diff --git a/dist/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js b/dist/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js
index bdcc3e1d..ea886231 100644
--- a/dist/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js
+++ b/dist/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ var executePrettierOrIntegration = function () {
 }();
 
 var executePrettierOnBufferRange = function () {
-  var _ref2 = (0, _asyncToGenerator3.default)(_regenerator2.default.mark(function _callee2(editor, bufferRange) {
-    var cursorPositionPriorToFormat, textToTransform, transformed, isTextUnchanged, editorBuffer;
+  var _ref2 = (0, _asyncToGenerator3.default)(_regenerator2.default.mark(function _callee2(editor, bufferRange, options) {
+    var cursorPositionPriorToFormat, textToTransform, transformed, isTextUnchanged;
     return _regenerator2.default.wrap(function _callee2$(_context2) {
       while (1) {
         switch (_context2.prev = _context2.next) {
@@ -132,12 +132,12 @@ var executePrettierOnBufferRange = function () {
 
           case 11:
 
-            // we use setTextViaDiff when formatting the entire buffer to improve performance,
-            // maintain metadata (bookmarks, folds, etc) and eliminate syntax highlight flickering
-            editorBuffer = editor.getBuffer();
-
-            if (editorBuffer.getRange().isEqual(bufferRange)) {
-              editorBuffer.setTextViaDiff(transformed);
+            if (options.setTextViaDiff) {
+              // we use setTextViaDiff when formatting the entire buffer to improve performance,
+              // maintain metadata (bookmarks, folds, etc) and eliminate syntax highlight flickering
+              // however, we can't always use it because it replaces all text in the file and sometimes
+              // we're only editing a sub-selection of the text in a file
+              editor.getBuffer().setTextViaDiff(transformed);
             } else {
               editor.setTextInBufferRange(bufferRange, transformed);
             }
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ var executePrettierOnBufferRange = function () {
             editor.setCursorScreenPosition(cursorPositionPriorToFormat);
             runLinter(editor);
 
-          case 15:
+          case 14:
           case 'end':
             return _context2.stop();
         }
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ var executePrettierOnBufferRange = function () {
     }, _callee2, undefined);
   }));
 
-  return function executePrettierOnBufferRange(_x3, _x4) {
+  return function executePrettierOnBufferRange(_x3, _x4, _x5) {
     return _ref2.apply(this, arguments);
   };
 }();
diff --git a/dist/formatOnSave/index.js b/dist/formatOnSave/index.js
index 6f247999..b00eceb5 100644
--- a/dist/formatOnSave/index.js
+++ b/dist/formatOnSave/index.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ var _require4 = require('../atomInterface'),
 var shouldFormatOnSave = require('./shouldFormatOnSave');
 
 var callAppropriatePrettierExecutor = function callAppropriatePrettierExecutor(editor) {
-  return isCurrentScopeEmbeddedScope(editor) ? executePrettierOnEmbeddedScripts(editor) : executePrettierOnBufferRange(editor, getBufferRange(editor));
+  return isCurrentScopeEmbeddedScope(editor) ? executePrettierOnEmbeddedScripts(editor) : executePrettierOnBufferRange(editor, getBufferRange(editor), { setTextViaDiff: true });
 };
 
 var formatOnSaveIfAppropriate = _.flow(_.tap(clearLinterErrors), _.cond([[shouldFormatOnSave, callAppropriatePrettierExecutor]]));
diff --git a/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js b/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js
index c71ee85b..115bb5cc 100644
--- a/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js
+++ b/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.js
@@ -38,7 +38,11 @@ const executePrettierOrIntegration = async (editor: TextEditor, text: string) =>
   }
 };
 
-const executePrettierOnBufferRange = async (editor: TextEditor, bufferRange: Range) => {
+const executePrettierOnBufferRange = async (
+  editor: TextEditor,
+  bufferRange: Range,
+  options?: { setTextViaDiff?: boolean },
+) => {
   const cursorPositionPriorToFormat = editor.getCursorScreenPosition();
   const textToTransform = editor.getTextInBufferRange(bufferRange);
   const transformed = await executePrettierOrIntegration(editor, textToTransform);
@@ -51,11 +55,12 @@ const executePrettierOnBufferRange = async (editor: TextEditor, bufferRange: Ran
     return;
   }
 
-  // we use setTextViaDiff when formatting the entire buffer to improve performance,
-  // maintain metadata (bookmarks, folds, etc) and eliminate syntax highlight flickering
-  const editorBuffer = editor.getBuffer();
-  if (editorBuffer.getRange().isEqual(bufferRange)) {
-    editorBuffer.setTextViaDiff(transformed);
+  if (options && options.setTextViaDiff) {
+    // we use setTextViaDiff when formatting the entire buffer to improve performance,
+    // maintain metadata (bookmarks, folds, etc) and eliminate syntax highlight flickering
+    // however, we can't always use it because it replaces all text in the file and sometimes
+    // we're only editing a sub-selection of the text in a file
+    editor.getBuffer().setTextViaDiff(transformed);
   } else {
     editor.setTextInBufferRange(bufferRange, transformed);
   }
diff --git a/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.test.js b/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.test.js
index e2cfc626..a714957e 100644
--- a/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.test.js
+++ b/src/executePrettier/executePrettierOnBufferRange.test.js
@@ -40,14 +40,14 @@ it('sets the transformed text in the buffer range', async () => {
   expect(editor.setTextInBufferRange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(bufferRangeFixture, 'const foo = 2;');
 });
 
-it('sets the transformed text via diff when buffer equals entire range of editor', async () => {
+it('sets the transformed text via diff when the option is passed', async () => {
   const setTextViaDiffMock = jest.fn();
   editor.getBuffer.mockImplementation(() => ({
     getRange: () => ({ isEqual: () => true }),
     setTextViaDiff: setTextViaDiffMock,
   }));
 
-  await executePrettierOnBufferRange(editor, bufferRangeFixture);
+  await executePrettierOnBufferRange(editor, bufferRangeFixture, { setTextViaDiff: true });
 
   expect(prettier.format).toHaveBeenCalledWith('const foo = (2);', { useTabs: false });
   expect(setTextViaDiffMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith('const foo = 2;');
diff --git a/src/formatOnSave/index.js b/src/formatOnSave/index.js
index 8ff03809..a13527f8 100644
--- a/src/formatOnSave/index.js
+++ b/src/formatOnSave/index.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const shouldFormatOnSave = require('./shouldFormatOnSave');
 const callAppropriatePrettierExecutor = (editor: TextEditor) =>
   isCurrentScopeEmbeddedScope(editor)
     ? executePrettierOnEmbeddedScripts(editor)
-    : executePrettierOnBufferRange(editor, getBufferRange(editor));
+    : executePrettierOnBufferRange(editor, getBufferRange(editor), { setTextViaDiff: true });
 
 const formatOnSaveIfAppropriate: TextEditor => void = _.flow(
   _.tap(clearLinterErrors),
diff --git a/src/formatOnSave/index.test.js b/src/formatOnSave/index.test.js
index 487c271a..d1d6262f 100644
--- a/src/formatOnSave/index.test.js
+++ b/src/formatOnSave/index.test.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ it('executes prettier on the buffer range if appropriate and scope is not embedd
 
   formatOnSave(editor);
 
-  expect(executePrettierOnBufferRange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(editor, mockRange);
+  expect(executePrettierOnBufferRange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(editor, mockRange, { setTextViaDiff: true });
 });
 
 it('executes prettier on the embedded scripts if appropriate and scope is embedded', () => {