diff --git a/src/xliffmerge/i-xliff-merge-options.ts b/src/xliffmerge/i-xliff-merge-options.ts
index fe8976e..64ec61e 100644
--- a/src/xliffmerge/i-xliff-merge-options.ts
+++ b/src/xliffmerge/i-xliff-merge-options.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export interface IConfigFile {
 export interface IXliffMergeOptions {
     quiet?: boolean;   // Flag to only output error messages
     verbose?: boolean;   // Flag to generate debug output messages
+    allowIdChange?: boolean; // Try to find translation even when id is missing
     defaultLanguage?: string;    // the default language (the language, which is used in the original templates)
     languages?: string[];   // all languages, if not specified via commandline
     srcDir?: string;    // Directory, where the master file is
diff --git a/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge-parameters.ts b/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge-parameters.ts
index f734cbe..85f1727 100644
--- a/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge-parameters.ts
+++ b/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge-parameters.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ export class XliffMergeParameters {
 
     private _quiet: boolean;
     private _verbose: boolean;
+    private _allowIdChange: boolean;
     private _defaultLanguage: string;
     private _srcDir: string;
     private _i18nFile: string;
@@ -116,6 +117,9 @@ export class XliffMergeParameters {
             if (!isNullOrUndefined(profile.verbose)) {
                 this._verbose = profile.verbose;
             }
+            if(!isNullOrUndefined(profile.allowIdChange)) {
+                this._allowIdChange = profile.allowIdChange;
+            }
             if (profile.defaultLanguage) {
                 this._defaultLanguage = profile.defaultLanguage;
             }
@@ -245,6 +249,10 @@ export class XliffMergeParameters {
         }
     }
 
+    public allowIdChange(): boolean {
+        return (isNullOrUndefined(this._allowIdChange)) ? false : this._allowIdChange;
+    }
+
     public verbose(): boolean {
         return (isNullOrUndefined(this._verbose)) ? false : this._verbose;
     }
diff --git a/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge.ts b/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge.ts
index 74db5e2..7587db9 100644
--- a/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge.ts
+++ b/src/xliffmerge/xliff-merge.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import 'rxjs/add/operator/map';
 import 'rxjs/add/operator/catch';
 import {XliffMergeAutoTranslateService} from '../autotranslate/xliff-merge-auto-translate-service';
 import {AutoTranslateSummaryReport} from '../autotranslate/auto-translate-summary-report';
-import {STATE_FINAL, STATE_TRANSLATED} from 'ngx-i18nsupport-lib/dist';
+import {NORMALIZATION_FORMAT_DEFAULT, STATE_FINAL, STATE_NEW, STATE_TRANSLATED} from 'ngx-i18nsupport-lib/dist';
 
 /**
  * Created by martin on 17.02.2017.
@@ -309,8 +309,20 @@ export class XliffMerge {
         let correctSourceContentCount = 0;
         let correctSourceRefCount = 0;
         let correctDescriptionOrMeaningCount = 0;
+        let idChangedCount = 0;
         this.master.forEachTransUnit((masterTransUnit) => {
             let transUnit: ITransUnit = languageSpecificMessagesFile.transUnitWithId(masterTransUnit.id);
+            if(!transUnit && this.parameters.allowIdChange()) {
+                const masterSourceString = masterTransUnit.sourceContentNormalized().asDisplayString(NORMALIZATION_FORMAT_DEFAULT).trim();
+                languageSpecificMessagesFile.forEachTransUnit((languageTransUnit) => {
+                    if(languageTransUnit.sourceContentNormalized().asDisplayString(NORMALIZATION_FORMAT_DEFAULT).trim() === masterSourceString) {
+                        transUnit = languageTransUnit;
+                        languageTransUnit.setTargetState(STATE_TRANSLATED);
+                        idChangedCount++;
+                    }
+                })
+            }
+
             if (!transUnit) {
                 // oops, no translation, must be a new key, so add it
                 languageSpecificMessagesFile.importNewTransUnit(masterTransUnit, isDefaultLang, this.parameters.useSourceAsTarget());
@@ -357,6 +369,9 @@ export class XliffMerge {
         if (correctSourceRefCount > 0) {
             this.commandOutput.warn('transferred %s source references from master to "%s"', correctSourceRefCount, lang);
         }
+        if(idChangedCount > 0) {
+            this.commandOutput.warn('found %s changed id\'s in "%s"', idChangedCount, lang);
+        }
         if (correctDescriptionOrMeaningCount > 0) {
             this.commandOutput.warn('transferred %s changed descriptions/meanings from master to "%s"', correctDescriptionOrMeaningCount, lang);
         }