diff --git a/src/vs/base/browser/ui/list/listWidget.ts b/src/vs/base/browser/ui/list/listWidget.ts
index d297818a787..a2369887693 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/browser/ui/list/listWidget.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/browser/ui/list/listWidget.ts
@@ -904,7 +904,7 @@ export class List<T> implements ISpliceable<T>, IDisposable {
 
 		this.onDidFocus = mapEvent(domEvent(this.view.domNode, 'focus', true), () => null);
 		this.onDidBlur = mapEvent(domEvent(this.view.domNode, 'blur', true), () => null);
-
+		this.onDidFocus(() => this.focusFirstItemIfNothingFocused(), this, this.disposables);
 		this.disposables.push(new DOMFocusController(this, this.view));
 
 		if (typeof options.keyboardSupport !== 'boolean' || options.keyboardSupport) {
@@ -952,6 +952,12 @@ export class List<T> implements ISpliceable<T>, IDisposable {
 		this.view.setScrollTop(scrollTop);
 	}
 
+	private focusFirstItemIfNothingFocused() {
+		if (this.getSelection().length === 0 && this.getFocus().length === 0) {
+			this.focusFirst();
+		}
+	}
+
 	domFocus(): void {
 		this.view.domNode.focus();
 	}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViewlet.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViewlet.ts
index 4a3e0cd9828..ab2bfa52461 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViewlet.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViewlet.ts
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ export class ExtensionsViewlet extends ViewContainerViewlet implements IExtensio
 	}
 
 	private focusListView(): void {
-		this.panels[0].focus();
+		(<ExtensionsListView>this.panels[0]).focus();
 	}
 
 	private onViewletOpen(viewlet: IViewlet): void {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViews.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViews.ts
index b2138e2ede2..2d45341934b 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViews.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/extensions/electron-browser/extensionsViews.ts
@@ -645,9 +645,6 @@ export class ExtensionsListView extends ViewletPanel {
 	focus(): void {
 		super.focus();
 		this.list.domFocus();
-		if (this.list.getSelection().length === 0 && this.list.getFocus().length === 0) {
-			this.list.focusNext();
-		}
 	}
 }