diff --git a/src/vs/editor/browser/editorBrowser.ts b/src/vs/editor/browser/editorBrowser.ts
index 74d75937ecb9763e99179ddcfe7a653efe40a7cd..50eed2efb08e5508e7cdf9240486113e8d953b18 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/browser/editorBrowser.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/browser/editorBrowser.ts
@@ -864,6 +864,11 @@ export interface IDiffEditor extends editorCommon.IEditor {
 	 * @internal
 	 */
 	readonly renderIndicators: boolean;
+	/**
+	 * Timeout in milliseconds after which diff computation is cancelled.
+	 * @internal
+	 */
+	readonly maxComputationTime: number;
 
 	/**
 	 * @see ICodeEditor.getDomNode
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/browser/widget/diffEditorWidget.ts b/src/vs/editor/browser/widget/diffEditorWidget.ts
index 5577af47766e900729312be693da6f2377ac9eab..4bf628a285d8c5bf01272c3f30ca09a46274e96c 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/browser/widget/diffEditorWidget.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/browser/widget/diffEditorWidget.ts
@@ -400,6 +400,10 @@ export class DiffEditorWidget extends Disposable implements editorBrowser.IDiffE
 		return this._renderSideBySide;
 	}
 
+	public get maxComputationTime(): number {
+		return this._maxComputationTime;
+	}
+
 	public get renderIndicators(): boolean {
 		return this._renderIndicators;
 	}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/diffEditorHelper.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/diffEditorHelper.ts
index c994e96d83ae01f5899b0416da8a2c0c760ed6ee..878fba9d4572d89fa7b53f20a64e134d7aaf5e34 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/diffEditorHelper.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/codeEditor/browser/diffEditorHelper.ts
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ import { FloatingClickWidget } from 'vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorWid
 import { IDiffComputationResult } from 'vs/editor/common/services/editorWorkerService';
 import { IInstantiationService } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/instantiation';
 import { IConfigurationService, ConfigurationTarget } from 'vs/platform/configuration/common/configuration';
+import { INotificationService, Severity } from 'vs/platform/notification/common/notification';
 
 const enum WidgetState {
 	Hidden,
-	HintWhitespace,
-	HintTimeout
+	HintWhitespace
 }
 
 class DiffEditorHelperContribution extends Disposable implements IEditorContribution {
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ class DiffEditorHelperContribution extends Disposable implements IEditorContribu
 		private readonly _diffEditor: IDiffEditor,
 		@IInstantiationService private readonly _instantiationService: IInstantiationService,
 		@IConfigurationService private readonly _configurationService: IConfigurationService,
+		@INotificationService private readonly _notificationService: INotificationService,
 	) {
 		super();
 		this._helperWidget = null;
@@ -37,7 +38,22 @@ class DiffEditorHelperContribution extends Disposable implements IEditorContribu
 
 
 		this._register(this._diffEditor.onDidUpdateDiff(() => {
-			this._setState(this._deduceState(this._diffEditor.getDiffComputationResult()));
+			const diffComputationResult = this._diffEditor.getDiffComputationResult();
+			this._setState(this._deduceState(diffComputationResult));
+
+			if (diffComputationResult && diffComputationResult.quitEarly) {
+				this._notificationService.prompt(
+					Severity.Warning,
+					nls.localize('hintTimeout', "The diff algorithm was stopped early (after {0} ms.)", this._diffEditor.maxComputationTime),
+					[{
+						label: nls.localize('removeTimeout', "Remove limit"),
+						run: () => {
+							this._configurationService.updateValue('diffEditor.maxComputationTime', 0, ConfigurationTarget.USER);
+						}
+					}],
+					{}
+				);
+			}
 		}));
 	}
 
@@ -48,9 +64,6 @@ class DiffEditorHelperContribution extends Disposable implements IEditorContribu
 		if (this._diffEditor.ignoreTrimWhitespace && diffComputationResult.changes.length === 0 && !diffComputationResult.identical) {
 			return WidgetState.HintWhitespace;
 		}
-		if (diffComputationResult.quitEarly) {
-			return WidgetState.HintTimeout;
-		}
 		return WidgetState.Hidden;
 	}
 
@@ -75,21 +88,12 @@ class DiffEditorHelperContribution extends Disposable implements IEditorContribu
 			this._helperWidgetListener = this._helperWidget.onClick(() => this._onDidClickHelperWidget());
 			this._helperWidget.render();
 		}
-
-		if (this._state === WidgetState.HintTimeout) {
-			this._helperWidget = this._instantiationService.createInstance(FloatingClickWidget, this._diffEditor.getModifiedEditor(), nls.localize('hintTimeout', "Remove diff computation timeout"), null);
-			this._helperWidgetListener = this._helperWidget.onClick(() => this._onDidClickHelperWidget());
-			this._helperWidget.render();
-		}
 	}
 
 	private _onDidClickHelperWidget(): void {
 		if (this._state === WidgetState.HintWhitespace) {
 			this._configurationService.updateValue('diffEditor.ignoreTrimWhitespace', false, ConfigurationTarget.USER);
 		}
-		if (this._state === WidgetState.HintTimeout) {
-			this._configurationService.updateValue('diffEditor.maxComputationTime', 0, ConfigurationTarget.USER);
-		}
 	}
 
 	dispose(): void {