diff --git a/src/vs/editor/browser/viewParts/indentGuides/indentGuides.ts b/src/vs/editor/browser/viewParts/indentGuides/indentGuides.ts
index 7509cb3f777c4b6f5a69cc2c3ed05624e6635c8b..aef3582c374f011dad4be6b183417f7c08ceb56b 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/browser/viewParts/indentGuides/indentGuides.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/browser/viewParts/indentGuides/indentGuides.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export class IndentGuidesOverlay extends DynamicViewOverlay {
 	private _spaceWidth: number;
 	private _renderResult: string[];
 	private _enabled: boolean;
+	private _activeIndentEnabled: boolean;
 
 	constructor(context: ViewContext) {
 		super();
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ export class IndentGuidesOverlay extends DynamicViewOverlay {
 		this._lineHeight = this._context.configuration.editor.lineHeight;
 		this._spaceWidth = this._context.configuration.editor.fontInfo.spaceWidth;
 		this._enabled = this._context.configuration.editor.viewInfo.renderIndentGuides;
+		this._activeIndentEnabled = this._context.configuration.editor.viewInfo.highlightActiveIndentGuide;
 		this._renderResult = null;
 
 		this._context.addEventHandler(this);
@@ -53,6 +55,7 @@ export class IndentGuidesOverlay extends DynamicViewOverlay {
 		}
 		if (e.viewInfo) {
 			this._enabled = this._context.configuration.editor.viewInfo.renderIndentGuides;
+			this._activeIndentEnabled = this._context.configuration.editor.viewInfo.highlightActiveIndentGuide;
 		}
 		return true;
 	}
@@ -114,7 +117,7 @@ export class IndentGuidesOverlay extends DynamicViewOverlay {
 		let activeIndentStartLineNumber = 0;
 		let activeIndentEndLineNumber = 0;
 		let activeIndentLevel = 0;
-		if (this._primaryLineNumber) {
+		if (this._activeIndentEnabled && this._primaryLineNumber) {
 			const activeIndentInfo = this._context.model.getActiveIndentGuide(this._primaryLineNumber, visibleStartLineNumber, visibleEndLineNumber);
 			activeIndentStartLineNumber = activeIndentInfo.startLineNumber;
 			activeIndentEndLineNumber = activeIndentInfo.endLineNumber;
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts
index 9077cbe130a6add3902f573db3b823b8dad8632e..7bbf39121f78dbc2d4da33fee4e92f67cf9c1457 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts
@@ -572,6 +572,11 @@ const editorConfiguration: IConfigurationNode = {
 			default: EDITOR_DEFAULTS.viewInfo.renderIndentGuides,
 			description: nls.localize('renderIndentGuides', "Controls whether the editor should render indent guides")
 		},
+		'editor.highlightActiveIndentGuide': {
+			'type': 'boolean',
+			default: EDITOR_DEFAULTS.viewInfo.highlightActiveIndentGuide,
+			description: nls.localize('highlightActiveIndentGuide', "Controls whether the editor should highlight the active indent guide")
+		},
 		'editor.renderLineHighlight': {
 			'type': 'string',
 			'enum': ['none', 'gutter', 'line', 'all'],
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts
index 8a7b483c0e23e72e0ea0727dcfa0d949f89c3dba..81f616e224f97333837a79ee0bedbaa87d7f317f 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts
@@ -549,9 +549,14 @@ export interface IEditorOptions {
 	renderControlCharacters?: boolean;
 	/**
 	 * Enable rendering of indent guides.
-	 * Defaults to false.
+	 * Defaults to true.
 	 */
 	renderIndentGuides?: boolean;
+	/**
+	 * Enable highlighting of the active indent guide.
+	 * Defaults to true.
+	 */
+	highlightActiveIndentGuide?: boolean;
 	/**
 	 * Enable rendering of current line highlight.
 	 * Defaults to all.
@@ -845,6 +850,7 @@ export interface InternalEditorViewOptions {
 	readonly renderControlCharacters: boolean;
 	readonly fontLigatures: boolean;
 	readonly renderIndentGuides: boolean;
+	readonly highlightActiveIndentGuide: boolean;
 	readonly renderLineHighlight: 'none' | 'gutter' | 'line' | 'all';
 	readonly scrollbar: InternalEditorScrollbarOptions;
 	readonly minimap: InternalEditorMinimapOptions;
@@ -1131,6 +1137,7 @@ export class InternalEditorOptions {
 			&& a.renderControlCharacters === b.renderControlCharacters
 			&& a.fontLigatures === b.fontLigatures
 			&& a.renderIndentGuides === b.renderIndentGuides
+			&& a.highlightActiveIndentGuide === b.highlightActiveIndentGuide
 			&& a.renderLineHighlight === b.renderLineHighlight
 			&& this._equalsScrollbarOptions(a.scrollbar, b.scrollbar)
 			&& this._equalsMinimapOptions(a.minimap, b.minimap)
@@ -1748,6 +1755,7 @@ export class EditorOptionsValidator {
 			renderControlCharacters: _boolean(opts.renderControlCharacters, defaults.renderControlCharacters),
 			fontLigatures: fontLigatures,
 			renderIndentGuides: _boolean(opts.renderIndentGuides, defaults.renderIndentGuides),
+			highlightActiveIndentGuide: _boolean(opts.highlightActiveIndentGuide, defaults.highlightActiveIndentGuide),
 			renderLineHighlight: renderLineHighlight,
 			scrollbar: scrollbar,
 			minimap: minimap,
@@ -1862,6 +1870,7 @@ export class InternalEditorOptionsFactory {
 				renderControlCharacters: (accessibilityIsOn ? false : opts.viewInfo.renderControlCharacters), // DISABLED WHEN SCREEN READER IS ATTACHED
 				fontLigatures: (accessibilityIsOn ? false : opts.viewInfo.fontLigatures), // DISABLED WHEN SCREEN READER IS ATTACHED
 				renderIndentGuides: (accessibilityIsOn ? false : opts.viewInfo.renderIndentGuides), // DISABLED WHEN SCREEN READER IS ATTACHED
+				highlightActiveIndentGuide: opts.viewInfo.highlightActiveIndentGuide,
 				renderLineHighlight: opts.viewInfo.renderLineHighlight,
 				scrollbar: opts.viewInfo.scrollbar,
 				minimap: {
@@ -2315,6 +2324,7 @@ export const EDITOR_DEFAULTS: IValidatedEditorOptions = {
 		renderControlCharacters: false,
 		fontLigatures: false,
 		renderIndentGuides: true,
+		highlightActiveIndentGuide: true,
 		renderLineHighlight: 'line',
 		scrollbar: {
 			vertical: ScrollbarVisibility.Auto,
diff --git a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
index 3f50cc1a7fea8b423ebc814acede396786253cb2..3808fa5b956e5bd2e78dfdaa7961f4bac795bb41 100644
--- a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
@@ -2891,9 +2891,14 @@ declare namespace monaco.editor {
 		renderControlCharacters?: boolean;
 		/**
 		 * Enable rendering of indent guides.
-		 * Defaults to false.
+		 * Defaults to true.
 		 */
 		renderIndentGuides?: boolean;
+		/**
+		 * Enable highlighting of the active indent guide.
+		 * Defaults to true.
+		 */
+		highlightActiveIndentGuide?: boolean;
 		/**
 		 * Enable rendering of current line highlight.
 		 * Defaults to all.
@@ -3124,6 +3129,7 @@ declare namespace monaco.editor {
 		readonly renderControlCharacters: boolean;
 		readonly fontLigatures: boolean;
 		readonly renderIndentGuides: boolean;
+		readonly highlightActiveIndentGuide: boolean;
 		readonly renderLineHighlight: 'none' | 'gutter' | 'line' | 'all';
 		readonly scrollbar: InternalEditorScrollbarOptions;
 		readonly minimap: InternalEditorMinimapOptions;