diff --git a/src/lib/pages/FilesPage.svelte b/src/lib/pages/FilesPage.svelte
index 75aef89..254de44 100644
--- a/src/lib/pages/FilesPage.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/pages/FilesPage.svelte
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@
     <LumotiaPageSkeleton>
       {#snippet header()}
         <div>
-          <h1 class="text-[18px] font-medium text-text leading-tight">File transcription</h1>
+          <h1 class="text-[18px] font-medium text-text leading-tight">File Transcription</h1>
           <p class="text-[12px] text-text-secondary mt-0.5">Transcribe audio files locally.</p>
         </div>
       {/snippet}
@@ -246,19 +246,27 @@
                 </div>
               </div>
             {:else if !fileTranscript}
-              <!-- Empty state: drop zone -->
-              <div
-                class="flex-1 flex flex-col items-center justify-center text-center gap-3 rounded-xl border-2 border-dashed transition-colors duration-150
-                  {isDragOver
-                    ? 'border-[var(--button-primary-bg)] bg-[var(--color-info-bg)]'
-                    : 'border-border-subtle text-text-tertiary'}"
-                role="region"
-                aria-label="Audio file drop zone"
-              >
-                <Upload size={56} class="opacity-50" aria-hidden="true" />
-                <p class="font-display italic text-[28px] text-text">Drop an audio file.</p>
-                <p class="text-[14px] text-text-secondary">Or use Browse files in the action bar.</p>
-                <p class="text-[12px] text-text-tertiary mt-2 font-mono">MP3 · WAV · M4A · MP4 · FLAC · OGG</p>
+              <!-- Empty state: drop zone. Contained within the primary
+                   surface so it doesn't read as one vast empty void. -->
+              <div class="flex-1 flex items-center justify-center">
+                <div
+                  class="w-full max-w-2xl min-h-[280px] flex flex-col items-center justify-center text-center gap-3 px-8 py-10 rounded-xl border-2 border-dashed transition-colors duration-150
+                    {isDragOver
+                      ? 'border-[var(--button-primary-bg)] bg-[var(--color-info-bg)]'
+                      : 'border-border-subtle text-text-tertiary'}"
+                  role="region"
+                  aria-label="Audio file drop zone"
+                >
+                  <Upload size={48} class="opacity-50" aria-hidden="true" />
+                  <p class="font-display italic text-[26px] text-text">Drop an audio file.</p>
+                  <p class="text-[13px] text-text-secondary">Or browse from your computer.</p>
+                  <div class="mt-2">
+                    <LumotiaButton variant="primary" size="sm" disabled={transcribing} onclick={handleBrowse}>
+                      Browse Files
+                    </LumotiaButton>
+                  </div>
+                  <p class="text-[11px] text-text-tertiary mt-3 font-mono">MP3 · WAV · M4A · MP4 · FLAC · OGG</p>
+                </div>
               </div>
             {:else}
               <!-- Transcript display -->
@@ -273,14 +281,18 @@
             {/if}
           </div>
 
-          <!-- Action dock attached to the surface. -->
+          <!-- Action dock attached to the surface. Browse Files stays
+               available as a secondary entry once a file is selected
+               (the empty state's central Browse button is the primary
+               browse affordance). Copy / Export are tertiary and very
+               quiet until transcript content exists. -->
           <div class="flex items-center gap-2 justify-end px-6 py-3 border-t border-border-subtle bg-bg-elevated/40">
             <LumotiaButton
-              variant={fileTranscript ? "secondary" : "primary"}
+              variant="secondary"
               size="sm"
               disabled={transcribing}
               onclick={handleBrowse}
-            >Browse files</LumotiaButton>
+            >Browse Files</LumotiaButton>
             <LumotiaButton variant="tertiary" size="sm" onclick={copyAll} disabled={!fileTranscript}>Copy</LumotiaButton>
             <LumotiaMenu
               align="start"
@@ -294,7 +306,7 @@
               ]}
             >
               {#snippet trigger()}
-                <LumotiaButton variant={fileTranscript ? "primary" : "secondary"} size="sm" disabled={!fileTranscript}>Export</LumotiaButton>
+                <LumotiaButton variant={fileTranscript ? "primary" : "tertiary"} size="sm" disabled={!fileTranscript}>Export</LumotiaButton>
               {/snippet}
             </LumotiaMenu>
           </div>