diff --git a/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js b/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js
index 2479bff9b..017ef1f1b 100644
--- a/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js
+++ b/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js
@@ -544,6 +544,21 @@ describe('TextEditorRegistry', function () {
       expect(editor.getSoftWrapColumn()).toBe(80)
     })
 
+    it('allows for custom definition of maximum soft wrap based on config', async function () {
+      editor.update({
+        softWrapped: false,
+        maxScreenLineLength: 1500,
+      })
+
+      expect(editor.getSoftWrapColumn()).toBe(1500)
+
+      atom.config.set('editor.softWrap', false)
+      atom.config.set('editor.maxScreenLineLength', 500)
+      registry.maintainConfig(editor)
+      await initialPackageActivation
+      expect(editor.getSoftWrapColumn()).toBe(500)
+    })
+
     it('sets the preferred line length based on the config', async function () {
       editor.update({preferredLineLength: 80})
       expect(editor.getPreferredLineLength()).toBe(80)
diff --git a/spec/text-editor-spec.coffee b/spec/text-editor-spec.coffee
index ec4a96359..47b85bf1f 100644
--- a/spec/text-editor-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/text-editor-spec.coffee
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ describe "TextEditor", ->
           expect(editor2.getInvisibles()).toEqual(editor.getInvisibles())
           expect(editor2.getEditorWidthInChars()).toBe(editor.getEditorWidthInChars())
           expect(editor2.displayLayer.tabLength).toBe(editor2.getTabLength())
+          expect(editor2.displayLayer.softWrapColumn).toBe(editor2.getSoftWrapColumn())
 
   describe "when the editor is constructed with the largeFileMode option set to true", ->
     it "loads the editor but doesn't tokenize", ->
@@ -145,7 +146,7 @@ describe "TextEditor", ->
       returnedPromise = editor.update({
         tabLength: 6, softTabs: false, softWrapped: true, editorWidthInChars: 40,
         showInvisibles: false, mini: false, lineNumberGutterVisible: false, scrollPastEnd: true,
-        autoHeight: false
+        autoHeight: false, maxScreenLineLength: 1000
       })
 
       expect(returnedPromise).toBe(element.component.getNextUpdatePromise())
@@ -5918,3 +5919,11 @@ describe "TextEditor", ->
   describe "::getElement", ->
     it "returns an element", ->
       expect(editor.getElement() instanceof HTMLElement).toBe(true)
+
+  describe 'setMaxScreenLineLength', ->
+    it "sets the maximum line length in the editor before soft wrapping is forced", ->
+      expect(editor.getSoftWrapColumn()).toBe(500)
+      editor.update({
+        maxScreenLineLength: 1500
+      })
+      expect(editor.getSoftWrapColumn()).toBe(1500)
diff --git a/src/config-schema.js b/src/config-schema.js
index fb0164766..00fb8bbe3 100644
--- a/src/config-schema.js
+++ b/src/config-schema.js
@@ -409,6 +409,12 @@ const configSchema = {
         minimum: 1,
         description: 'Identifies the length of a line which is used when wrapping text with the `Soft Wrap At Preferred Line Length` setting enabled, in number of characters.'
       },
+      maxScreenLineLength: {
+        type: 'integer',
+        default: 500,
+        minimum: 500,
+        description: 'Defines the maximum width of the editor window before soft wrapping is enforced, in number of characters.'
+      },
       tabLength: {
         type: 'integer',
         default: 2,
diff --git a/src/text-editor-registry.js b/src/text-editor-registry.js
index 72aa8b364..35be27fd1 100644
--- a/src/text-editor-registry.js
+++ b/src/text-editor-registry.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ const EDITOR_PARAMS_BY_SETTING_KEY = [
   ['editor.softWrapHangingIndent', 'softWrapHangingIndentLength'],
   ['editor.softWrapAtPreferredLineLength', 'softWrapAtPreferredLineLength'],
   ['editor.preferredLineLength', 'preferredLineLength'],
+  ['editor.maxScreenLineLength', 'maxScreenLineLength'],
   ['editor.autoIndent', 'autoIndent'],
   ['editor.autoIndentOnPaste', 'autoIndentOnPaste'],
   ['editor.scrollPastEnd', 'scrollPastEnd'],
diff --git a/src/text-editor.coffee b/src/text-editor.coffee
index 68bd03abf..b97e63957 100644
--- a/src/text-editor.coffee
+++ b/src/text-editor.coffee
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ TextEditorElement = null
 {isDoubleWidthCharacter, isHalfWidthCharacter, isKoreanCharacter, isWrapBoundary} = require './text-utils'
 
 ZERO_WIDTH_NBSP = '\ufeff'
-MAX_SCREEN_LINE_LENGTH = 500
 
 # Essential: This class represents all essential editing state for a single
 # {TextBuffer}, including cursor and selection positions, folds, and soft wraps.
@@ -158,7 +157,7 @@ class TextEditor extends Model
       @assert, grammar, @showInvisibles, @autoHeight, @autoWidth, @scrollPastEnd, @scrollSensitivity, @editorWidthInChars,
       @tokenizedBuffer, @displayLayer, @invisibles, @showIndentGuide,
       @softWrapped, @softWrapAtPreferredLineLength, @preferredLineLength,
-      @showCursorOnSelection
+      @showCursorOnSelection, @maxScreenLineLength
     } = params
 
     @assert ?= (condition) -> condition
@@ -183,6 +182,7 @@ class TextEditor extends Model
     @softWrapped ?= false
     @softWrapAtPreferredLineLength ?= false
     @preferredLineLength ?= 80
+    @maxScreenLineLength ?= 500
     @showLineNumbers ?= true
 
     @buffer ?= new TextBuffer({
@@ -323,6 +323,11 @@ class TextEditor extends Model
             @preferredLineLength = value
             displayLayerParams.softWrapColumn = @getSoftWrapColumn()
 
+        when 'maxScreenLineLength'
+          if value isnt @maxScreenLineLength
+            @maxScreenLineLength = value
+            displayLayerParams.softWrapColumn = @getSoftWrapColumn()
+
         when 'mini'
           if value isnt @mini
             @mini = value
@@ -433,7 +438,7 @@ class TextEditor extends Model
       softWrapHangingIndentLength: @displayLayer.softWrapHangingIndent
 
       @id, @softTabs, @softWrapped, @softWrapAtPreferredLineLength,
-      @preferredLineLength, @mini, @editorWidthInChars, @width, @largeFileMode,
+      @preferredLineLength, @mini, @editorWidthInChars, @width, @largeFileMode, @maxScreenLineLength,
       @registered, @invisibles, @showInvisibles, @showIndentGuide, @autoHeight, @autoWidth
     }
 
@@ -3039,7 +3044,7 @@ class TextEditor extends Model
       else
         @getEditorWidthInChars()
     else
-      MAX_SCREEN_LINE_LENGTH
+      @maxScreenLineLength
 
   ###
   Section: Indentation