diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/SyntaxHighlighter.java b/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/SyntaxHighlighter.java
index dddfeca..e6d8a14 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/SyntaxHighlighter.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/SyntaxHighlighter.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
+import javafx.beans.property.BooleanProperty;
 import javafx.concurrent.Task;
 import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
 import lombok.val;
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ public class SyntaxHighlighter {
     private Set<String> nodeFunctions;
     private Map<HotaruTokenId, String> operatorClasses;
 
-    public void init() {
+    public void init(BooleanProperty enabledProperty) {
         operatorClasses = new HashMap<>();
         operatorClasses.put(HotaruTokenId.AT, "keyframes-extractor");
         nodeFunctions = BundleLoader.functions().entrySet().stream()
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ public class SyntaxHighlighter {
                 .map(Map.Entry::getKey)
                 .collect(Collectors.toSet());
         editor.richChanges()
+                .filter(ch -> enabledProperty.get())
                 .filter(ch -> !ch.getInserted().equals(ch.getRemoved()))
                 .successionEnds(Duration.ofMillis(500))
                 .supplyTask(this::computeHighlightingAsync)
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/controller/EditorController.java b/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/controller/EditorController.java
index f8d3c1e..74f85ed 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/controller/EditorController.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/annimon/hotarufx/ui/controller/EditorController.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader;
 import javafx.fxml.Initializable;
 import javafx.scene.Scene;
 import javafx.scene.control.Button;
+import javafx.scene.control.CheckMenuItem;
 import javafx.scene.control.TextArea;
 import javafx.scene.control.TitledPane;
 import javafx.scene.layout.Pane;
@@ -39,6 +40,9 @@ import org.fxmisc.richtext.LineNumberFactory;
 
 public class EditorController implements Initializable, DocumentListener {
 
+    @FXML
+    private CheckMenuItem syntaxHighlightingItem;
+
     @FXML
     private Button undoButton, redoButton;
 
@@ -157,9 +161,8 @@ public class EditorController implements Initializable, DocumentListener {
     @Override
     public void initialize(URL location, ResourceBundle resources) {
         editor.setParagraphGraphicFactory(LineNumberFactory.get(editor));
-        syntaxHighlighter = new SyntaxHighlighter(editor, Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor());
-        syntaxHighlighter.init();
         documentManager = new FileManager();
+        initSyntaxHighlighter();
         initUndoRedo();
         openSample();
         editor.getUndoManager().forgetHistory();
@@ -167,6 +170,22 @@ public class EditorController implements Initializable, DocumentListener {
         Platform.runLater(editor::requestFocus);
     }
 
+    private void initSyntaxHighlighter() {
+        val highlightProperty = syntaxHighlightingItem.selectedProperty();
+        highlightProperty.addListener((observable, oldValue, highlightEnabled) -> {
+            if (highlightEnabled) {
+                // create event to reinit highlighter
+                val pos = editor.getCaretPosition();
+                editor.insertText(pos, " ");
+                editor.replaceText(pos, pos + 1, "");
+            } else {
+                editor.clearStyle(0, editor.getLength());
+            }
+        });
+        syntaxHighlighter = new SyntaxHighlighter(editor, Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor());
+        syntaxHighlighter.init(highlightProperty);
+    }
+
     private void initUndoRedo() {
         undoButton.disableProperty().bind(
                 Bindings.not(editor.undoAvailableProperty()));
diff --git a/app/src/main/resources/fxml/Editor.fxml b/app/src/main/resources/fxml/Editor.fxml
index d20be29..44fddc1 100644
--- a/app/src/main/resources/fxml/Editor.fxml
+++ b/app/src/main/resources/fxml/Editor.fxml
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@
                     <MenuItem onAction="#handleMenuSaveAs" text="Save As" accelerator="Shift+Shortcut+S"/>
                     <MenuItem onAction="#handleMenuExit" text="Exit"/>
                 </Menu>
+                <Menu mnemonicParsing="false" text="View">
+                    <CheckMenuItem fx:id="syntaxHighlightingItem" text="Syntax Highlighting" selected="true" />
+                </Menu>
                 <Menu mnemonicParsing="false" text="Composition">
                     <MenuItem onAction="#handleMenuPlay" text="Preview" accelerator="F5"/>
                 </Menu>