diff --git a/widget/editor.go b/widget/editor.go
index c904c313..9e2c0c2e 100644
--- a/widget/editor.go
+++ b/widget/editor.go
@@ -913,11 +913,12 @@ func (e *Editor) replace(start, end int, s string) {
 	if e.SingleLine {
 		s = strings.ReplaceAll(s, "\n", " ")
 	}
+	e.makeValid()
 	if start > end {
 		start, end = end, start
 	}
-	startPos := e.seek(e.caret.start, start)
-	endPos := e.seek(e.caret.end, end)
+	startPos := e.closestPosition(combinedPos{runes: start})
+	endPos := e.closestPosition(combinedPos{runes: end})
 	e.rr.deleteRunes(startPos.ofs, endPos.runes-startPos.runes)
 	e.rr.prepend(startPos.ofs, s)
 	newEnd := startPos.runes + utf8.RuneCountInString(s)
@@ -929,30 +930,13 @@ func (e *Editor) replace(start, end int, s string) {
 			diff := newEnd - endPos.runes
 			pos.runes = pos.runes + diff
 		}
-		return e.seek(startPos, pos.runes)
+		return e.closestPosition(combinedPos{runes: pos.runes})
 	}
 	e.caret.start = adjust(e.caret.start)
 	e.caret.end = adjust(e.caret.end)
 	e.invalidate()
 }
 
-// seek returns the byte offset for an absolute rune offset. The provided hint
-// is a position potentially close.
-func (e *Editor) seek(hint combinedPos, runes int) combinedPos {
-	pos := hint
-	for pos.runes > runes && pos.ofs > 0 {
-		_, s := e.rr.runeBefore(pos.ofs)
-		pos.ofs -= s
-		pos.runes--
-	}
-	for pos.runes < runes && pos.ofs < e.rr.len() {
-		_, s := e.rr.runeAt(pos.ofs)
-		pos.ofs += s
-		pos.runes++
-	}
-	return pos
-}
-
 func (e *Editor) movePages(pages int, selAct selectionAction) {
 	e.makeValid()
 	x := e.caret.start.x + e.caret.xoff
diff --git a/widget/editor_test.go b/widget/editor_test.go
index 333adf85..842e5102 100644
--- a/widget/editor_test.go
+++ b/widget/editor_test.go
@@ -163,11 +163,6 @@ func TestEditorCaretConsistency(t *testing.T) {
 				return fmt.Errorf("caret (%d,%d) pos %s, want (%d,%d) pos %s",
 					gotLine, gotCol, gotCoords, want.lineCol.Y, want.lineCol.X, wantCoords)
 			}
-			seekCaret := e.seek(combinedPos{}, e.caret.start.runes)
-			if seekCaret.runes != e.caret.start.runes || seekCaret.ofs != e.caret.start.ofs {
-				return fmt.Errorf("caret ofs %d, runes %d, expected ofs %d runes %d",
-					e.caret.start.ofs, e.caret.start.runes, seekCaret.ofs, seekCaret.runes)
-			}
 			return nil
 		}
 		if err := consistent(); err != nil {