diff --git a/extensions/git/src/git.ts b/extensions/git/src/git.ts
index b748675b56d..c1fc82cb489 100644
--- a/extensions/git/src/git.ts
+++ b/extensions/git/src/git.ts
@@ -751,6 +751,27 @@ export class Repository {
 		return { mode, object, size: parseInt(size) };
 	}
 
+	async lstreeOutput(treeish: string, path: string): Promise<string> {
+		if (!treeish) { // index
+			const { stdout } = await this.run(['ls-files', '--stage', '--', path]);
+			return stdout;
+		}
+
+		const { stdout } = await this.run(['ls-tree', '-l', treeish, '--', path]);
+		return stdout;
+	}
+
+	async relativePathToGitRelativePath(treeish: string, path: string): Promise<string> {
+		let gitPath: string = path;
+		const pathPrefix = path.substring(0, path.lastIndexOf('/'));
+		const lstOutput = await this.lstreeOutput(treeish, pathPrefix + '/');
+		const findResult = lstOutput.toUpperCase().indexOf(path.toUpperCase());
+		if (findResult) {
+			gitPath = lstOutput.substr(findResult, path.length);
+		}
+		return gitPath;
+	}
+
 	async detectObjectType(object: string): Promise<{ mimetype: string, encoding?: string }> {
 		const child = await this.stream(['show', object]);
 		const buffer = await readBytes(child.stdout, 4100);
diff --git a/extensions/git/src/repository.ts b/extensions/git/src/repository.ts
index e1edda82e80..fa1daf8b36c 100644
--- a/extensions/git/src/repository.ts
+++ b/extensions/git/src/repository.ts
@@ -876,12 +876,17 @@ export class Repository implements Disposable {
 	}
 
 	async show(ref: string, filePath: string): Promise<string> {
-		return this.run(Operation.Show, () => {
-			const relativePath = path.relative(this.repository.root, filePath).replace(/\\/g, '/');
+		return this.run(Operation.Show, async () => {
+			let relativePath = path.relative(this.repository.root, filePath).replace(/\\/g, '/');
 			const configFiles = workspace.getConfiguration('files', Uri.file(filePath));
 			const defaultEncoding = configFiles.get<string>('encoding');
 			const autoGuessEncoding = configFiles.get<boolean>('autoGuessEncoding');
 
+			if (ref === '') {
+				ref = 'HEAD';
+			}
+
+			relativePath = await this.repository.relativePathToGitRelativePath(ref, relativePath);
 			return this.repository.bufferString(`${ref}:${relativePath}`, defaultEncoding, autoGuessEncoding);
 		});
 	}