diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorGroupsControl.ts b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorGroupsControl.ts
index 0c3633fc1771c24e4a190285e3f338eaeca2213d..ea44ef4c268b8788b018045cd3e1580dc215109d 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorGroupsControl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorGroupsControl.ts
@@ -212,7 +212,6 @@ export class EditorGroupsControl implements IEditorGroupsControl, IVerticalSashL
 
 	private updateTabOptions(tabOptions: ITabOptions, refresh?: boolean): void {
 		const tabCloseButton = this.tabOptions ? this.tabOptions.tabCloseButton : 'right';
-		const showTabCloseButton =  this.tabOptions ? this.tabOptions.showTabCloseButton : false;
 		this.tabOptions = tabOptions;
 
 		if (!refresh) {
@@ -250,7 +249,7 @@ export class EditorGroupsControl implements IEditorGroupsControl, IVerticalSashL
 				}
 
 				// Refresh title when icons change
-				else if (showingIcons !== this.tabOptions.showIcons || showTabCloseButton !== this.tabOptions.showTabCloseButton || tabCloseButton !== this.tabOptions.tabCloseButton) {
+				else if (showingIcons !== this.tabOptions.showIcons || tabCloseButton !== this.tabOptions.tabCloseButton) {
 					titleControl.refresh();
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorPart.ts b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorPart.ts
index 497b0655408155c55ca0516d0d7bea88ecc0308f..4e3047ec2153bf949648b87b88d55deb0a4babb3 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorPart.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/editorPart.ts
@@ -145,7 +145,6 @@ export class EditorPart extends Part implements IEditorPart, IEditorGroupService
 				previewEditors: editorConfig.enablePreview,
 				showIcons: editorConfig.showIcons,
 				showTabs: editorConfig.showTabs,
-				showTabCloseButton: editorConfig.showTabCloseButton,
 				tabCloseButton: editorConfig.tabCloseButton
 			};
 
@@ -155,7 +154,6 @@ export class EditorPart extends Part implements IEditorPart, IEditorGroupService
 				previewEditors: true,
 				showIcons: false,
 				showTabs: true,
-				showTabCloseButton: true,
 				tabCloseButton: 'right'
 			};
 		}
@@ -189,7 +187,6 @@ export class EditorPart extends Part implements IEditorPart, IEditorGroupService
 			this.tabOptions = {
 				previewEditors: newPreviewEditors,
 				showIcons: editorConfig.showIcons,
-				showTabCloseButton: editorConfig.showTabCloseButton,
 				tabCloseButton: editorConfig.tabCloseButton,
 				showTabs: editorConfig.showTabs
 			};
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/tabsTitleControl.ts b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/tabsTitleControl.ts
index d5f4cf6f8b3f0c5bacc462725ad64df842ab0951..cd6f931f357758e8379661c24ec5817e4ef20977 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/tabsTitleControl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/editor/tabsTitleControl.ts
@@ -216,10 +216,16 @@ export class TabsTitleControl extends TitleControl {
 				// Container
 				tabContainer.setAttribute('aria-label', `${name}, tab`);
 				tabContainer.title = verboseDescription;
-				if (this.tabOptions.showTabCloseButton) {
+				if (this.tabOptions.tabCloseButton === 'off') {
+					DOM.addClass(tabContainer, 'no-close-button');
+				} else {
 					DOM.removeClass(tabContainer, 'no-close-button');
+				}
+
+				if (this.tabOptions.tabCloseButton === 'left') {
+					DOM.addClass(tabContainer, 'close-position-left');
 				} else {
-					DOM.addClass(tabContainer, 'no-close-button');
+					DOM.removeClass(tabContainer, 'close-position-left');
 				}
 
 				// Label
@@ -349,18 +355,6 @@ export class TabsTitleControl extends TitleControl {
 		tabContainer.setAttribute('role', 'presentation'); // cannot use role "tab" here due to https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/8659
 		DOM.addClass(tabContainer, 'tab monaco-editor-background');
 
-		if (!this.tabOptions.showTabCloseButton || this.tabOptions.tabCloseButton === 'off') {
-			DOM.addClass(tabContainer, 'no-close-button');
-		} else {
-			DOM.removeClass(tabContainer, 'no-close-button');
-		}
-
-		if (this.tabOptions.tabCloseButton === 'left') {
-			DOM.addClass(tabContainer, 'close-position-left');
-		} else {
-			DOM.removeClass(tabContainer, 'close-position-left');
-		}
-
 		// Tab Editor Label
 		const editorLabel = this.instantiationService.createInstance(EditorLabel, tabContainer, void 0);
 		this.editorLabels.push(editorLabel);
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/common/editor.ts b/src/vs/workbench/common/editor.ts
index 3aecd96897e854518dccad11f606f48e65131ebd..6a542a6cc3a53650263c813e7a3a3c06adbe8fa6 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/common/editor.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/common/editor.ts
@@ -897,7 +897,6 @@ export interface IWorkbenchEditorConfiguration {
 	workbench: {
 		editor: {
 			showTabs: boolean;
-			showTabCloseButton: boolean;
 			tabCloseButton: 'left' | 'right' | 'off';
 			showIcons: boolean;
 			enablePreview: boolean;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/main.contribution.ts b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/main.contribution.ts
index 90bc60710a0f3254298db49f2da9e81eab82be63..bf0406fc24fafb0640622c9e46570d092d532c10 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/main.contribution.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/main.contribution.ts
@@ -113,16 +113,11 @@ configurationRegistry.registerConfiguration({
 			'description': nls.localize('showEditorTabs', "Controls if opened editors should show in tabs or not."),
 			'default': true
 		},
-		'workbench.editor.showTabCloseButton': {
-			'type': 'boolean',
-			'description': nls.localize('showEditorTabCloseButton', "Controls if editor tabs should have a visible close button or not."),
-			'default': true
-		},
 		'workbench.editor.tabCloseButton': {
 			'type': 'string',
 			'enum': ['left', 'right', 'off'],
 			'default': 'right',
-			'description': nls.localize('editorTabCloseButton', "Controls the position of the editor's tabs close buttons.")
+			'description': nls.localize('editorTabCloseButton', "Controls the position of the editor's tabs close buttons or disables them when set to 'off'.")
 		},
 		'workbench.editor.showIcons': {
 			'type': 'boolean',
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/group/common/groupService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/group/common/groupService.ts
index 295d9b542bb2c17fc9effdad487b10bc10b3eb91..241f16b5089c3ea95d866586d005ecee26c23707 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/group/common/groupService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/group/common/groupService.ts
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@ export const IEditorGroupService = createDecorator<IEditorGroupService>('editorG
 
 export interface ITabOptions {
 	showTabs?: boolean;
-	showTabCloseButton?: boolean;
-	tabCloseButton?: string;
+	tabCloseButton?: 'left' | 'right' | 'off';
 	showIcons?: boolean;
 	previewEditors?: boolean;
 };