diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Aregister.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Aregister.hs
index 82c7cbc6c..870c73f8f 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Aregister.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Aregister.hs
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ aregistermode = hledgerCommandMode
 #endif
       ++ " or $COLUMNS). -wN,M sets description width as well."
      )
+  ,flagNone ["align-all"] (setboolopt "align-all") "truly align to the longest widths"
   ,outputFormatFlag ["txt","csv","json"]
   ,outputFileFlag
   ])
@@ -127,12 +128,11 @@ accountTransactionsReportItemAsCsvRecord
 -- | Render a register report as plain text suitable for console output.
 accountTransactionsReportAsText :: CliOpts -> Query -> Query -> AccountTransactionsReport -> TL.Text
 accountTransactionsReportAsText copts reportq thisacctq items = TB.toLazyText $
-    title <> TB.singleton '\n' <> lines
+    title <> TB.singleton '\n' <>
+    postingsOrTransactionsReportAsText alignAll copts itemAsText itemamt itembal items
   where
-    lines = foldMap (accountTransactionsReportItemAsText copts reportq thisacctq amtwidth balwidth) items
-    amtwidth = maximumStrict $ 12 : widths (map itemamt $ take 1000 items)
-    balwidth = maximumStrict $ 12 : widths (map itembal $ take 1000 items)
-    widths = map wbWidth . concatMap (showMixedAmountLinesB oneLine)
+    alignAll = boolopt "align-all" $ rawopts_ copts
+    itemAsText = accountTransactionsReportItemAsText copts reportq thisacctq
     itemamt (_,_,_,_,a,_) = a
     itembal (_,_,_,_,_,a) = a
 
@@ -156,11 +156,13 @@ accountTransactionsReportAsText copts reportq thisacctq items = TB.toLazyText $
 -- Returns a string which can be multi-line, eg if the running balance
 -- has multiple commodities.
 --
-accountTransactionsReportItemAsText :: CliOpts -> Query -> Query -> Int -> Int -> AccountTransactionsReportItem -> TB.Builder
+accountTransactionsReportItemAsText :: CliOpts -> Query -> Query -> Int -> Int
+                                    -> (AccountTransactionsReportItem, [WideBuilder], [WideBuilder])
+                                    -> TB.Builder
 accountTransactionsReportItemAsText
-  copts@CliOpts{reportspec_=ReportSpec{_rsReportOpts=ropts@ReportOpts{color_}}}
+  copts@CliOpts{reportspec_=ReportSpec{_rsReportOpts=ropts}}
   reportq thisacctq preferredamtwidth preferredbalwidth
-  (t@Transaction{tdescription}, _, _issplit, otheracctsstr, change, balance) =
+  ((t@Transaction{tdescription}, _, _issplit, otheracctsstr, _, _), amt, bal) =
     -- Transaction -- the transaction, unmodified
     -- Transaction -- the transaction, as seen from the current account
     -- Bool        -- is this a split (more than one posting to other accounts) ?
@@ -206,9 +208,6 @@ accountTransactionsReportItemAsText
     -- gather content
     accts = -- T.unpack $ elideAccountName acctwidth $ T.pack
             otheracctsstr
-    amt = showamt change
-    bal = showamt balance
-    showamt = showMixedAmountLinesB noPrice{displayColour=color_}
 
 -- tests
 
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Register.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Register.hs
index 8c7789fcf..fd26467df 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Register.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Register.hs
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ registermode = hledgerCommandMode
 #endif
       ++ " or $COLUMNS). -wN,M sets description width as well."
      )
+  ,flagNone ["align-all"] (setboolopt "align-all") "truly align to the longest widths"
   ,outputFormatFlag ["txt","csv","json"]
   ,outputFileFlag
   ])
@@ -93,12 +94,10 @@ postingsReportItemAsCsvRecord (_, _, _, p, b) = [idx,date,code,desc,acct,amt,bal
 
 -- | Render a register report as plain text suitable for console output.
 postingsReportAsText :: CliOpts -> PostingsReport -> TL.Text
-postingsReportAsText opts items = TB.toLazyText lines
+postingsReportAsText opts = TB.toLazyText .
+    postingsOrTransactionsReportAsText alignAll opts (postingsReportItemAsText opts) itemamt itembal
   where
-    lines = foldMap (postingsReportItemAsText opts amtwidth balwidth) items
-    amtwidth = maximumStrict $ 12 : widths (map itemamt $ take 1000 items)
-    balwidth = maximumStrict $ 12 : widths (map itembal $ take 1000 items)
-    widths = map wbWidth . concatMap (showMixedAmountLinesB oneLine)
+    alignAll = boolopt "align-all" $ rawopts_ opts
     itemamt (_,_,_,Posting{pamount=a},_) = a
     itembal (_,_,_,_,a) = a
 
@@ -126,8 +125,10 @@ postingsReportAsText opts items = TB.toLazyText lines
 --
 -- Also returns the natural width (without padding) of the amount and balance
 -- fields.
-postingsReportItemAsText :: CliOpts -> Int -> Int -> PostingsReportItem -> TB.Builder
-postingsReportItemAsText opts preferredamtwidth preferredbalwidth (mdate, mperiod, mdesc, p, b) =
+postingsReportItemAsText :: CliOpts -> Int -> Int
+                         -> (PostingsReportItem, [WideBuilder], [WideBuilder])
+                         -> TB.Builder
+postingsReportItemAsText opts preferredamtwidth preferredbalwidth ((mdate, mperiod, mdesc, p, _), amt, bal) =
     table <> TB.singleton '\n'
   where
     table = renderRowB def{tableBorders=False, borderSpaces=False} . Group NoLine $ map Header
@@ -177,9 +178,6 @@ postingsReportItemAsText opts preferredamtwidth preferredbalwidth (mdate, mperio
             BalancedVirtualPosting -> (wrap "[" "]", acctwidth-2)
             VirtualPosting         -> (wrap "(" ")", acctwidth-2)
             _                      -> (id,acctwidth)
-    amt = showamt $ pamount p
-    bal = showamt b
-    showamt = showMixedAmountLinesB oneLine{displayColour=color_ . _rsReportOpts $ reportspec_ opts}
 
 -- tests
 
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
index 988dbee51..76cd2330c 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ module Hledger.Cli.Utils
      pivotByOpts,
      anonymiseByOpts,
      journalSimilarTransaction,
+     postingsOrTransactionsReportAsText,
      tests_Cli_Utils,
     )
 where
@@ -35,9 +36,11 @@ import Data.Maybe
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import qualified Data.Text.IO as T
 import qualified Data.Text.Lazy as TL
+import qualified Data.Text.Lazy.Builder as TB
 import qualified Data.Text.Lazy.IO as TL
 import Data.Time (Day)
 import Data.Time.Clock.POSIX (POSIXTime, utcTimeToPOSIXSeconds)
+import Lens.Micro ((^.))
 import Safe (readMay, headMay)
 import System.Console.CmdArgs
 import System.Directory (getModificationTime, getDirectoryContents, copyFile, doesFileExist)
@@ -256,6 +259,32 @@ journalSimilarTransaction cliopts j desc = mbestmatch
       journalTransactionsSimilarTo j q desc 10
     q = queryFromFlags $ _rsReportOpts $ reportspec_ cliopts
 
+-- | Render a 'PostingsReport' or 'AccountTransactionsReport' as Text,
+-- determining the appropriate starting widths and increasing as necessary.
+postingsOrTransactionsReportAsText
+    :: Bool -> CliOpts -> (Int -> Int -> (a, [WideBuilder], [WideBuilder]) -> TB.Builder)
+    -> (a -> MixedAmount) -> (a -> MixedAmount) -> [a] -> TB.Builder
+postingsOrTransactionsReportAsText alignAll opts itemAsText itemamt itembal report =
+    mconcat . snd $ mapAccumL renderItem (startWidth amt, startWidth bal) itemsWithAmounts
+  where
+    minWidth  = 12
+    chunkSize = 100
+
+    renderItem (amtWidth, balWidth) item@(_, amt, bal) = ((amtWidth', balWidth'), itemBuilder)
+      where
+        itemBuilder = itemAsText amtWidth' balWidth' item
+        amtWidth' = if alignAll then amtWidth else maximumStrict $ amtWidth : map wbWidth amt
+        balWidth' = if alignAll then balWidth else maximumStrict $ balWidth : map wbWidth bal
+
+    startWidth f = maximum $ minWidth : map wbWidth (concatMap f startAlign)
+      where
+        startAlign = (if alignAll then id else take chunkSize) itemsWithAmounts
+
+    itemsWithAmounts = map (\x -> (x, showAmt $ itemamt x, showAmt $ itembal x)) report
+    showAmt = showMixedAmountLinesB oneLine{displayColour=opts^.color__}
+    amt = second3
+    bal = third3
+
 tests_Cli_Utils = testGroup "Utils" [
 
   --  testGroup "journalApplyValue" [