diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8c3b9587..96d17577 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -440,6 +440,11 @@
       "type": "object",
       "title": "Arduino configuration",
       "properties": {
+        "arduino.useActiveSketch": {
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "default": false,
+          "description": "Allows to verify or compile sketch opened in active tab."
+        },
         "arduino.path": {
           "type": "string",
           "default": "",
diff --git a/src/arduino/vscodeSettings.ts b/src/arduino/vscodeSettings.ts
index f66e268b..c0fc2f98 100644
--- a/src/arduino/vscodeSettings.ts
+++ b/src/arduino/vscodeSettings.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import * as vscode from "vscode";
 
 const configKeys = {
+    USE_ACTIVE_SKETCH: "arduino.useActiveSketch",
     ARDUINO_PATH: "arduino.path",
     ARDUINO_COMMAND_PATH: "arduino.commandPath",
     ADDITIONAL_URLS: "arduino.additionalUrls",
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ const configKeys = {
 };
 
 export interface IVscodeSettings {
+    useActiveSketch: boolean;
     arduinoPath: string;
     commandPath: string;
     additionalUrls: string | string[];
@@ -43,6 +45,10 @@ export class VscodeSettings implements IVscodeSettings {
     private constructor() {
     }
 
+    public get useActiveSketch(): boolean {
+        return this.getConfigValue<boolean>(configKeys.USE_ACTIVE_SKETCH);
+    }
+
     public get arduinoPath(): string {
         return this.getConfigValue<string>(configKeys.ARDUINO_PATH);
     }
diff --git a/src/deviceContext.ts b/src/deviceContext.ts
index 2e7f18e3..9ff4616e 100644
--- a/src/deviceContext.ts
+++ b/src/deviceContext.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import * as constants from "./common/constants";
 import * as util from "./common/util";
 import * as Logger from "./logger/logger";
 
+import { VscodeSettings } from "./arduino/vscodeSettings";
 import { ARDUINO_CONFIG_FILE } from "./common/constants";
 import { ArduinoWorkspace } from "./common/workspace";
 
@@ -96,6 +97,8 @@ export class DeviceContext implements IDeviceContext, vscode.Disposable {
 
     private _programmer: string;
 
+    private _vscodeSettings = VscodeSettings.getInstance();
+
     /**
      * @constructor
      */
@@ -112,6 +115,9 @@ export class DeviceContext implements IDeviceContext, vscode.Disposable {
             this._sketchStatusBar = vscode.window.createStatusBarItem(vscode.StatusBarAlignment.Right, constants.statusBarPriority.SKETCH);
             this._sketchStatusBar.command = "arduino.setSketchFile";
             this._sketchStatusBar.tooltip = "Sketch File";
+            vscode.window.onDidChangeActiveTextEditor(() => {
+                this.trySetOpenedFileAsSketch();
+            })
         }
     }
 
@@ -191,6 +197,10 @@ export class DeviceContext implements IDeviceContext, vscode.Disposable {
     }
 
     public showStatusBar() {
+        if (this.trySetOpenedFileAsSketch()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         if (!this._sketch) {
             return false;
         }
@@ -361,4 +371,17 @@ export class DeviceContext implements IDeviceContext, vscode.Disposable {
                 }
             });
     }
+
+    public trySetOpenedFileAsSketch() {
+        if (this._vscodeSettings.useActiveSketch) {
+            const openedFile = vscode.window.activeTextEditor.document.fileName
+                .slice(vscode.workspace.rootPath.length + 1);
+            if (/\.((ino)|(cpp)|c)$/.test(openedFile.trim())) {
+                this._sketch = openedFile;
+                this.saveContext();
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    };
 }