diff --git a/brclient/appstate.go b/brclient/appstate.go
index c24c573c..872cc278 100644
--- a/brclient/appstate.go
+++ b/brclient/appstate.go
@@ -641,6 +641,18 @@ func (as *appState) activeWindowMsgs() string {
 	return msgs
 }
 
+// activeChatWindow returns the currently active chat window or nil if the
+// active window is _not_ a chat window.
+func (as *appState) activeChatWindow() *chatWindow {
+	var res *chatWindow
+	as.chatWindowsMtx.Lock()
+	if as.activeCW >= 0 {
+		res = as.chatWindows[as.activeCW]
+	}
+	as.chatWindowsMtx.Unlock()
+	return res
+}
+
 func (as *appState) rmqLen() int {
 	as.qlenMtx.Lock()
 	l := as.qlen
@@ -2649,7 +2661,12 @@ func newAppState(sendMsg func(tea.Msg), lndLogLines *sloglinesbuffer.Buffer,
 			}
 			as.contentMtx.Unlock()
 
-			as.repaintIfActive(cw)
+			activeCW := as.activeChatWindow()
+			as.sendMsg(msgDownloadCompleted(fid))
+			if activeCW != nil && activeCW != cw {
+				activeCW.newHelpMsg("Download completed: %s", diskPath)
+				as.repaintIfActive(activeCW)
+			}
 		},
 
 		FileDownloadProgress: func(user *client.RemoteUser, fm rpc.FileMetadata,
diff --git a/brclient/mainwindow.go b/brclient/mainwindow.go
index ac9a1e3a..e636220e 100644
--- a/brclient/mainwindow.go
+++ b/brclient/mainwindow.go
@@ -363,6 +363,9 @@ func (mws mainWindowState) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		mws.escStr = ""
 		mws.escMode = false
 
+	case msgDownloadCompleted:
+		mws.updateViewportContent()
+
 	default:
 		// Handle other messages.
 		mws.textArea, cmd = mws.textArea.Update(msg)
diff --git a/brclient/messages.go b/brclient/messages.go
index 05950db2..dd46c010 100644
--- a/brclient/messages.go
+++ b/brclient/messages.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/atotto/clipboard"
 	tea "github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea"
+	"github.com/companyzero/bisonrelay/client/clientdb"
 	"github.com/companyzero/bisonrelay/client/clientintf"
 	"github.com/companyzero/bisonrelay/zkidentity"
 	"github.com/decred/dcrd/dcrutil/v4"
@@ -63,6 +64,8 @@ type msgShowSharedFilesForLink struct{}
 
 type msgProcessEsc struct{}
 
+type msgDownloadCompleted clientdb.FileID
+
 func paste() tea.Msg {
 	str, err := clipboard.ReadAll()
 	if err != nil {