diff --git a/include/cxxopts.hpp b/include/cxxopts.hpp
index e89c2e1..f5f2af1 100644
--- a/include/cxxopts.hpp
+++ b/include/cxxopts.hpp
@@ -1297,6 +1297,8 @@ namespace cxxopts
     , m_positional_help("positional parameters")
     , m_show_positional(false)
     , m_allow_unrecognised(false)
+    , m_width(76)
+    , m_tab_expansion(false)
     , m_options(std::make_shared<OptionMap>())
     , m_next_positional(m_positional.end())
     {
@@ -1330,6 +1332,20 @@ namespace cxxopts
       return *this;
     }
 
+    Options&
+    set_width(size_t width)
+    {
+      m_width = width;
+      return *this;
+    }
+
+    Options&
+    set_tab_expansion(bool expansion=true)
+    {
+      m_tab_expansion = expansion;
+      return *this;
+    }
+
     ParseResult
     parse(int& argc, char**& argv);
 
@@ -1414,6 +1430,8 @@ namespace cxxopts
     std::string m_positional_help;
     bool m_show_positional;
     bool m_allow_unrecognised;
+    size_t m_width;
+    bool m_tab_expansion;
 
     std::shared_ptr<OptionMap> m_options;
     std::vector<std::string> m_positional;
@@ -1450,8 +1468,8 @@ namespace cxxopts
 
   namespace
   {
-    constexpr int OPTION_LONGEST = 30;
-    constexpr int OPTION_DESC_GAP = 2;
+    constexpr size_t OPTION_LONGEST = 30;
+    constexpr size_t OPTION_DESC_GAP = 2;
 
     std::basic_regex<char> option_matcher
       ("--([[:alnum:]][-_[:alnum:]]+)(=(.*))?|-([[:alnum:]]+)");
@@ -1506,7 +1524,8 @@ namespace cxxopts
     (
       const HelpOptionDetails& o,
       size_t start,
-      size_t width
+      size_t width,
+      bool m_tab_expansion
     )
     {
       auto desc = o.desc;
@@ -1525,53 +1544,85 @@ namespace cxxopts
 
       String result;
 
+      if (m_tab_expansion)
+      {
+        String desc2;
+        auto size = size_t{ 0 };
+        for (auto c = std::begin(desc); c != std::end(desc); ++c)
+        {
+          if (*c == '\n')
+          {
+            desc2 += *c;
+            size = 0;
+          }
+          else if (*c == '\t')
+          {
+            auto skip = 8 - size % 8;
+            desc2.append(skip, ' ');
+            size += skip;
+          }
+          else
+          {
+            desc2 += *c;
+            ++size;
+          }
+        }
+        desc = desc2;
+      }
+
+      desc += " ";
+
       auto current = std::begin(desc);
       auto startLine = current;
       auto lastSpace = current;
 
-      auto size = size_t{};
-
       while (current != std::end(desc))
       {
-        if (*current == ' ')
+        size_t addNewLine = 0;
+        while (*current == '\n')
         {
+          *current = ' ';
+          ++current;
+          ++addNewLine;
+        }
+        if (addNewLine == 0 && current - startLine >= width)
+        {
+          if (lastSpace != startLine)
+          {
+            current = lastSpace;
+          }
+          if (current + 1 != std::end(desc))
+          {
+            ++addNewLine;
+          }
+        }
+        if (addNewLine > 0)
+        {
+          stringAppend(result, startLine, current);
+          startLine = current;
           lastSpace = current;
+
+          while (addNewLine-- > 0)
+          {
+            stringAppend(result, "\n");
+          }
+
+          if (current + 1 != std::end(desc))
+          {
+            stringAppend(result, start, ' ');
+          }
         }
 
-        if (*current == '\n')
+        if (std::isblank(*current))
         {
-          startLine = current + 1;
-          lastSpace = startLine;
-        }
-        else if (size > width)
-        {
-          if (lastSpace == startLine)
-          {
-            stringAppend(result, startLine, current + 1);
-            stringAppend(result, "\n");
-            stringAppend(result, start, ' ');
-            startLine = current + 1;
-            lastSpace = startLine;
-          }
-          else
-          {
-            stringAppend(result, startLine, lastSpace);
-            stringAppend(result, "\n");
-            stringAppend(result, start, ' ');
-            startLine = lastSpace + 1;
-          }
-          size = 0;
-        }
-        else
-        {
-          ++size;
+          lastSpace = current + 1;
         }
 
         ++current;
       }
 
       //append whatever is left
-      stringAppend(result, startLine, current);
+      stringAppend(result, startLine, std::end(desc) - 1);
 
       return result;
     }
@@ -2082,11 +2133,14 @@ Options::help_one_group(const std::string& g) const
     longest = (std::max)(longest, stringLength(s));
     format.push_back(std::make_pair(s, String()));
   }
+  longest = (std::min)(longest, OPTION_LONGEST);
 
-  longest = (std::min)(longest, static_cast<size_t>(OPTION_LONGEST));
-
-  //widest allowed description
-  auto allowed = size_t{76} - longest - OPTION_DESC_GAP;
+  //widest allowed description -- min 10 chars for helptext/line
+  size_t allowed = 10;
+  if (m_width > allowed + longest + OPTION_DESC_GAP)
+  {
+    allowed = m_width - longest - OPTION_DESC_GAP;
+  }
 
   auto fiter = format.begin();
   for (const auto& o : group->second.options)
@@ -2097,7 +2151,7 @@ Options::help_one_group(const std::string& g) const
       continue;
     }
 
-    auto d = format_description(o, longest + OPTION_DESC_GAP, allowed);
+    auto d = format_description(o, longest + OPTION_DESC_GAP, allowed, m_tab_expansion);
 
     result += fiter->first;
     if (stringLength(fiter->first) > longest)