diff --git a/internal/action/actions.go b/internal/action/actions.go
index c0f4aead..cdce96d9 100644
--- a/internal/action/actions.go
+++ b/internal/action/actions.go
@@ -1472,10 +1472,14 @@ func (h *BufPane) paste(clip string) {
 func (h *BufPane) JumpToMatchingBrace() bool {
 	matchingBrace, left, found := h.Buf.FindMatchingBrace(h.Cursor.Loc)
 	if found {
-		if left {
-			h.Cursor.GotoLoc(matchingBrace)
+		if h.Buf.Settings["matchbraceleft"].(bool) {
+			if left {
+				h.Cursor.GotoLoc(matchingBrace)
+			} else {
+				h.Cursor.GotoLoc(matchingBrace.Move(1, h.Buf))
+			}
 		} else {
-			h.Cursor.GotoLoc(matchingBrace.Move(1, h.Buf))
+			h.Cursor.GotoLoc(matchingBrace)
 		}
 		h.Relocate()
 		return true
diff --git a/internal/buffer/buffer.go b/internal/buffer/buffer.go
index 3073eba0..15cfe335 100644
--- a/internal/buffer/buffer.go
+++ b/internal/buffer/buffer.go
@@ -1193,17 +1193,19 @@ func (b *Buffer) FindMatchingBrace(start Loc) (Loc, bool, bool) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// failed to find matching brace for the given location, so try to find matching
-	// brace for the location one character left of it
-	if start.X-1 >= 0 && start.X-1 < len(curLine) {
-		leftChar := curLine[start.X-1]
-		left := Loc{start.X - 1, start.Y}
+	if b.Settings["matchbraceleft"].(bool) {
+		// failed to find matching brace for the given location, so try to find matching
+		// brace for the location one character left of it
+		if start.X-1 >= 0 && start.X-1 < len(curLine) {
+			leftChar := curLine[start.X-1]
+			left := Loc{start.X - 1, start.Y}
 
-		for _, bp := range BracePairs {
-			if leftChar == bp[0] || leftChar == bp[1] {
-				mb, found := b.findMatchingBrace(bp, left, leftChar)
-				if found {
-					return mb, true, true
+			for _, bp := range BracePairs {
+				if leftChar == bp[0] || leftChar == bp[1] {
+					mb, found := b.findMatchingBrace(bp, left, leftChar)
+					if found {
+						return mb, true, true
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/internal/config/settings.go b/internal/config/settings.go
index 78874ed6..d25f0d07 100644
--- a/internal/config/settings.go
+++ b/internal/config/settings.go
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ var defaultCommonSettings = map[string]interface{}{
 	"indentchar":      " ",
 	"keepautoindent":  false,
 	"matchbrace":      true,
+	"matchbraceleft":  true,
 	"matchbracestyle": "underline",
 	"mkparents":       false,
 	"permbackup":      false,
diff --git a/runtime/help/options.md b/runtime/help/options.md
index 32375833..ff781834 100644
--- a/runtime/help/options.md
+++ b/runtime/help/options.md
@@ -231,7 +231,19 @@ Here are the available options:
     default value: `false`
 
 * `matchbrace`: show matching braces for '()', '{}', '[]' when the cursor
-   is on a brace character or next to it.
+   is on a brace character or (if `matchbraceleft` is enabled) next to it.
+
+    default value: `true`
+
+* `matchbraceleft`: simulate I-beam cursor behavior (cursor located not on a
+   character but "between" characters): when showing matching braces, if there
+   is no brace character directly under the cursor, match the brace character
+   to the left of the cursor instead. Also when jumping to the matching brace,
+   move the cursor either to the matching brace character or to the character
+   next to it, depending on whether the initial cursor position was on the
+   brace character or next to it (i.e. "inside" or "outside" the braces).
+   With `matchbraceleft` disabled, micro will only match the brace directly
+   under the cursor and will only jump to precisely to the matching brace.
 
     default value: `true`
 
@@ -526,6 +538,7 @@ so that you can see what the formatting should look like.
     "linter": true,
     "literate": true,
     "matchbrace": true,
+    "matchbraceleft": true,
     "matchbracestyle": "underline",
     "mkparents": false,
     "mouse": true,