diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/config.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/config.test.ts
index 1d02dcf0..be2f797a 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/config.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/config.test.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ describe('ConfigSchema', () => {
           "binaryNextLine": false,
           "caseIndent": false,
           "funcNextLine": false,
+          "keepPadding": false,
           "path": "shfmt",
           "spaceRedirects": false,
         },
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ describe('ConfigSchema', () => {
           binaryNextLine: true,
           caseIndent: true,
           funcNextLine: true,
+          keepPadding: true,
           path: 'myshfmt',
           spaceRedirects: true,
         },
@@ -59,6 +61,7 @@ describe('ConfigSchema', () => {
           "binaryNextLine": true,
           "caseIndent": true,
           "funcNextLine": true,
+          "keepPadding": true,
           "path": "myshfmt",
           "spaceRedirects": true,
         },
@@ -92,6 +95,7 @@ describe('getConfigFromEnvironmentVariables', () => {
           "binaryNextLine": false,
           "caseIndent": false,
           "funcNextLine": false,
+          "keepPadding": false,
           "path": "shfmt",
           "spaceRedirects": false,
         },
@@ -119,6 +123,7 @@ describe('getConfigFromEnvironmentVariables', () => {
           "binaryNextLine": false,
           "caseIndent": false,
           "funcNextLine": false,
+          "keepPadding": false,
           "path": "",
           "spaceRedirects": false,
         },
@@ -155,6 +160,7 @@ describe('getConfigFromEnvironmentVariables', () => {
           "binaryNextLine": false,
           "caseIndent": true,
           "funcNextLine": false,
+          "keepPadding": false,
           "path": "/path/to/shfmt",
           "spaceRedirects": false,
         },
diff --git a/server/src/config.ts b/server/src/config.ts
index 1e39903b..2526ff96 100644
--- a/server/src/config.ts
+++ b/server/src/config.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@ export const ConfigSchema = z.object({
       // Place function opening braces on a separate line.
       funcNextLine: z.boolean().default(false),
 
+      // (Deprecated) Keep column alignment padding.
+      keepPadding: z.boolean().default(false),
+
       // Follow redirection operators with a space.
       spaceRedirects: z.boolean().default(false),
     })
@@ -81,6 +84,7 @@ export function getConfigFromEnvironmentVariables(): {
       binaryNextLine: toBoolean(process.env.SHFMT_BINARY_NEXT_LINE),
       caseIndent: toBoolean(process.env.SHFMT_CASE_INDENT),
       funcNextLine: toBoolean(process.env.SHFMT_FUNC_NEXT_LINE),
+      keepPadding: toBoolean(process.env.SHFMT_KEEP_PADDING),
       spaceRedirects: toBoolean(process.env.SHFMT_SPACE_REDIRECTS),
     },
   }
diff --git a/server/src/shfmt/__tests__/index.test.ts b/server/src/shfmt/__tests__/index.test.ts
index d29f98d0..f6f685fd 100644
--- a/server/src/shfmt/__tests__/index.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/shfmt/__tests__/index.test.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
       	;;
       esac
 
+      echo one two three
+      echo four five six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects >/dev/null
 
       function next() {
@@ -128,6 +132,10 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
       	;;
       esac
 
+      echo one two three
+      echo four five six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects >/dev/null
 
       function next() {
@@ -173,6 +181,10 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
          ;;
       esac
 
+      echo one two three
+      echo four five six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects >/dev/null
 
       function next() {
@@ -219,6 +231,10 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
         ;;
       esac
 
+      echo one two three
+      echo four five six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects >/dev/null
 
       function next() {
@@ -265,6 +281,10 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
           ;;
       esac
 
+      echo one two three
+      echo four five six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects >/dev/null
 
       function next() {
@@ -311,6 +331,10 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
         ;;
       esac
 
+      echo one two three
+      echo four five six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects >/dev/null
 
       function next()
@@ -333,6 +357,56 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
     `)
   })
 
+  it('should format with padding kept as-is when keepPadding is true', async () => {
+    const [result] = await getFormattingResult({
+      document: FIXTURE_DOCUMENT.SHFMT,
+      formatOptions: { tabSize: 2, insertSpaces: true },
+      shfmtConfig: { keepPadding: true },
+    })
+    expect(result).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+      [
+        {
+          "newText": "#!/bin/bash
+      set -ueo pipefail
+
+      if [ -z "$arg" ]; then
+        echo indent
+      fi
+
+      echo binary &&
+        echo next line
+
+      case "$arg" in
+      a)
+        echo case indent
+        ;;
+      esac
+
+      echo one   two   three
+      echo four  five  six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
+      echo space redirects >/dev/null
+
+      function next() {
+        echo line
+      }
+      ",
+          "range": {
+            "end": {
+              "character": 2147483647,
+              "line": 2147483647,
+            },
+            "start": {
+              "character": 0,
+              "line": 0,
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      ]
+    `)
+  })
+
   it('should format with redirect operators followed by a space when spaceRedirects is true', async () => {
     const [result] = await getFormattingResult({
       document: FIXTURE_DOCUMENT.SHFMT,
@@ -358,6 +432,10 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
         ;;
       esac
 
+      echo one two three
+      echo four five six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects > /dev/null
 
       function next() {
@@ -387,6 +465,7 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
         binaryNextLine: true,
         caseIndent: true,
         funcNextLine: true,
+        keepPadding: true,
         spaceRedirects: true,
       },
     })
@@ -401,7 +480,7 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
       fi
 
       echo binary \\
-        && echo next line
+                 && echo next line
 
       case "$arg" in
         a)
@@ -409,10 +488,14 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
           ;;
       esac
 
+      echo one   two   three
+      echo four  five  six
+      echo seven eight nine
+
       echo space redirects > /dev/null
 
       function next()
-      {
+                     {
         echo line
       }
       ",
diff --git a/server/src/shfmt/index.ts b/server/src/shfmt/index.ts
index e039a04d..6ef66372 100644
--- a/server/src/shfmt/index.ts
+++ b/server/src/shfmt/index.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ export class Formatter {
     if (shfmtConfig?.binaryNextLine) args.push('-bn') // --binary-next-line
     if (shfmtConfig?.caseIndent) args.push('-ci') // --case-indent
     if (shfmtConfig?.funcNextLine) args.push('-fn') // --func-next-line
+    if (shfmtConfig?.keepPadding) args.push('-kp') // --keep-padding
     if (shfmtConfig?.spaceRedirects) args.push('-sr') // --space-redirects
 
     logger.debug(`Shfmt: running "${this.executablePath} ${args.join(' ')}"`)
diff --git a/testing/fixtures/shfmt.sh b/testing/fixtures/shfmt.sh
index ff14200f..61344b52 100644
--- a/testing/fixtures/shfmt.sh
+++ b/testing/fixtures/shfmt.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ echo case indent
 ;;
 esac
 
+echo one   two   three
+echo four  five  six
+echo seven eight nine
+
 echo space redirects>  /dev/null
 
 function next(){
diff --git a/vscode-client/package.json b/vscode-client/package.json
index 7c164ccf..93d8020e 100644
--- a/vscode-client/package.json
+++ b/vscode-client/package.json
@@ -98,6 +98,11 @@
           "default": false,
           "description": "Place function opening braces on a separate line."
         },
+        "bashIde.shfmt.keepPadding": {
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "default": false,
+          "description": "(Deprecated) Keep column alignment padding."
+        },
         "bashIde.shfmt.spaceRedirects": {
           "type": "boolean",
           "default": false,