diff --git a/src/browser/public/Terminal.ts b/src/browser/public/Terminal.ts
index bd0b78f9a6..5e80ae1700 100644
--- a/src/browser/public/Terminal.ts
+++ b/src/browser/public/Terminal.ts
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ export class Terminal implements ITerminalApi {
   public paste(data: string): void {
     this._core.paste(data);
   }
-  public getOption(key: 'bellSound' | 'bellStyle' | 'cursorStyle' | 'fontFamily' | 'logLevel' | 'rendererType' | 'termName' | 'wordSeparator'): string;
+  public getOption(key: 'bellSound' | 'bellStyle' | 'cursorStyle' | 'fontFamily' | 'logLevel' | 'selectionStyle' | 'rendererType' | 'termName' | 'wordSeparator'): string;
   public getOption(key: 'allowTransparency' | 'altClickMovesCursor' | 'cancelEvents' | 'convertEol' | 'cursorBlink' | 'disableStdin' | 'macOptionIsMeta' | 'rightClickSelectsWord' | 'popOnBell' | 'visualBell'): boolean;
   public getOption(key: 'cols' | 'fontSize' | 'letterSpacing' | 'lineHeight' | 'rows' | 'tabStopWidth' | 'scrollback'): number;
   public getOption(key: 'fontWeight' | 'fontWeightBold'): FontWeight;
@@ -191,6 +191,7 @@ export class Terminal implements ITerminalApi {
   public setOption(key: 'fontSize' | 'letterSpacing' | 'lineHeight' | 'tabStopWidth' | 'scrollback', value: number): void;
   public setOption(key: 'theme', value: ITheme): void;
   public setOption(key: 'cols' | 'rows', value: number): void;
+  public setOption(key: 'selectionStyle', value: 'plain' | 'mark-start' | 'mark-end'): void;
   public setOption(key: string, value: any): void;
   public setOption(key: any, value: any): void {
     this._core.optionsService.setOption(key, value);
diff --git a/src/browser/renderer/SelectionRenderLayer.ts b/src/browser/renderer/SelectionRenderLayer.ts
index 80022f0112..8b79b17efb 100644
--- a/src/browser/renderer/SelectionRenderLayer.ts
+++ b/src/browser/renderer/SelectionRenderLayer.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ interface ISelectionState {
   end?: [number, number];
   columnSelectMode?: boolean;
   ydisp?: number;
+  selectionStyle?: string;
 }
 
 export class SelectionRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
@@ -35,7 +36,8 @@ export class SelectionRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
       start: undefined,
       end: undefined,
       columnSelectMode: undefined,
-      ydisp: undefined
+      ydisp: undefined,
+      selectionStyle: undefined
     };
   }
 
@@ -53,8 +55,10 @@ export class SelectionRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
   }
 
   public onSelectionChanged(start: [number, number] | undefined, end: [number, number] | undefined, columnSelectMode: boolean): void {
+    const selectionStyle: string = this._optionsService.getOption('selectionStyle') || 'plain';
+
     // Selection has not changed
-    if (!this._didStateChange(start, end, columnSelectMode, this._bufferService.buffer.ydisp)) {
+    if (!this._didStateChange(start, end, columnSelectMode, this._bufferService.buffer.ydisp, selectionStyle)) {
       return;
     }
 
@@ -80,6 +84,7 @@ export class SelectionRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
     }
 
     this._ctx.fillStyle = this._colors.selectionTransparent.css;
+    this._ctx.strokeStyle = this._colors.cursor.css;
 
     if (columnSelectMode) {
       const startCol = start[0];
@@ -88,9 +93,23 @@ export class SelectionRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
       this._fillCells(startCol, viewportCappedStartRow, width, height);
     } else {
       // Draw first row
-      const startCol = viewportStartRow === viewportCappedStartRow ? start[0] : 0;
-      const startRowEndCol = viewportCappedStartRow === viewportEndRow ? end[0] : this._bufferService.cols;
-      this._fillCells(startCol, viewportCappedStartRow, startRowEndCol - startCol, 1);
+      let startCol = viewportStartRow === viewportCappedStartRow ? start[0] : 0;
+      let startRowEndCol = viewportCappedStartRow === viewportEndRow ? end[0] : this._bufferService.cols;
+      switch (selectionStyle) {
+        case 'mark-start':
+          this._strokeRectAtCell(startCol, viewportCappedStartRow, 1, 1);
+          startCol += 1;
+          break;
+        case 'mark-end':
+          if (viewportCappedStartRow === viewportCappedEndRow) {
+            this._strokeRectAtCell(startRowEndCol - 1, viewportCappedStartRow, 1, 1);
+            startRowEndCol -= 1;
+          }
+          break;
+      }
+      if (startRowEndCol - startCol > 0) {
+        this._fillCells(startCol, viewportCappedStartRow, startRowEndCol - startCol, 1);
+      }
 
       // Draw middle rows
       const middleRowsCount = Math.max(viewportCappedEndRow - viewportCappedStartRow - 1, 0);
@@ -99,8 +118,14 @@ export class SelectionRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
       // Draw final row
       if (viewportCappedStartRow !== viewportCappedEndRow) {
         // Only draw viewportEndRow if it's not the same as viewportStartRow
-        const endCol = viewportEndRow === viewportCappedEndRow ? end[0] : this._bufferService.cols;
-        this._fillCells(0, viewportCappedEndRow, endCol, 1);
+        let endCol = viewportEndRow === viewportCappedEndRow ? end[0] : this._bufferService.cols;
+        if (selectionStyle === 'mark-end') {
+          this._strokeRectAtCell(endCol - 1, viewportCappedEndRow, 1, 1);
+          endCol -= 1;
+        }
+        if (endCol > 0) {
+          this._fillCells(0, viewportCappedEndRow, endCol, 1);
+        }
       }
     }
 
@@ -109,13 +134,15 @@ export class SelectionRenderLayer extends BaseRenderLayer {
     this._state.end = [end[0], end[1]];
     this._state.columnSelectMode = columnSelectMode;
     this._state.ydisp = this._bufferService.buffer.ydisp;
+    this._state.selectionStyle = selectionStyle;
   }
 
-  private _didStateChange(start: [number, number] | undefined, end: [number, number] | undefined, columnSelectMode: boolean, ydisp: number): boolean {
+  private _didStateChange(start: [number, number] | undefined, end: [number, number] | undefined, columnSelectMode: boolean, ydisp: number, selectionStyle: string): boolean {
     return !this._areCoordinatesEqual(start, this._state.start) ||
       !this._areCoordinatesEqual(end, this._state.end) ||
       columnSelectMode !== this._state.columnSelectMode ||
-      ydisp !== this._state.ydisp;
+      ydisp !== this._state.ydisp ||
+      selectionStyle !== this._state.selectionStyle;
   }
 
   private _areCoordinatesEqual(coord1: [number, number] | undefined, coord2: [number, number] | undefined): boolean {
diff --git a/src/common/services/OptionsService.ts b/src/common/services/OptionsService.ts
index b7a1c58e0a..75d1659844 100644
--- a/src/common/services/OptionsService.ts
+++ b/src/common/services/OptionsService.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ export const DEFAULT_OPTIONS: ITerminalOptions = Object.freeze({
   altClickMovesCursor: true,
   convertEol: false,
   termName: 'xterm',
-  cancelEvents: false
+  cancelEvents: false,
+  selectionStyle: 'plain'
 });
 
 const FONT_WEIGHT_OPTIONS: Extract<FontWeight, string>[] = ['normal', 'bold', '100', '200', '300', '400', '500', '600', '700', '800', '900'];
diff --git a/src/common/services/Services.ts b/src/common/services/Services.ts
index 1fbf57fbe6..3e3f458a3f 100644
--- a/src/common/services/Services.ts
+++ b/src/common/services/Services.ts
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ export interface ITerminalOptions {
   screenReaderMode: boolean;
   scrollback: number;
   scrollSensitivity: number;
+  selectionStyle: 'plain' | 'mark-start' | 'mark-end';
   tabStopWidth: number;
   theme: ITheme;
   windowsMode: boolean;
diff --git a/typings/xterm.d.ts b/typings/xterm.d.ts
index cab9bdcc8a..f580070391 100644
--- a/typings/xterm.d.ts
+++ b/typings/xterm.d.ts
@@ -225,6 +225,12 @@ declare module 'xterm' {
      */
     scrollSensitivity?: number;
 
+    /**
+     * Styling for the text selection shade - plain shading, 
+     *   or add a marker at the start/end of the shade
+     */
+    selectionStyle?: 'plain' | 'mark-start' | 'mark-end';
+
     /**
      * The size of tab stops in the terminal.
      */
@@ -946,7 +952,7 @@ declare module 'xterm' {
      * Retrieves an option's value from the terminal.
      * @param key The option key.
      */
-    getOption(key: 'bellSound' | 'bellStyle' | 'cursorStyle' | 'fontFamily' | 'logLevel' | 'rendererType' | 'termName' | 'wordSeparator'): string;
+    getOption(key: 'bellSound' | 'bellStyle' | 'cursorStyle' | 'fontFamily' | 'logLevel' | 'selectionStyle' | 'rendererType' | 'termName' | 'wordSeparator'): string;
     /**
      * Retrieves an option's value from the terminal.
      * @param key The option key.
@@ -1022,6 +1028,12 @@ declare module 'xterm' {
      * @param value The option value.
      */
     setOption(key: 'cols' | 'rows', value: number): void;
+    /**
+     * Sets an option on the terminal.
+     * @param key The option key.
+     * @param value The option value.
+     */
+    setOption(key: 'selectionStyle', value: 'plain' | 'mark-start' | 'mark-end'): void;
     /**
      * Sets an option on the terminal.
      * @param key The option key.