diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2e9bd0f..33ede1d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -187,6 +187,12 @@ minimatch('/a/b', '/**/d', { partial: true })     // true, might be /a/b/.../d
 minimatch('/x/y/z', '/a/**/z', { partial: true }) // false, because x !== a
 ```
 
+### allowWindowsEscape
+
+Windows path separator `\` is by default converted to `/`, which
+prohibits the usage of `\` as a escape character. This flag skips that
+behavior and allows using the escape character.
+
 ## Comparisons to other fnmatch/glob implementations
 
 While strict compliance with the existing standards is a worthwhile
diff --git a/minimatch.js b/minimatch.js
index 90eacf6..e07c58f 100644
--- a/minimatch.js
+++ b/minimatch.js
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ function Minimatch (pattern, options) {
   if (!options) options = {}
 
   // windows support: need to use /, not \
-  if (path.sep !== '/') {
+  if (!options.allowWindowsEscape && path.sep !== '/') {
     pattern = pattern.split(path.sep).join('/')
   }