diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ae7e2e71..02496675 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Changed
+- Clicking empty area of file list focuses the list ([support#856]).
+
+[support#856]: https://github.com/pybricks/support/issues/856
+
 ## [2.0.0-rc.1] - 2022-12-09
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx b/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx
index b453bb1b..abcbaf93 100644
--- a/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx
+++ b/src/explorer/Explorer.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,13 @@ import {
     IconName,
     useHotkeys,
 } from '@blueprintjs/core';
-import React, { useCallback, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
+import React, {
+    MouseEventHandler,
+    useCallback,
+    useMemo,
+    useRef,
+    useState,
+} from 'react';
 import { useId } from 'react-aria';
 import {
     ControlledTreeEnvironment,
@@ -20,6 +26,7 @@ import {
     Tree,
     TreeItem,
     TreeItemIndex,
+    TreeRef,
     useTree,
     useTreeEnvironment,
 } from 'react-complex-tree';
@@ -383,6 +390,19 @@ const FileTree: React.VoidFunctionComponent = () => {
     const dispatch = useDispatch();
     const i18n = useI18n();
 
+    const treeRef = useRef<TreeRef>(null);
+
+    const handleMouseDown = useCallback<MouseEventHandler>(
+        (e) => {
+            e.preventDefault();
+            e.stopPropagation();
+
+            // clicking the empty area of the tree should focus the tree
+            treeRef.current?.focusTree();
+        },
+        [treeRef],
+    );
+
     return (
         <ControlledTreeEnvironment<FileTreeItemData>
             {...renderers}
@@ -399,11 +419,12 @@ const FileTree: React.VoidFunctionComponent = () => {
                 )
             }
         >
-            <div className="pb-explorer-file-tree">
+            <div className="pb-explorer-file-tree" onMouseDown={handleMouseDown}>
                 <Tree
                     treeId={treeId}
                     rootItem={rootItemIndex}
                     treeLabel={i18n.translate('tree.label')}
+                    ref={treeRef}
                 />
             </div>
         </ControlledTreeEnvironment>
diff --git a/src/explorer/explorer.scss b/src/explorer/explorer.scss
index 0ce5148a..f150c603 100644
--- a/src/explorer/explorer.scss
+++ b/src/explorer/explorer.scss
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
     }
 
     &-file-tree {
+        flex: 1 auto;
         overflow-y: auto;
 
         & .#{bp.$ns}-tree-node-list {