diff --git a/ui/dev/harness.html b/ui/dev/harness.html
index e7073d2..cbab2cc 100644
--- a/ui/dev/harness.html
+++ b/ui/dev/harness.html
@@ -91,7 +91,9 @@
         </table>
       </figure>
       <figure class="cell" style="margin:0">
-        <figcaption>ours — focused panel (is-active): selected + cursor</figcaption>
+        <figcaption>ours — focused pane (top) vs unfocused pane (bottom)</figcaption>
+        <!-- Focused pane: strong band on selected rows AND the cursor row;
+             the cursor row additionally gets the dotted focus rect. -->
         <table class="is-active">
           <colgroup>
             <col />
@@ -107,9 +109,30 @@
           </thead>
           <tbody>
             <tr><td>..</td><td style="text-align:right">—</td><td>—</td></tr>
-            <tr><td>Documents</td><td style="text-align:right">—</td><td>3/29/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
+            <tr class="highlighted"><td>Documents</td><td style="text-align:right">—</td><td>3/29/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
             <tr class="highlighted"><td>report.pdf</td><td style="text-align:right">27 KB</td><td>3/23/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
-            <tr class="is-cursor"><td>notes.txt</td><td style="text-align:right">4 KB</td><td>3/13/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
+            <tr class="highlighted is-cursor"><td>notes.txt</td><td style="text-align:right">4 KB</td><td>3/13/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
+          </tbody>
+        </table>
+        <!-- Unfocused pane: same rows, faint inactive wash, no dots. -->
+        <table style="margin-top:10px">
+          <colgroup>
+            <col />
+            <col style="width: 5.5rem" />
+            <col style="width: 8.5rem" />
+          </colgroup>
+          <thead>
+            <tr>
+              <th>Name</th>
+              <th style="text-align:right">Size</th>
+              <th>Modified</th>
+            </tr>
+          </thead>
+          <tbody>
+            <tr><td>..</td><td style="text-align:right">—</td><td>—</td></tr>
+            <tr class="highlighted"><td>Documents</td><td style="text-align:right">—</td><td>3/29/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
+            <tr><td>report.pdf</td><td style="text-align:right">27 KB</td><td>3/23/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
+            <tr class="highlighted"><td>notes.txt</td><td style="text-align:right">4 KB</td><td>3/13/2007 12:00 AM</td></tr>
           </tbody>
         </table>
       </figure>
diff --git a/ui/src/app/file-panel/file-panel.html b/ui/src/app/file-panel/file-panel.html
index 31b2c96..d1098cf 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/file-panel/file-panel.html
+++ b/ui/src/app/file-panel/file-panel.html
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@
           (click)="rowClick($event, i)"
           (dblclick)="openAt(i)"
           (contextmenu)="rowContextMenu($event, i)"
-          [class.highlighted]="isSelected(entry)"
+          [class.highlighted]="isSelected(entry) || i === panel().cursor()"
           [class.is-cursor]="i === panel().cursor() && isActive()"
         >
           <td>
diff --git a/ui/src/styles.css b/ui/src/styles.css
index 55ae84e..0fab48e 100644
--- a/ui/src/styles.css
+++ b/ui/src/styles.css
@@ -639,19 +639,24 @@ body {
     border-color: var(--w7-li-bd-hl);
   }
 
-  /* Selection in the FOCUSED panel. 7.css's tr.highlighted is Win7's *inactive*
-     selection — a near-white wash that is almost invisible when it is the
-     panel you are actually working in. Win7 drew the focused pane's selection
-     as the stronger Aero band, which is what --w7-el-grad-h/-bd-h already are
-     (and the dark palette restates them, so this recolours for free). */
+  /* Pane-focus model (commander convention, matching Win7 Explorer):
+     the CURSOR ROW always carries the selection band in BOTH panels —
+     tr.highlighted covers "selected via Space" AND "cursor row" (the template
+     ORs them). What changes with pane focus is the band's strength, never
+     whether it exists:
+       - focused pane   -> strong Aero band (below)
+       - unfocused pane -> 7.css's own tr.highlighted, which IS Win7's
+         inactive-selection wash — faint by design, not a bug.
+     The dotted focus rectangle is NOT the focus signal; it is layered on top
+     of the band in the focused pane only, the way Win7 drew the keyboard
+     focus rect over the selected item. */
   .win7 table.is-active > tbody > tr.highlighted {
     background: var(--w7-el-grad-h);
     border-color: var(--w7-el-bd-h);
   }
 
-  /* The keyboard cursor: one dotted focus rectangle around the ROW, the way
-     Win7 drew a focused-but-unselected item. Applying this per cell (tr > *)
-     draws a dotted box around every cell instead — visibly wrong. */
+  /* One dotted rectangle around the ROW; per cell (tr > *) draws a dotted box
+     around every cell instead — visibly wrong. */
   .win7 table > tbody > tr.is-cursor {
     outline: 1px dotted var(--w7-el-c);
     outline-offset: -1px;