diff --git a/packages/git/src/Git.ts b/packages/git/src/Git.ts
index 2ae3a855..29502c7a 100644
--- a/packages/git/src/Git.ts
+++ b/packages/git/src/Git.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import type {
   WatcherCallback,
   WatcherEvent,
 } from './types'
+import { FileText } from 'src'
 
 const PROFILING = true
 let perfStart = (name: string) => {
@@ -561,6 +562,49 @@ export class Git {
     }
   }
 
+  getFilePlainText = async (
+    filePath: string | null,
+    sha: string | null = null,
+  ): Promise<FileText | null> => {
+    const spawn = await this._getSpawn()
+    if (!spawn) {
+      return null
+    }
+
+    if (!filePath) {
+      return {
+        path: '',
+        type: '',
+        text: '',
+      }
+    }
+
+    const fileType = path.extname(filePath)
+
+    let plainText = null
+    if (sha) {
+      const cmd = ['show', `${sha}:${filePath}`]
+      plainText = await spawn(cmd)
+    } else {
+      const absoluteFilePath = path.join(this.cwd, filePath)
+      plainText = await new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+        fs.readFile(absoluteFilePath, (err, data) => {
+          if (err) {
+            reject(err)
+          } else {
+            resolve(data.toString())
+          }
+        })
+      })
+    }
+
+    return {
+      path: filePath,
+      text: plainText,
+      type: fileType,
+    }
+  }
+
   getDiffFromShas = async (
     shaNew: string,
     shaOld: string | null = null,
diff --git a/packages/git/src/types.ts b/packages/git/src/types.ts
index d285c519..f239ccd9 100644
--- a/packages/git/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/git/src/types.ts
@@ -65,3 +65,9 @@ export type GitFileOp =
   | 'X' // Unknown
   | 'B' // Broken
   | undefined
+
+export interface FileText {
+  path: string
+  text: string
+  type: string
+}
diff --git a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/Diff.tsx b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/Diff.tsx
index d2b76347..429dfa4f 100644
--- a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/Diff.tsx
+++ b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/Diff.tsx
@@ -1,62 +1,96 @@
-import React from 'react'
-import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
+import React, { useCallback, useMemo, useRef } from 'react'
 import styled from 'styled-components'
 
 import { List } from 'app/lib/primitives'
 
-import { DiffEditor } from 'app/lib/monaco'
+import { DiffEditor, useMonaco } from 'app/lib/monaco'
 import type { editor } from 'monaco-editor'
 
-import { FilePatch } from './types'
+import { FileText } from './useDiffData'
+import { useValueEffect } from 'app/lib/hooks'
 
 interface Props {
-  filePatch: FilePatch
+  left: FileText
+  right: FileText
 }
 
-export function Diff({ filePatch }: Props) {
-  const isRenamed =
-    filePatch.oldName !== filePatch.newName &&
-    !!filePatch.oldName &&
-    !!filePatch.newName
+export function Diff({ left, right }: Props) {
+  const monaco = useMonaco()
+  const editorRef = useRef<editor.IStandaloneDiffEditor>()
+  const isRenamed = left.path !== right.path
 
   const options: editor.IDiffEditorOptions = {
-    renderSideBySide: false,
-    renderOverviewRuler: false,
+    renderSideBySide: true,
+    readOnly: true,
   }
 
+  const [leftLang, rightLang] = useMemo(() => {
+    if (!monaco) {
+      return ['', '']
+    }
+
+    const allLanguages = monaco.languages.getLanguages()
+
+    let leftLang = ''
+    let rightLang = ''
+    for (const language of allLanguages) {
+      if (leftLang && rightLang) {
+        break
+      }
+
+      const extensions = language.extensions ?? []
+
+      if (extensions.includes(left.type)) {
+        leftLang = language.id
+      }
+      if (extensions.includes(right.type)) {
+        rightLang = language.id
+      }
+    }
+
+    return [leftLang, rightLang]
+  }, [left.type, monaco, right.type])
+
+  useValueEffect(
+    left.path,
+    useCallback(() => {
+      if (editorRef.current) {
+        editorRef.current.revealPosition({ column: 0, lineNumber: 0 }, 1)
+      }
+    }, []),
+  )
+
   return (
     <DiffContainer>
       <PatchName>
         {isRenamed ? (
           <>
             <List.Label trimStart textAlign="right">
-              {filePatch.newName}
+              {left.path || '(Created)'}
             </List.Label>
             <PatchNameSeparator>{'->'}</PatchNameSeparator>
-            <List.Label trimStart>{filePatch.oldName}</List.Label>
+            <List.Label trimStart>{right.path || '(Deleted)'}</List.Label>
           </>
         ) : (
           <List.Label trimStart textAlign="center">
-            {filePatch.oldName ?? filePatch.selectedFileName}
+            {right.path}
           </List.Label>
         )}
       </PatchName>
 
       <DiffEditor
-        original={JSON.stringify(filePatch, null, 2)}
-        modified={JSON.stringify({ foo: filePatch }, null, 2)}
-        theme="vs-dark"
+        original={left.text}
+        modified={right.text}
+        theme="vs-dark" //TODO: custom giterm theme
         options={options}
-        language="json"
+        originalLanguage={leftLang}
+        modifiedLanguage={rightLang}
+        onMount={(editor) => (editorRef.current = editor)}
       />
     </DiffContainer>
   )
 }
 
-Diff.propTypes = {
-  filePatch: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
-}
-
 const DiffContainer = styled.div`
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
diff --git a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/DiffPanel.tsx b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/DiffPanel.tsx
index 8bbe39e2..e7006924 100644
--- a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/DiffPanel.tsx
+++ b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/DiffPanel.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import React from 'react'
-import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
 import styled from 'styled-components'
 
 import { Panel } from 'app/lib/primitives'
@@ -10,9 +9,9 @@ import { Diff } from './Diff'
 import { useDiffData } from './useDiffData'
 
 export function DiffPanel() {
-  const { loading, filePath, setFilePath, filePatch, diff } = useDiffData()
+  const { loading, filePath, setFilePath, diff, left, right } = useDiffData()
 
-  if (loading || !diff || !filePatch || !filePath) {
+  if (loading || !diff || !left || !right) {
     return (
       <DiffContainer>
         <MessageText>Loading</MessageText>
@@ -26,17 +25,11 @@ export function DiffPanel() {
 
       <Files patches={diff.files} filePath={filePath} onChange={setFilePath} />
 
-      <Diff filePatch={filePatch} />
+      <Diff left={left} right={right} />
     </StyledPanel>
   )
 }
 
-DiffPanel.propTypes = {
-  mode: PropTypes.oneOf(['shas', 'index']),
-  shaNew: PropTypes.string,
-  shaOld: PropTypes.string,
-}
-
 const StyledPanel = styled(Panel)`
   display: flex;
   flex: 1 1 0;
diff --git a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/types.ts b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/types.ts
index a0005514..d64523bd 100644
--- a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/types.ts
+++ b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/types.ts
@@ -15,5 +15,7 @@ export type FilePatch = Modify<
   {
     selectedFileName: string
     blocks: FilePatchBlock[]
+    originalText: string
+    modifiedText: string
   }
 >
diff --git a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/useDiffData.ts b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/useDiffData.ts
index 0f5a7289..4f8c5930 100644
--- a/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/useDiffData.ts
+++ b/packages/giterm/app/renderer/components/diff/useDiffData.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,18 @@
 import { useMemo, useState, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react'
 import { useSelector, useDispatch } from 'react-redux'
-import { Git, DiffResult } from '@giterm/git'
+import { Git, DiffResult, DiffFile, FileText } from '@giterm/git'
 
 import { diffFileSelected } from 'app/store/diff/actions'
 
-import { DiffLine, FilePatch } from './types'
+export type { FileText }
 
 export interface DiffData {
   loading: boolean
-  filePath: string | null
+  filePath: string
   setFilePath: (path: string) => void
   diff: DiffResult | null
-  filePatch: FilePatch | null
+  left: FileText | null
+  right: FileText | null
 }
 
 export function useDiffData({ contextLines = 5 } = {}): DiffData {
@@ -32,6 +33,8 @@ export function useDiffData({ contextLines = 5 } = {}): DiffData {
 
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
   const [diff, setDiff] = useState<DiffResult | null>(null)
+  const [left, setLeft] = useState<FileText | null>(null)
+  const [right, setRight] = useState<FileText | null>(null)
   useEffect(() => {
     let cancelled = false
 
@@ -46,7 +49,10 @@ export function useDiffData({ contextLines = 5 } = {}): DiffData {
           : await git.getDiffFromIndex({ contextLines })
 
       if (!cancelled) {
-        diff != null && setDiff(diff)
+        if (diff) {
+          setDiff(diff)
+        }
+
         setLoading(false)
       }
     }
@@ -58,73 +64,66 @@ export function useDiffData({ contextLines = 5 } = {}): DiffData {
     }
   }, [contextLines, cwd, mode, shaNew, shaOld])
 
-  const filePath = useMemo<string | null>(() => {
-    if (
-      !_filePath ||
-      !diff?.files?.some(
+  const fileDiff = useMemo<DiffFile | null>(() => {
+    if (_filePath) {
+      const fileDiff = diff?.files?.find(
         (patch) => (patch.newName ?? patch.oldName) === _filePath,
       )
-    ) {
-      return diff?.files[0]?.newName ?? null
+      return fileDiff ?? null
     } else {
-      return _filePath
+      return diff?.files[0] ?? null
     }
   }, [_filePath, diff?.files])
 
-  const filePatch = useMemo<FilePatch | null>(() => {
-    if (!diff || !filePath) {
-      return null
-    }
-    const file = diff.files.find(
-      (file) => file.oldName === filePath || file.newName === filePath,
-    )
-    if (!file) {
-      return null
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!fileDiff) {
+      return
     }
 
-    const filePatch: FilePatch = {
-      ...file,
-      selectedFileName: filePath,
-      blocks: [],
-    }
+    let cancelled = false
 
-    for (const block of file.blocks) {
-      const linesLeft: DiffLine[] = []
-      const linesRight: DiffLine[] = []
-
-      for (const line of block.lines) {
-        const isLeft = typeof line.oldNumber === 'number' && line.oldNumber >= 0
-        const isRight =
-          typeof line.newNumber === 'number' && line.newNumber >= 0
-
-        // Where line has not changed at-all we fix the row to the same index in both columns
-        if (isLeft && isRight) {
-          const headIndex = Math.max(linesLeft.length, linesRight.length)
-          linesLeft[headIndex] = line
-          linesRight[headIndex] = line
-          continue
-        }
+    const leftName = fileDiff.oldName
+    const rightName = fileDiff.newName
 
-        // Otherwise push one at a time to keep the diff compact
-        if (isLeft) {
-          linesLeft.push(line)
-        }
-        if (isRight) {
-          linesRight.push(line)
-        }
+    async function fetch() {
+      const git = new Git(cwd)
+
+      let left: FileText | null
+      let right: FileText | null
+      if (mode === 'shas') {
+        const shaOldRelative = shaOld ?? `${shaNew}~1`
+        left = await git.getFilePlainText(leftName, shaOldRelative)
+        right = await git.getFilePlainText(rightName, shaNew)
+      } else {
+        left = await git.getFilePlainText(leftName, 'HEAD')
+        right = await git.getFilePlainText(rightName)
       }
 
-      filePatch.blocks.push({ ...block, linesLeft, linesRight })
+      if (!cancelled) {
+        if (left && right) {
+          setLeft(left)
+          setRight(right)
+        }
+
+        setLoading(false)
+      }
     }
 
-    return filePatch
-  }, [diff, filePath])
+    fetch().catch((e) => {
+      throw e
+    })
+
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true
+    }
+  }, [cwd, fileDiff, mode, shaNew, shaOld])
 
   return {
     loading,
-    filePath,
+    filePath: _filePath,
     setFilePath,
     diff,
-    filePatch,
+    left,
+    right,
   }
 }