diff --git a/src/app/editor.coffee b/src/app/editor.coffee
index db11cdb31..164969bd6 100644
--- a/src/app/editor.coffee
+++ b/src/app/editor.coffee
@@ -502,10 +502,13 @@ class Editor extends View
     @insertText('\n')
 
   insertTab: ->
-    if @softTabs
-      @compositeSelection.insertText(@tabText)
+    if @getSelection().isEmpty()
+      if @softTabs
+        @compositeSelection.insertText(@tabText)
+      else
+        @compositeSelection.insertText('\t')
     else
-      @compositeSelection.insertText('\t')
+      @compositeSelection.indentSelectedRows()
 
   indentSelectedRows: -> @compositeSelection.indentSelectedRows()
   outdentSelectedRows: -> @compositeSelection.outdentSelectedRows()
diff --git a/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee b/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee
index 7e780ca63..33f6376ad 100644
--- a/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee
+++ b/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ window.keymap.bindKeys '.editor',
   'alt-meta-right': 'split-right'
   'alt-meta-up': 'split-up'
   'alt-meta-down': 'split-down'
+  'shift-tab': 'outdent-selected-rows'
   'meta-[': 'outdent-selected-rows'
   'meta-]': 'indent-selected-rows'
   'meta-{': 'show-previous-buffer'