diff --git a/team/bundles/org.eclipse.compare/compare/org/eclipse/compare/unifieddiff/internal/UnifiedDiffManager.java b/team/bundles/org.eclipse.compare/compare/org/eclipse/compare/unifieddiff/internal/UnifiedDiffManager.java
index 268c16d2f09..f86c9762e71 100644
--- a/team/bundles/org.eclipse.compare/compare/org/eclipse/compare/unifieddiff/internal/UnifiedDiffManager.java
+++ b/team/bundles/org.eclipse.compare/compare/org/eclipse/compare/unifieddiff/internal/UnifiedDiffManager.java
@@ -871,14 +871,21 @@ private static List<UnifiedDiff> computeDiffs(IDocument leftDocument, IDocument
 				case RangeDifference.NOCHANGE:
 					break;
 				case RangeDifference.CHANGE:
-					var diff = new UnifiedDiff(leftDocument, leftStart, leftEnd, leftDiffSource, rightDocument,
-							rightStart, rightEnd, rightDiffSource, unifiedDiffs, mode);
-					unifiedDiffs.add(diff);
-
 					// line based fine granular diff via DocumentMerger#simpleTokenDiff
 					ITokenComparator l = createTokenComparator(leftDiffSource, tokenComparatorFactory);
 					ITokenComparator r = createTokenComparator(rightDiffSource, tokenComparatorFactory);
 					RangeDifference[] detailedDiffs = RangeDifferencer.findRanges((IRangeComparator) null, l, r);
+					// The token comparator defines what counts as a real difference. When it
+					// reports none, the region is treated as equal in every mode: no annotation
+					// is shown, and REPLACE_MODE leaves the text as it is rather than rewriting
+					// it to a form the comparator considers identical.
+					if (!hasDetailedChanges(detailedDiffs)) {
+						break;
+					}
+					var diff = new UnifiedDiff(leftDocument, leftStart, leftEnd, leftDiffSource, rightDocument,
+							rightStart, rightEnd, rightDiffSource, unifiedDiffs, mode);
+					unifiedDiffs.add(diff);
+
 					for (RangeDifference detailedDiff : detailedDiffs) {
 						if (detailedDiff.kind() == RangeDifference.NOCHANGE) {
 							continue;
@@ -918,6 +925,15 @@ private static List<UnifiedDiff> computeDiffs(IDocument leftDocument, IDocument
 		return unifiedDiffs;
 	}
 
+	private static boolean hasDetailedChanges(RangeDifference[] detailedDiffs) {
+		for (RangeDifference detailedDiff : detailedDiffs) {
+			if (detailedDiff.kind() != RangeDifference.NOCHANGE) {
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+		return false;
+	}
+
 	public static void error(Exception e) {
 		Platform.getLog(UnifiedDiffManager.class).error(e.getMessage(), e);
 	}
diff --git a/team/tests/org.eclipse.team.tests.core/src/org/eclipse/team/tests/ui/UnifiedDiffManagerTest.java b/team/tests/org.eclipse.team.tests.core/src/org/eclipse/team/tests/ui/UnifiedDiffManagerTest.java
index c2df06a69d3..1fafd7ac1e9 100644
--- a/team/tests/org.eclipse.team.tests.core/src/org/eclipse/team/tests/ui/UnifiedDiffManagerTest.java
+++ b/team/tests/org.eclipse.team.tests.core/src/org/eclipse/team/tests/ui/UnifiedDiffManagerTest.java
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import org.eclipse.compare.contentmergeviewer.ITokenComparator;
+import org.eclipse.compare.rangedifferencer.IRangeComparator;
 import org.eclipse.compare.unifieddiff.UnifiedDiff;
 import org.eclipse.compare.unifieddiff.UnifiedDiffMode;
 import org.eclipse.compare.unifieddiff.internal.UnifiedDiffManager;
@@ -255,6 +257,41 @@ public void testReplaceModeAnnotatesTheAppliedText() throws BadLocationException
 				"the annotation must cover the text that was inserted into the document");
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * The token comparator, not the mode, decides what counts as a difference. A
+	 * case-insensitive comparator reports no difference between "line one" and
+	 * "LINE ONE", so REPLACE_MODE must leave the document untouched rather than
+	 * rewrite it to a form the comparator already considers identical.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void testReplaceModeKeepsDocumentWhenTokenComparatorTreatsChangeAsEqual() {
+		setEditorContent("line one\n");
+
+		assertTrue(UnifiedDiff.create(editor, "LINE ONE\n", UnifiedDiffMode.REPLACE_MODE).ignoreWhiteSpace(false)
+				.tokenComparatorFactory(CaseInsensitiveTokenComparator::new).open().isOK());
+
+		assertTrue(UnifiedDiffManager.get(viewer()).isEmpty(),
+				"a change the token comparator treats as equal must not be applied, even in REPLACE_MODE");
+		assertEquals("line one\n", document().get(),
+				"REPLACE_MODE must leave the document untouched when the comparator sees no real difference");
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * The counterpart to {@link #testReplaceModeKeepsDocumentWhenTokenComparatorTreatsChangeAsEqual()}:
+	 * with the default comparator a case change is a real difference, so REPLACE_MODE
+	 * applies it and the document becomes the compared source.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void testReplaceModeAppliesCaseChangeWithDefaultComparator() {
+		setEditorContent("line one\n");
+
+		assertTrue(UnifiedDiff.create(editor, "LINE ONE\n", UnifiedDiffMode.REPLACE_MODE).ignoreWhiteSpace(false).open()
+				.isOK());
+
+		assertEquals("LINE ONE\n", document().get(),
+				"with the default comparator a case change is a real difference and must be applied");
+	}
+
 	// ---------------------------------------------------- non modifying modes
 
 	@Test
@@ -334,6 +371,17 @@ public void testWhitespaceOnlyChangeIsReportedWhenNotIgnored() {
 				"with ignoreWhiteSpace(false) the changed indentation is a diff");
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testTokenComparatorCanIgnoreALineChange() {
+		setEditorContent("line one\n");
+
+		assertTrue(UnifiedDiff.create(editor, "LINE ONE\n", UnifiedDiffMode.OVERLAY_MODE)
+				.ignoreWhiteSpace(false).tokenComparatorFactory(CaseInsensitiveTokenComparator::new).open().isOK());
+
+		assertTrue(UnifiedDiffManager.get(viewer()).isEmpty(),
+				"a change ignored by the token comparator must not create a parent diff");
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * A diff at the very end of the document is shown as a code mining. Only a line
 	 * header mining reserves its height in the text widget, so an emptied file must
@@ -433,6 +481,39 @@ private void assertReplaceModeYields(String left, String right) {
 		assertEquals(right, document().get(), "REPLACE_MODE must transform the document into the compared source");
 	}
 
+	private static final class CaseInsensitiveTokenComparator implements ITokenComparator {
+		private final String text;
+
+		CaseInsensitiveTokenComparator(String text) {
+			this.text = text;
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public int getRangeCount() {
+			return 1;
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public int getTokenStart(int index) {
+			return index == 0 ? 0 : text.length();
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public int getTokenLength(int index) {
+			return index == 0 ? text.length() : 0;
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public boolean rangesEqual(int thisIndex, IRangeComparator other, int otherIndex) {
+			return other instanceof CaseInsensitiveTokenComparator comparator && text.equalsIgnoreCase(comparator.text);
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public boolean skipRangeComparison(int length, int maxLength, IRangeComparator other) {
+			return false;
+		}
+	}
+
 	private ITextViewer viewer() {
 		ITextViewer viewer = editor.getAdapter(ITextViewer.class);
 		assertNotNull(viewer, "editor must adapt to ITextViewer");