diff --git a/browser/components/downloads/content/downloadsOverlay.xul b/browser/components/downloads/content/downloadsOverlay.xul
index bfa0687d1cf..71e59779970 100644
--- a/browser/components/downloads/content/downloadsOverlay.xul
+++ b/browser/components/downloads/content/downloadsOverlay.xul
@@ -104,6 +104,10 @@
                    onmouseout="DownloadsView.onDownloadMouseOut(event);"
                    oncontextmenu="DownloadsView.onDownloadContextMenu(event);"
                    ondragstart="DownloadsView.onDownloadDragStart(event);"/>
+      <description id="emptyDownloads"
+                   mousethrough="always">
+         &downloadsPanelEmpty.label;
+      </description>
 
       <vbox id="downloadsFooter">
         <hbox id="downloadsSummary"
diff --git a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/downloads/downloads.dtd b/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/downloads/downloads.dtd
index b62bc3b75ae..feabcc8696b 100644
--- a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/downloads/downloads.dtd
+++ b/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/downloads/downloads.dtd
@@ -84,6 +84,11 @@
      -->
 <!ENTITY downloadsListEmpty.label         "There are no downloads.">
 
+<!-- LOCALIZATION NOTE (downloadsPanelEmpty.label):
+     This string is shown when there are no items in the Downloads Panel.
+     -->
+<!ENTITY downloadsPanelEmpty.label        "No downloads for this session.">
+
 <!-- LOCALIZATION NOTE (downloadsListNoMatch.label):
      This string is shown when some search terms are specified, but there are no
      results in the Downloads view.
diff --git a/browser/themes/linux/downloads/downloads.css b/browser/themes/linux/downloads/downloads.css
index 1f2dfb9541b..dfba21a8cf3 100644
--- a/browser/themes/linux/downloads/downloads.css
+++ b/browser/themes/linux/downloads/downloads.css
@@ -18,13 +18,22 @@
   display: none;
 }
 
+#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #emptyDownloads {
+  display: none;
+}
+
+#emptyDownloads {
+  padding: 10px 20px;
+  max-width: 40ch;
+}
+
 #downloadsHistory {
   background: transparent;
   color: -moz-nativehyperlinktext;
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
-#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter {
+#downloadsFooter {
   border-top: 1px solid ThreeDShadow;
   background-image: linear-gradient(hsla(0,0%,0%,.15), hsla(0,0%,0%,.08) 6px);
 }
diff --git a/browser/themes/osx/downloads/downloads.css b/browser/themes/osx/downloads/downloads.css
index 315851adc51..782e77d2e78 100644
--- a/browser/themes/osx/downloads/downloads.css
+++ b/browser/themes/osx/downloads/downloads.css
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@
   display: none;
 }
 
+#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #emptyDownloads {
+  display: none;
+}
+
+#emptyDownloads {
+  padding: 10px 20px;
+  max-width: 40ch;
+}
+
 #downloadsFooter {
   border-bottom-left-radius: 4px;
   border-bottom-right-radius: 4px;
@@ -33,7 +42,7 @@
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
-#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter {
+#downloadsFooter {
   background: #e5e5e5;
   border-top: 1px solid hsla(0,0%,0%,.1);
   box-shadow: 0 -1px hsla(0,0%,100%,.5) inset, 0 1px 1px hsla(0,0%,0%,.03) inset;
@@ -52,11 +61,6 @@
   -moz-outline-radius-bottomright: 4px;
 }
 
-#downloadsPanel:not([hasdownloads]) > #downloadsFooter > #downloadsHistory:focus {
-  -moz-outline-radius-topleft: 4px;
-  -moz-outline-radius-topright: 4px;
-}
-
 /*** Downloads Summary and List items ***/
 
 #downloadsSummary,
diff --git a/browser/themes/windows/downloads/downloads.css b/browser/themes/windows/downloads/downloads.css
index cc3bae61227..e3b8c57404c 100644
--- a/browser/themes/windows/downloads/downloads.css
+++ b/browser/themes/windows/downloads/downloads.css
@@ -18,6 +18,15 @@
   display: none;
 }
 
+#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #emptyDownloads {
+  display: none;
+}
+
+#emptyDownloads {
+  padding: 10px 20px;
+  max-width: 40ch;
+}
+
 #downloadsHistory {
   background: transparent;
   cursor: pointer;
@@ -44,18 +53,18 @@
   margin: 1em;
 }
 
-#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter {
+#downloadsFooter {
   background-color: hsla(210,4%,10%,.04);
   box-shadow: 0 1px 0 hsla(210,4%,10%,.08) inset;
   transition-duration: 150ms;
   transition-property: background-color;
 }
 
-#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter:hover {
+#downloadsFooter:hover {
   background-color: hsla(210,4%,10%,.05);
 }
 
-#downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter:hover:active {
+#downloadsFooter:hover:active {
   background-color: hsla(210,4%,10%,.1);
   box-shadow: 0 2px 0 0 hsla(210,4%,10%,.1) inset;
 }
@@ -65,15 +74,15 @@
        (-moz-os-version: windows-win7) {
 %endif
 @media (-moz-windows-default-theme) {
-  #downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter {
+  #downloadsFooter {
     border-bottom-left-radius: 3px;
     border-bottom-right-radius: 3px;
     transition-duration: 0s;
   }
 
-  #downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter,
-  #downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter:hover,
-  #downloadsPanel[hasdownloads] > #downloadsFooter:hover:active {
+  #downloadsFooter,
+  #downloadsFooter:hover,
+  #downloadsFooter:hover:active {
 %ifdef WINDOWS_AERO
     background-color: #f1f5fb;
 %else