diff --git a/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.Designer.cs b/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.Designer.cs
index b1c7aabf8a1..cadf009b8bf 100644
--- a/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.Designer.cs
+++ b/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.Designer.cs
@@ -394,7 +394,6 @@ private void InitializeComponent()
             this.internalFileViewer.Name = "internalFileViewer";
             this.internalFileViewer.VScrollPosition = 0;
             this.internalFileViewer.ShowEOLMarkers = false;
-            this.internalFileViewer.ShowLineNumbers = true;
             this.internalFileViewer.ShowSpaces = false;
             this.internalFileViewer.ShowTabs = false;
             this.internalFileViewer.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(757, 518);
diff --git a/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.cs b/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.cs
index 9a36c8a6233..db8bd8c7ca6 100644
--- a/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.cs
+++ b/GitUI/Editor/FileViewer.cs
@@ -191,10 +191,10 @@ public bool IsReadOnly
             set => internalFileViewer.IsReadOnly = value;
         }
 
-        [DefaultValue(true)]
+        [DefaultValue(null)]
         [Description("If true line numbers are shown in the textarea")]
         [Category("Appearance")]
-        public bool ShowLineNumbers
+        public bool? ShowLineNumbers
         {
             get => internalFileViewer.ShowLineNumbers;
             set => internalFileViewer.ShowLineNumbers = value;
diff --git a/GitUI/Editor/FileViewerInternal.cs b/GitUI/Editor/FileViewerInternal.cs
index cdd31d15ec2..aa9628d164a 100644
--- a/GitUI/Editor/FileViewerInternal.cs
+++ b/GitUI/Editor/FileViewerInternal.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using System.Windows.Forms;
 using GitCommands;
+using GitExtUtils.GitUI;
 using GitUI.Editor.Diff;
 using ICSharpCode.TextEditor;
 using ICSharpCode.TextEditor.Document;
@@ -104,11 +105,7 @@ public string GetText()
             return TextEditor.Text;
         }
 
-        public bool ShowLineNumbers
-        {
-            get => TextEditor.ShowLineNumbers;
-            set => TextEditor.ShowLineNumbers = value;
-        }
+        public bool? ShowLineNumbers { get; set; }
 
         public void SetText(string text, Action openWithDifftool, bool isDiff = false)
         {
@@ -137,12 +134,30 @@ public void SetText(string text, Action openWithDifftool, bool isDiff = false)
 
             // important to set after the text was changed
             // otherwise the may be rendering artifacts as noted in #5568
-            TextEditor.ShowLineNumbers = !isDiff;
+            TextEditor.ShowLineNumbers = ShowLineNumbers ?? !isDiff;
+            if (ShowLineNumbers.HasValue && !ShowLineNumbers.Value)
+            {
+                Padding = new Padding(DpiUtil.Scale(5), Padding.Top, Padding.Right, Padding.Bottom);
+            }
+
             TextEditor.Refresh();
 
             _currentViewPositionCache.Restore(isDiff);
         }
 
+        private static readonly SolidBrush PaddingBrush = new SolidBrush(Color.White);
+        protected override void OnPaintBackground(PaintEventArgs e)
+        {
+            if (ShowLineNumbers.HasValue && !ShowLineNumbers.Value)
+            {
+                e.Graphics.FillRectangle(PaddingBrush, e.ClipRectangle);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                base.OnPaintBackground(e);
+            }
+        }
+
         public void SetHighlighting(string syntax)
         {
             TextEditor.SetHighlighting(syntax);
diff --git a/GitUI/Editor/IFileViewer.cs b/GitUI/Editor/IFileViewer.cs
index dc80039b78f..13ef8452451 100644
--- a/GitUI/Editor/IFileViewer.cs
+++ b/GitUI/Editor/IFileViewer.cs
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public interface IFileViewer
         Action OpenWithDifftool { get; }
         int VScrollPosition { get; set; }
 
-        bool ShowLineNumbers { get; set; }
+        bool? ShowLineNumbers { get; set; }
         bool ShowEOLMarkers { get; set; }
         bool ShowSpaces { get; set; }
         bool ShowTabs { get; set; }