diff --git a/src/DynamoCoreWpf/ViewModels/PackageManager/PackageManagerViewModel.cs b/src/DynamoCoreWpf/ViewModels/PackageManager/PackageManagerViewModel.cs
index 6844339f966..b5cf8ca24d8 100644
--- a/src/DynamoCoreWpf/ViewModels/PackageManager/PackageManagerViewModel.cs
+++ b/src/DynamoCoreWpf/ViewModels/PackageManager/PackageManagerViewModel.cs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-using Dynamo.Controls;
+using System;
+using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
 using Dynamo.ViewModels;
 using NotificationObject = Dynamo.Core.NotificationObject;
-using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
 
 namespace Dynamo.PackageManager
 {
@@ -53,6 +53,12 @@ public PackageManagerViewModel(DynamoViewModel dynamoViewModel, PackageManagerSe
             PkgSearchVM.RegisterTransientHandlers();
 
             LocalPackages.CollectionChanged += LocalPackages_CollectionChanged;
+
+            // We are forced to make the update ourselves if the Preferences ViewModel has not been initialized yet
+            if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(PreferencesViewModel?.SelectedPackagePathForInstall))
+            {
+                PreferencesViewModel.SelectedPackagePathForInstall = dynamoViewModel.PreferenceSettings.SelectedPackagePathForInstall;
+            }
         }
 
         private void LocalPackages_CollectionChanged(object sender, System.Collections.Specialized.NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
diff --git a/src/DynamoCoreWpf/Views/PackageManager/PackageManagerView.xaml b/src/DynamoCoreWpf/Views/PackageManager/PackageManagerView.xaml
index 239bed5d29e..91e5ed4e768 100644
--- a/src/DynamoCoreWpf/Views/PackageManager/PackageManagerView.xaml
+++ b/src/DynamoCoreWpf/Views/PackageManager/PackageManagerView.xaml
@@ -33,6 +33,18 @@
             <controls:EmptyListToVisibilityConverter x:Key="EmptyListToVisibilityConverter" />
             <BooleanToVisibilityConverter x:Key="BooleanToVisibilityConverter" />
 
+            <Style x:Key="PkgMngTextBlockStyle" TargetType="TextBlock">
+                <Setter Property="Width" Value="Auto" />
+                <Setter Property="Margin" Value="0 5" />
+                <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Stretch" />
+                <Setter Property="Background" Value="#2F2E30" />
+                <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="#EEEEEE" />
+                <Setter Property="FontFamily" Value="{StaticResource ArtifaktElementRegular}" />
+                <Setter Property="FontStyle" Value="Normal" />
+                <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="12px " />
+                <Setter Property="Focusable" Value="False" />
+                <Setter Property="Padding" Value="5 10"/>
+            </Style> 
             <Style x:Key="PkgMngListBoxStyle" TargetType="ListBox">
                 <Setter Property="Width" Value="Auto" />
                 <Setter Property="Margin" Value="0 5" />
@@ -486,17 +498,16 @@
                                                          Style="{StaticResource GenericToolTipLight}" />
                                             </Label.ToolTip>
                                         </Label>
-                                        <ListBox Grid.Row="1"
+                                        <!-- Default download path -->
+                                        <TextBlock Grid.Row="1"
                                                  x:Name="PackageDownloadDirectoryListBox"
-                                                 Style="{DynamicResource PkgMngListBoxStyle}"
-                                                 ItemContainerStyle="{DynamicResource PkgMngListBoxItemStyle}"
-                                                 ItemsSource="{Binding Path=PackagePathsForInstall}"
-                                                 SelectedItem="{Binding Path=SelectedPackagePathForInstall}">
-                                            <ListBox.ToolTip>
+                                                 Style="{StaticResource PkgMngTextBlockStyle}"
+                                                 Text="{Binding Path=SelectedPackagePathForInstall, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}">
+                                            <TextBlock.ToolTip>
                                                 <ToolTip Content="{Binding Path=SelectedPackagePathForInstall}"
                                                          Style="{StaticResource GenericToolTipLight}" />
-                                            </ListBox.ToolTip>
-                                        </ListBox>
+                                            </TextBlock.ToolTip>
+                                        </TextBlock>
 
                                         <Label Content="{x:Static p:Resources.PackagePathPreferencesTitle}"
                                                Padding="5,5,5,5"