diff --git a/docs/user/interface/TextView.dox b/docs/user/interface/TextView.dox
index b149605389..de9f7e2d5b 100644
--- a/docs/user/interface/TextView.dox
+++ b/docs/user/interface/TextView.dox
@@ -183,6 +183,8 @@
 	to be selectable or editable off. A non-editable, non-selectable text
 	view can be useful as a BStringView that wraps.
 
+	Call AdoptSystemColors() to set default colors.
+
 	Call MakeResizable() to make the view width track with text width,
 	this can be useful for short single-line text views.
 
@@ -1226,9 +1228,14 @@
 	\fn void BTextView::MakeEditable(bool editable)
 	\brief Sets whether or not the text is editable.
 
+	Will automatically tint document colors to indicate uneditable
+	if you have previously called AdoptSystemColors().
+
 	\param editable Pass in \c true to set the text to be editable,
 	       \c false to set the object to be not editable.
 
+	\see AdoptSystemColors()
+
 	\since BeOS R3
 */
 
@@ -1341,13 +1348,41 @@
 
 
 /*!
-	\name Word Wrap
+	\name Color Adoption
 */
 
 
 //! @{
 
 
+/*!
+	\fn BTextView::AdoptSystemColors()
+	\brief Adopts document colors tinted to match panel background if uneditable.
+
+	- \c B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR for ViewUIColor()
+	- \c B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR for LowUIColor()
+	- \c B_DOCUMENT_TEXT_COLOR for HighUIColor()
+
+	View and low colors tinted \c B_DARKEN_1_TINT (inverse on dark) if uneditable.
+
+	Does not alter text color.
+
+	\see BView::AdoptSystemColors(), MakeEditable()
+
+	\since Haiku R1
+*/
+
+
+//! @}
+
+
+/*!
+	\name Word Wrap
+*/
+
+
+//! @{
+
 
 /*!
 	\fn void BTextView::SetWordWrap(bool wrap)
diff --git a/headers/os/interface/TextView.h b/headers/os/interface/TextView.h
index 3e02971d80..ec9e109c31 100644
--- a/headers/os/interface/TextView.h
+++ b/headers/os/interface/TextView.h
@@ -131,6 +131,8 @@ public:
 			void				SelectAll();
 			void				GetSelection(int32* _start, int32* _end) const;
 
+			void				AdoptSystemColors();
+
 			void				SetFontAndColor(const BFont* font,
 									uint32 mode = B_FONT_ALL,
 									const rgb_color* color = NULL);
@@ -426,6 +428,9 @@ private:
 			float				_TextHeight();
 			BRect				_TextRect();
 
+			float				_UneditableTint();
+			bool				_UsesSystemColors();
+
 private:
 			BPrivate::TextGapBuffer*	fText;
 			LineBuffer*			fLines;
diff --git a/src/kits/interface/TextView.cpp b/src/kits/interface/TextView.cpp
index 878fab540d..d010df2686 100644
--- a/src/kits/interface/TextView.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/interface/TextView.cpp
@@ -1589,8 +1589,20 @@ BTextView::GetSelection(int32* _start, int32* _end) const
 
 
 void
-BTextView::SetFontAndColor(const BFont* font, uint32 mode,
-	const rgb_color* color)
+BTextView::AdoptSystemColors()
+{
+	if (IsEditable())
+		SetViewUIColor(B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR);
+	else
+		SetViewUIColor(B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR, _UneditableTint());
+
+	SetLowUIColor(ViewUIColor());
+	SetHighUIColor(B_DOCUMENT_TEXT_COLOR);
+}
+
+
+void
+BTextView::SetFontAndColor(const BFont* font, uint32 mode, const rgb_color* color)
 {
 	SetFontAndColor(fSelStart, fSelEnd, font, mode, color);
 }
@@ -2371,6 +2383,11 @@ BTextView::MakeEditable(bool editable)
 		return;
 
 	fEditable = editable;
+
+	// apply uneditable colors or unapply them
+	if (_UsesSystemColors())
+		AdoptSystemColors();
+
 	// TextControls change the color of the text when
 	// they are made editable, so we need to invalidate
 	// the NULL style here
@@ -6093,6 +6110,24 @@ BTextView::_TextRect()
 }
 
 
+float
+BTextView::_UneditableTint()
+{
+	return ui_color(B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR).IsLight() ? B_DARKEN_1_TINT : 0.853;
+}
+
+
+bool
+BTextView::_UsesSystemColors()
+{
+	float tint = B_NO_TINT;
+
+	return ViewUIColor(&tint) == B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR
+		&& LowUIColor(&tint) == B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR
+		&& HighUIColor() == B_DOCUMENT_TEXT_COLOR;
+}
+
+
 // #pragma mark - BTextView::TextTrackState