diff --git a/shell/plugins/menu/MenuModel.js b/shell/plugins/menu/MenuModel.js
index 12ef3c0c..3de9b8ee 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/menu/MenuModel.js
+++ b/shell/plugins/menu/MenuModel.js
@@ -309,6 +309,12 @@ function searchScore(items, entry, query) {
   else if (descriptionTextMatches(needle, descriptionText)) score = 60
 
   if (entry.kind === "menu" || entry.kind === "link") score -= 2
+  // mergeAppRows appends app rows after every menu item, so an app always
+  // loses the order tiebreak below to a menu entry that matches just as well.
+  // Searching an installed app's name should launch it, not offer to install
+  // or remove it. The bias stays under the 10-point gap between match tiers,
+  // so a menu entry that matches better still sorts first.
+  if (entry.kind === "app") score -= 5
 
   return score * 1000 + depthFor(items, entry.id) * 25 + entry.order
 }
diff --git a/test/shell.d/menu-test.sh b/test/shell.d/menu-test.sh
index 52cedb92..8f838702 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/menu-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/menu-test.sh
@@ -109,6 +109,26 @@ assertDeepEqual(
 
 const defaultItems = menu.parseMenuJsonc(defaultMenuJsonc)
 const defaultById = Object.fromEntries(defaultItems.map(item => [item.id, item]))
+
+// App rows land after every static item, so ranking has to survive the real
+// menu's item count: with hundreds of entries ahead of them, the order
+// tiebreak alone buries an installed app under Install and Remove.
+const rankBase = menu.mergeMenuSources(defaultItems, [])
+const ranked = menu.mergeAppRows(rankBase.items, rankBase.itemOrder, [
+  { id: 'apps.brave', parent: 'apps', kind: 'app', label: 'Brave', description: '', aliases: [] },
+  { id: 'apps.fontforge', parent: 'apps', kind: 'app', label: 'FontForge', description: '', aliases: [] }
+])
+const rankScore = (id, query) => menu.searchScore(ranked.items, ranked.items[id], query)
+assert(
+  ['install.browser.brave', 'remove.browser.brave', 'setup.default.browser.brave'].every(
+    id => rankScore('apps.brave', 'brave') < rankScore(id, 'brave')
+  ),
+  'menu ranks an installed app above menu entries matching the query equally well'
+)
+assert(
+  rankScore('style.font', 'font') < rankScore('apps.fontforge', 'font'),
+  'menu keeps a better-matching menu entry above a weaker app match'
+)
 const triggerItems = defaultItems.filter(item => item.parent === 'trigger')
 assertEqual(
   triggerItems[0].id,