diff --git a/public/app/features/commandPalette/CommandPalette.tsx b/public/app/features/commandPalette/CommandPalette.tsx
index 7ee00813631..3c3af74f770 100644
--- a/public/app/features/commandPalette/CommandPalette.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/commandPalette/CommandPalette.tsx
@@ -57,10 +57,12 @@ export const CommandPalette = () => {
           <FocusScope contain autoFocus restoreFocus>
             <div {...overlayProps} {...dialogProps}>
               <KBarSearch
-                defaultPlaceholder={t('command-palette.search-box.placeholder', 'Search Grafana')}
+                defaultPlaceholder={t('command-palette.search-box.placeholder', 'Search or jump to...')}
                 className={styles.search}
               />
-              <RenderResults dashboardResults={dashboardResults} />
+              <div className={styles.resultsContainer}>
+                <RenderResults dashboardResults={dashboardResults} />
+              </div>
             </div>
           </FocusScope>
         </KBarAnimator>
@@ -92,22 +94,18 @@ const RenderResults = ({ dashboardResults }: RenderResultsProps) => {
   return (
     <KBarResults
       items={items}
+      maxHeight={650}
       onRender={({ item, active }) => {
-        // These items are rendered in a container, in a virtual list, so we cannot
-        // use :first/last-child selectors, so we must mimic them in JS
-        const isFirstItem = items[0] === item;
-        const isLastItem = items[items.length - 1] === item;
+        const isFirst = items[0] === item;
 
         const renderedItem =
           typeof item === 'string' ? (
-            <div className={styles.sectionHeader}>
-              <div className={cx(styles.sectionHeaderInner, isFirstItem && styles.sectionHeaderInnerFirst)}>{item}</div>
-            </div>
+            <div className={cx(styles.sectionHeader, isFirst && styles.sectionHeaderFirst)}>{item}</div>
           ) : (
             <ResultItem action={item} active={active} currentRootActionId={rootActionId!} />
           );
 
-        return isLastItem ? <div className={styles.lastItem}>{renderedItem}</div> : renderedItem;
+        return renderedItem;
       }}
     />
   );
@@ -129,47 +127,39 @@ const getSearchStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2) => ({
     },
   }),
   animator: css({
-    maxWidth: theme.breakpoints.values.sm, // supposed to be 600...
+    maxWidth: theme.breakpoints.values.md,
     width: '100%',
-    background: theme.colors.background.canvas,
+    background: theme.colors.background.primary,
     color: theme.colors.text.primary,
-    borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius(4),
+    borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius(2),
+    border: `1px solid ${theme.colors.border.weak}`,
     overflow: 'hidden',
     boxShadow: theme.shadows.z3,
   }),
   search: css({
-    padding: theme.spacing(2, 3),
+    padding: theme.spacing(1.5, 2),
     fontSize: theme.typography.fontSize,
     width: '100%',
     boxSizing: 'border-box',
     outline: 'none',
     border: 'none',
-    background: theme.colors.background.canvas,
-    color: theme.colors.text.primary,
-    borderBottom: `1px solid ${theme.colors.border.medium}`,
+    background: theme.components.input.background,
+    color: theme.components.input.text,
+    borderBottom: `1px solid ${theme.colors.border.weak}`,
   }),
-
-  // Virtual list measures margin incorrectly, so we need to split padding before/after border
-  // over and inner and outer element
-  sectionHeader: css({
-    paddingTop: theme.spacing(2),
-    fontSize: theme.typography.h6.fontSize,
-    fontWeight: theme.typography.body.fontWeight,
-    color: theme.colors.text.secondary,
-  }),
-  sectionHeaderInner: css({
-    padding: theme.spacing(1, 2),
-    borderTop: `1px solid ${theme.colors.border.medium}`,
-  }),
-
-  // We don't need the header above the first section
-  sectionHeaderInnerFirst: css({
-    borderTop: 'none',
-    paddingTop: 0,
-  }),
-
-  // Last item gets extra padding so it's not clipped by the rounded corners on the container
-  lastItem: css({
+  resultsContainer: css({
     paddingBottom: theme.spacing(1),
   }),
+  sectionHeader: css({
+    padding: theme.spacing(1.5, 2, 1, 2),
+    fontSize: theme.typography.bodySmall.fontSize,
+    fontWeight: theme.typography.fontWeightMedium,
+    color: theme.colors.text.primary,
+    borderTop: `1px solid ${theme.colors.border.weak}`,
+    marginTop: theme.spacing(1),
+  }),
+  sectionHeaderFirst: css({
+    borderTop: 'none',
+    marginTop: 0,
+  }),
 });
diff --git a/public/app/features/commandPalette/ResultItem.tsx b/public/app/features/commandPalette/ResultItem.tsx
index fc4858fa00e..464276f10e2 100644
--- a/public/app/features/commandPalette/ResultItem.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/commandPalette/ResultItem.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-import { css } from '@emotion/css';
+import { css, cx } from '@emotion/css';
 import { ActionId, ActionImpl } from 'kbar';
 import React from 'react';
 
 import { GrafanaTheme2 } from '@grafana/data';
-import { useTheme2 } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { useStyles2 } from '@grafana/ui';
 
 export const ResultItem = React.forwardRef(
   (
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@ export const ResultItem = React.forwardRef(
       return action.ancestors.slice(index + 1);
     }, [action.ancestors, currentRootActionId]);
 
-    const theme = useTheme2();
-    const styles = getResultItemStyles(theme, active);
+    const styles = useStyles2(getResultItemStyles);
 
     let name = action.name;
 
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@ export const ResultItem = React.forwardRef(
     }
 
     return (
-      <div ref={ref} className={styles.row}>
+      <div ref={ref} className={cx(styles.row, active && styles.activeRow)}>
         <div className={styles.actionContainer}>
           {action.icon}
           <div className={styles.textContainer}>
@@ -63,31 +62,33 @@ export const ResultItem = React.forwardRef(
     );
   }
 );
+
 ResultItem.displayName = 'ResultItem';
 
-const getResultItemStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2, isActive: boolean) => {
-  const textColor = isActive ? theme.colors.text.maxContrast : theme.colors.text.primary;
-  const rowBackgroundColor = isActive ? theme.colors.background.primary : 'transparent';
-  const shortcutBackgroundColor = isActive ? theme.colors.background.secondary : theme.colors.background.primary;
+const getResultItemStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2) => {
   return {
     row: css({
-      color: textColor,
       padding: theme.spacing(1, 2),
-      background: rowBackgroundColor,
       display: 'flex',
       alightItems: 'center',
       justifyContent: 'space-between',
       cursor: 'pointer',
       position: 'relative',
+      borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius(2),
+      margin: theme.spacing(0, 1),
+    }),
+    activeRow: css({
+      color: theme.colors.text.maxContrast,
+      background: theme.colors.emphasize(theme.colors.background.primary, 0.03),
       '&:before': {
-        display: isActive ? 'block' : 'none',
+        display: 'block',
         content: '" "',
         position: 'absolute',
         left: 0,
         top: 0,
         bottom: 0,
         width: theme.spacing(0.5),
-        borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius(1),
+        borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius(2),
         backgroundImage: theme.colors.gradients.brandVertical,
       },
     }),
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ const getResultItemStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2, isActive: boolean) => {
     }),
     shortcut: css({
       padding: theme.spacing(0, 1),
-      background: shortcutBackgroundColor,
+      background: theme.colors.background.secondary,
       borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius(),
       fontSize: theme.typography.fontSize,
     }),
diff --git a/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json b/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
index c2bb24742a0..1f9efec846a 100644
--- a/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
+++ b/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
       "search": "Search"
     },
     "search-box": {
-      "placeholder": "Search Grafana"
+      "placeholder": "Search or jump to..."
     },
     "section": {
       "actions": "Actions",
diff --git a/public/locales/pseudo-LOCALE/grafana.json b/public/locales/pseudo-LOCALE/grafana.json
index b480c15e316..266e11b36c8 100644
--- a/public/locales/pseudo-LOCALE/grafana.json
+++ b/public/locales/pseudo-LOCALE/grafana.json
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
       "search": "Ŝęäřčĥ"
     },
     "search-box": {
-      "placeholder": "Ŝęäřčĥ Ğřäƒäʼnä"
+      "placeholder": "Ŝęäřčĥ őř ĵūmp ŧő..."
     },
     "section": {
       "actions": "Åčŧįőʼnş",