --git a/ts/test/quill/util_test.ts b/ts/test/quill/util_test.ts
index bc63948ca..b2356a361 100644
--- a/ts/test/quill/util_test.ts
+++ b/ts/test/quill/util_test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { assert } from 'chai';
 import {
   MemberRepository,
   getDeltaToRemoveStaleMentions,
+  getTextAndMentionsFromOps,
 } from '../../quill/util';
 import { ConversationType } from '../../state/ducks/conversations';
 
@@ -162,3 +163,72 @@ describe('getDeltaToRemoveStaleMentions', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('getTextAndMentionsFromOps', () => {
+  describe('given only text', () => {
+    it('returns only text trimmed', () => {
+      const ops = [{ insert: ' The ' }, { insert: ' text ' }];
+      const [resultText, resultMentions] = getTextAndMentionsFromOps(ops);
+      assert.equal(resultText, 'The  text');
+      assert.equal(resultMentions.length, 0);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('given text, emoji, and mentions', () => {
+    it('returns the trimmed text with placeholders and mentions', () => {
+      const ops = [
+        {
+          insert: {
+            emoji: '😂',
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          insert: ' wow, funny, ',
+        },
+        {
+          insert: {
+            mention: {
+              uuid: 'abcdef',
+              title: '@fred',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      ];
+      const [resultText, resultMentions] = getTextAndMentionsFromOps(ops);
+      assert.equal(resultText, '😂 wow, funny, \uFFFC');
+      assert.deepEqual(resultMentions, [
+        {
+          length: 1,
+          mentionUuid: 'abcdef',
+          replacementText: '@fred',
+          start: 15,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('given only mentions', () => {
+    it('returns the trimmed text with placeholders and mentions', () => {
+      const ops = [
+        {
+          insert: {
+            mention: {
+              uuid: 'abcdef',
+              title: '@fred',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      ];
+      const [resultText, resultMentions] = getTextAndMentionsFromOps(ops);
+      assert.equal(resultText, '\uFFFC');
+      assert.deepEqual(resultMentions, [
+        {
+          length: 1,
+          mentionUuid: 'abcdef',
+          replacementText: '@fred',
+          start: 0,
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+});