diff --git a/spec/app/buffer-spec.coffee b/spec/app/buffer-spec.coffee
index 932506576..6478a1e7b 100644
--- a/spec/app/buffer-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/buffer-spec.coffee
@@ -90,6 +90,21 @@ describe 'Buffer', ->
           expect(event.newText).toBe "second"
           expect(buffer.isModified()).toBeFalsy()
 
+    describe "when the buffer is modified", ->
+      it "sets modifiedOnDisk to be true", ->
+        fileChangeHandler = jasmine.createSpy('fileChange')
+        buffer.file.on 'contents-change', fileChangeHandler
+
+        buffer.insert([0, 0], "a change")
+        fs.write(path, "second")
+
+        expect(fileChangeHandler.callCount).toBe 0
+        waitsFor "file to trigger contents-change event", ->
+          fileChangeHandler.callCount > 0
+
+        runs ->
+          expect(buffer.isModifiedOnDisk()).toBeTruthy()
+
   describe ".isModified()", ->
     beforeEach ->
       buffer.destroy()
@@ -284,6 +299,17 @@ describe 'Buffer', ->
         buffer = new Buffer
         expect(-> buffer.save()).toThrow()
 
+  describe "reload()", ->
+    it "loads text from disk are sets @modified and @modifiedOnDisk to false", ->
+      buffer.modified = true
+      buffer.modifiedOnDisk = true
+      buffer.setText("abc")
+
+      buffer.reload()
+      expect(buffer.modifed).toBeFalsy()
+      expect(buffer.modifiedOnDisk).toBeFalsy()
+      expect(buffer.getText()).toBe(fileContents)
+
   describe ".saveAs(path)", ->
     filePath = null
 
diff --git a/src/app/buffer.coffee b/src/app/buffer.coffee
index 21aa60e57..b8838c505 100644
--- a/src/app/buffer.coffee
+++ b/src/app/buffer.coffee
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ class Buffer
   @idCounter = 1
   undoManager: null
   modified: null
+  modifiedOnDisk: null
   lines: null
   file: null
 
@@ -32,6 +33,11 @@ class Buffer
   destroy: ->
     @file?.off()
 
+  reload: ->
+    @setText(fs.read(@file.getPath()))
+    @modified = false
+    @modifiedOnDisk = false
+
   getPath: ->
     @file?.getPath()
 
@@ -41,7 +47,9 @@ class Buffer
     @file?.off()
     @file = new File(path)
     @file.on "contents-change", =>
-      unless @isModified()
+      if @isModified()
+        @modifiedOnDisk = true
+      else
         @setText(fs.read(@file.getPath()))
         @modified = false
     @trigger "path-change", this
@@ -167,9 +175,13 @@ class Buffer
     fs.write path, @getText()
     @file?.updateMd5()
     @modified = false
+    @modifiedOnDisk = false
     @setPath(path)
     @trigger 'after-save'
 
+  isModifiedOnDisk: ->
+    @modifiedOnDisk
+
   isModified: ->
     @modified
 
diff --git a/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee b/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee
index 6bdce72c3..60aef8450 100644
--- a/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee
+++ b/src/app/keymaps/editor.coffee
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ window.keymap.bindKeys '.editor',
   'meta-enter': 'newline-below'
   'tab': 'indent'
   'backspace': 'backspace'
+  'shift-backspace': 'backspace'
   'delete': 'delete'
   'meta-x': 'cut'
   'meta-c': 'copy'