diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditorWidget.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditorWidget.ts
index cb56c3475d7..1918231eeb4 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditorWidget.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditorWidget.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import { registerThemingParticipant } from 'vs/platform/theme/common/themeServic
 import { EditorMemento } from 'vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/baseEditor';
 import { EditorOptions, IEditorMemento } from 'vs/workbench/common/editor';
 import { CELL_MARGIN, CELL_RUN_GUTTER, EDITOR_BOTTOM_PADDING, EDITOR_TOP_MARGIN, EDITOR_TOP_PADDING, SCROLLABLE_ELEMENT_PADDING_TOP, BOTTOM_CELL_TOOLBAR_HEIGHT, CELL_BOTTOM_MARGIN, CODE_CELL_LEFT_MARGIN } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/constants';
-import { CellEditState, CellFocusMode, ICellRange, ICellViewModel, INotebookCellList, INotebookEditor, INotebookEditorContribution, INotebookEditorMouseEvent, NotebookLayoutInfo, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_EDITABLE, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_EXECUTING_NOTEBOOK, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_FOCUSED, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_RUNNABLE, NOTEBOOK_HAS_MULTIPLE_KERNELS, NOTEBOOK_OUTPUT_FOCUSED, INotebookDeltaDecoration, NOTEBOOK_CELL_LIST_FOCUSED } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookBrowser';
+import { CellEditState, CellFocusMode, ICellRange, ICellViewModel, INotebookCellList, INotebookEditor, INotebookEditorContribution, INotebookEditorMouseEvent, NotebookLayoutInfo, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_EDITABLE, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_EXECUTING_NOTEBOOK, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_FOCUSED, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_RUNNABLE, NOTEBOOK_HAS_MULTIPLE_KERNELS, NOTEBOOK_OUTPUT_FOCUSED, INotebookDeltaDecoration } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookBrowser';
 import { NotebookEditorExtensionsRegistry } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditorExtensions';
 import { NotebookCellList } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/view/notebookCellList';
 import { OutputRenderer } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/view/output/outputRenderer';
@@ -86,9 +86,7 @@ export class NotebookEditorWidget extends Disposable implements INotebookEditor
 	private _dimension: DOM.Dimension | null = null;
 	private _shadowElementViewInfo: { height: number, width: number, top: number; left: number; } | null = null;
 
-	private _cellListFocusTracker: DOM.IFocusTracker | null = null;
 	private _editorFocus: IContextKey<boolean> | null = null;
-	private _cellListFocus: IContextKey<boolean> | null = null;
 	private _outputFocus: IContextKey<boolean> | null = null;
 	private _editorEditable: IContextKey<boolean> | null = null;
 	private _editorRunnable: IContextKey<boolean> | null = null;
@@ -239,12 +237,6 @@ export class NotebookEditorWidget extends Disposable implements INotebookEditor
 		// Note - focus going to the webview will fire 'blur', but the webview element will be
 		// a descendent of the notebook editor root.
 		const focused = DOM.isAncestor(document.activeElement, this._overlayContainer);
-		if (focused) {
-			const cellListFocused = DOM.isAncestor(document.activeElement, this._body);
-			this._cellListFocus?.set(cellListFocused);
-		} else {
-			this._cellListFocus?.set(false);
-		}
 		this._editorFocus?.set(focused);
 		this._notebookViewModel?.setFocus(focused);
 	}
@@ -265,7 +257,6 @@ export class NotebookEditorWidget extends Disposable implements INotebookEditor
 		this._createBody(this._overlayContainer);
 		this._generateFontInfo();
 		this._editorFocus = NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_FOCUSED.bindTo(this.contextKeyService);
-		this._cellListFocus = NOTEBOOK_CELL_LIST_FOCUSED.bindTo(this.contextKeyService);
 		this._isVisible = true;
 		this._outputFocus = NOTEBOOK_OUTPUT_FOCUSED.bindTo(this.contextKeyService);
 		this._editorEditable = NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_EDITABLE.bindTo(this.contextKeyService);
@@ -403,17 +394,6 @@ export class NotebookEditorWidget extends Disposable implements INotebookEditor
 		this._register(widgetFocusTracker);
 		this._register(widgetFocusTracker.onDidFocus(() => this._onDidFocusEmitter.fire()));
 
-		this._cellListFocusTracker = this._register(DOM.trackFocus(this._body));
-		this._register(this._cellListFocusTracker.onDidFocus(() => {
-			// hack - FocusTracker forces 'blur' to run after 'focus'.
-			// We want the other way around so that when switching from notebook to notebook, the focus happens last
-			setTimeout(() => {
-				this.updateEditorFocus();
-			}, 0);
-		}));
-		this._register(this._cellListFocusTracker.onDidBlur(() => {
-			this.updateEditorFocus();
-		}));
 	}
 
 	private _updateForCursorNavigationMode(applyFocusChange: () => void): void {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/view/notebookCellList.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/view/notebookCellList.ts
index ffd7d4f2e1b..249623eca74 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/view/notebookCellList.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/view/notebookCellList.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { IContextKeyService } from 'vs/platform/contextkey/common/contextkey';
 import { IKeybindingService } from 'vs/platform/keybinding/common/keybinding';
 import { IListService, IWorkbenchListOptions, WorkbenchList } from 'vs/platform/list/browser/listService';
 import { IThemeService } from 'vs/platform/theme/common/themeService';
-import { CellRevealPosition, CellRevealType, CursorAtBoundary, getVisibleCells, ICellRange, ICellViewModel, INotebookCellList, reduceCellRanges, CellEditState, CellFocusMode, BaseCellRenderTemplate } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookBrowser';
+import { CellRevealPosition, CellRevealType, CursorAtBoundary, getVisibleCells, ICellRange, ICellViewModel, INotebookCellList, reduceCellRanges, CellEditState, CellFocusMode, BaseCellRenderTemplate, NOTEBOOK_CELL_LIST_FOCUSED } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookBrowser';
 import { CellViewModel, NotebookViewModel } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/viewModel/notebookViewModel';
 import { diff, IProcessedOutput, NOTEBOOK_EDITOR_CURSOR_BOUNDARY, CellKind } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/common/notebookCommon';
 import { clamp } from 'vs/base/common/numbers';
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ export class NotebookCellList extends WorkbenchList<CellViewModel> implements ID
 		@IKeybindingService keybindingService: IKeybindingService
 	) {
 		super(listUser, container, delegate, renderers, options, contextKeyService, listService, themeService, configurationService, keybindingService);
+		NOTEBOOK_CELL_LIST_FOCUSED.bindTo(this.contextKeyService).set(true);
 		this._focusNextPreviousDelegate = options.focusNextPreviousDelegate;
 		this._previousFocusedElements = this.getFocusedElements();
 		this._localDisposableStore.add(this.onDidChangeFocus((e) => {