diff --git a/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tests.tsx b/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tests.tsx
index 9543014ff1..3e39dd9d6b 100644
--- a/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tests.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tests.tsx
@@ -127,4 +127,36 @@ describe("DropdownWrapper Component", () => {
     expect(screen.getByText(buttonText)).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByText(/option 2/i)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
+
+  // Regression test for #45853 — react-select tracks the last click as
+  // selectValue and re-focuses it on reopen, leaving the previously-clicked
+  // option visually highlighted. Button variant overrides this by forcing
+  // value to null.
+  test("button variant does not mark a previously-clicked option as selected on reopen", async () => {
+    const buttonText = "Actions";
+    render(
+      <DropdownWrapper
+        options={sampleOptions}
+        onChange={mockOnChange}
+        name="test-dropdown"
+        placeholder={buttonText}
+        variant="button"
+      />
+    );
+
+    // Open, click Option 2, then reopen
+    await userEvent.click(screen.getByText(buttonText));
+    await userEvent.click(screen.getByText(/option 2/i));
+    await userEvent.click(screen.getByText(buttonText));
+
+    // On reopen, no menu option should carry the selected state.
+    // react-select adds `--is-selected` to the option matching `value`; the
+    // fix forces value to null for button variant so this class never appears.
+    const options = document.querySelectorAll(".react-select__option");
+    expect(options.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+    options.forEach((option) =>
+      expect(option.className).not.toMatch(/--is-selected/)
+    );
+  });
 });
diff --git a/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tsx b/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tsx
index 70f2067f19..63c7ae6a83 100644
--- a/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/DropdownWrapper.tsx
@@ -201,16 +201,12 @@ export const generateCustomDropdownStyles = (
               stroke: COLORS["ui-fleet-black-75-over"],
             },
           },
-          ...(state.isFocused && {
-            backgroundColor: COLORS["ui-fleet-black-5"],
-            boxShadow: "none",
-            ".dropdown-wrapper__placeholder": {
-              color: COLORS["ui-fleet-black-75-down"],
-            },
-            ".dropdown-wrapper__indicator path": {
-              stroke: COLORS["ui-fleet-black-75-down"],
-            },
-          }),
+          // Note: state.isFocused is intentionally not used as a highlight
+          // trigger here. react-select's internal input retains focus after
+          // the menu closes (outside click, post-modal-close, etc.), so
+          // styling on it would leave the trigger visually highlighted
+          // indefinitely (#45853). Hover + menuIsOpen cover the meaningful
+          // interactive states for an action button.
           ...(state.menuIsOpen && {
             backgroundColor: COLORS["ui-fleet-black-5"],
             ".dropdown-wrapper__placeholder": {
@@ -459,6 +455,7 @@ const DropdownWrapper = ({
 }: IDropdownWrapper) => {
   const wrapperClassNames = classnames(baseClass, className, {
     [`${baseClass}__table-filter`]: variant === "table-filter",
+    [`${baseClass}__button`]: variant === "button",
     [`${wrapperClassname}`]: !!wrapperClassname,
   });
 
@@ -477,6 +474,13 @@ const DropdownWrapper = ({
 
   // Ability to handle value of type string or CustomOptionType
   const getCurrentValue = () => {
+    // Button variant is a fire-and-forget action menu (selection isn't displayed
+    // via `controlShouldRenderValue`). Forcing null prevents react-select from
+    // tracking the last click as the selected value and re-focusing it on reopen
+    // (#45853).
+    if (variant === "button") {
+      return null;
+    }
     if (typeof value === "string") {
       return options.find((option) => option.value === value) || null;
     }
diff --git a/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/_styles.scss b/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/_styles.scss
index ec7ada57b6..b730b7ce86 100644
--- a/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/_styles.scss
+++ b/frontend/components/forms/fields/DropdownWrapper/_styles.scss
@@ -20,4 +20,14 @@
       height: 36px;
     }
   }
+
+  // Button-variant: background while focused so keyboard tabbing is
+  // visible. Mirrors the menuIsOpen background applied via emotion in
+  // DropdownWrapper.tsx. Inputs always match :focus-visible, so this
+  // also applies on click — that's fine since it matches the open state.
+  &__button {
+    .react-select__control:has(input:focus-visible) {
+      background-color: $ui-fleet-black-5;
+    }
+  }
 }