diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadNotebook.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadNotebook.ts
index 4fa8ec78327..fcf208ae94a 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadNotebook.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadNotebook.ts
@@ -238,11 +238,6 @@ export class MainThreadNotebookController implements IMainNotebookController {
 		document?.textModel.updateRenderers(renderers);
 	}
 
-	updateNotebookActiveCell(uri: URI, cellHandle: number): void {
-		let mainthreadNotebook = this._mapping.get(URI.from(uri).toString());
-		mainthreadNotebook?.textModel.updateActiveCell(cellHandle);
-	}
-
 	async createRawCell(uri: URI, index: number, language: string, type: CellKind): Promise<NotebookCellTextModel | undefined> {
 		let cell = await this._proxy.$createEmptyCell(this._viewType, uri, index, language, type);
 		if (cell) {
@@ -263,14 +258,6 @@ export class MainThreadNotebookController implements IMainNotebookController {
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	async executeNotebookActiveCell(uri: URI): Promise<void> {
-		let mainthreadNotebook = this._mapping.get(URI.from(uri).toString());
-
-		if (mainthreadNotebook && mainthreadNotebook.textModel.activeCell) {
-			return this._proxy.$executeNotebook(this._viewType, uri, mainthreadNotebook.textModel.activeCell.handle);
-		}
-	}
-
 	async executeNotebookCell(uri: URI, handle: number): Promise<void> {
 		return this._proxy.$executeNotebook(this._viewType, uri, handle);
 	}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditor.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditor.ts
index 71ce20a178a..bfbc5ab913f 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditor.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookEditor.ts
@@ -382,12 +382,6 @@ export class NotebookEditor extends BaseEditor implements INotebookEditor {
 			}
 		}));
 
-		this.localStore.add(this.list!.onDidChangeFocus((e) => {
-			if (e.elements.length > 0) {
-				this.notebookService.updateNotebookActiveCell(input.viewType!, input.resource!, e.elements[0].handle);
-			}
-		}));
-
 		this.list?.splice(0, this.list?.length || 0);
 		this.list?.splice(0, 0, this.notebookViewModel!.viewCells as CellViewModel[]);
 		this.list?.layout();
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookService.ts
index 78b42f6b515..98ef0a91973 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/notebookService.ts
@@ -26,10 +26,8 @@ export const INotebookService = createDecorator<INotebookService>('notebookServi
 export interface IMainNotebookController {
 	resolveNotebook(viewType: string, uri: URI): Promise<NotebookTextModel | undefined>;
 	executeNotebook(viewType: string, uri: URI): Promise<void>;
-	updateNotebookActiveCell(uri: URI, cellHandle: number): void;
 	createRawCell(uri: URI, index: number, language: string, type: CellKind): Promise<NotebookCellTextModel | undefined>;
 	deleteCell(uri: URI, index: number): Promise<boolean>
-	executeNotebookActiveCell(uri: URI): Promise<void>;
 	onDidReceiveMessage(uri: URI, message: any): void;
 	executeNotebookCell(uri: URI, handle: number): Promise<void>;
 	destoryNotebookDocument(notebook: INotebookTextModel): Promise<void>;
@@ -47,12 +45,10 @@ export interface INotebookService {
 	getRendererInfo(handle: number): INotebookRendererInfo | undefined;
 	resolveNotebook(viewType: string, uri: URI): Promise<NotebookTextModel | undefined>;
 	executeNotebook(viewType: string, uri: URI): Promise<void>;
-	executeNotebookActiveCell(viewType: string, uri: URI): Promise<void>;
 	executeNotebookCell(viewType: string, uri: URI, handle: number): Promise<void>;
 
 	getContributedNotebookProviders(resource: URI): readonly NotebookProviderInfo[];
 	getNotebookProviderResourceRoots(): URI[];
-	updateNotebookActiveCell(viewType: string, resource: URI, cellHandle: number): void;
 	createNotebookCell(viewType: string, resource: URI, index: number, language: string, type: CellKind): Promise<ICell | undefined>;
 	deleteNotebookCell(viewType: string, resource: URI, index: number): Promise<boolean>;
 	destoryNotebookDocument(viewType: string, notebook: INotebookTextModel): void;
@@ -245,14 +241,6 @@ export class NotebookService extends Disposable implements INotebookService {
 		return modelData.model;
 	}
 
-	updateNotebookActiveCell(viewType: string, resource: URI, cellHandle: number): void {
-		let provider = this._notebookProviders.get(viewType);
-
-		if (provider) {
-			provider.controller.updateNotebookActiveCell(resource, cellHandle);
-		}
-	}
-
 	async createNotebookCell(viewType: string, resource: URI, index: number, language: string, type: CellKind): Promise<NotebookCellTextModel | undefined> {
 		let provider = this._notebookProviders.get(viewType);
 
@@ -283,14 +271,6 @@ export class NotebookService extends Disposable implements INotebookService {
 		return;
 	}
 
-	async executeNotebookActiveCell(viewType: string, uri: URI): Promise<void> {
-		let provider = this._notebookProviders.get(viewType);
-
-		if (provider) {
-			await provider.controller.executeNotebookActiveCell(uri);
-		}
-	}
-
 	async executeNotebookCell(viewType: string, uri: URI, handle: number): Promise<void> {
 		const provider = this._notebookProviders.get(viewType);
 		if (provider) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/common/model/notebookTextModel.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/common/model/notebookTextModel.ts
index ccce0be30a4..9d6b3a0ec5b 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/common/model/notebookTextModel.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/common/model/notebookTextModel.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ export class NotebookTextModel extends Disposable implements INotebookTextModel
 	private _mapping: Map<number, NotebookCellTextModel> = new Map();
 	private _cellListeners: Map<number, IDisposable> = new Map();
 	cells: NotebookCellTextModel[];
-	activeCell: NotebookCellTextModel | undefined;
 	languages: string[] = [];
 	metadata: NotebookDocumentMetadata | undefined = undefined;
 	renderers = new Set<number>();
@@ -47,10 +46,6 @@ export class NotebookTextModel extends Disposable implements INotebookTextModel
 		});
 	}
 
-	updateActiveCell(handle: number) {
-		this.activeCell = this._mapping.get(handle);
-	}
-
 	insertNewCell(index: number, cell: NotebookCellTextModel): void {
 		this._mapping.set(cell.handle, cell);
 		this.cells.splice(index, 0, cell);