diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8d5bcb2ccb..6291349782 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 - Add `--fallback-syntax`/`--fallback-language` to apply syntax highlighting only when auto-detection fails, see #1341 (@Xavrir)
 - Map `BUILD` case sensitively to Python (Starlark) for Bazel, see #3576 (@vorburger)
 - Syntax highlighting for Python files using uv as script runner in shebang #3689 (@janlarres)
+- Make -ppp disable syntax highlighting #4020 (@quixaq)
 
 ## Bugfixes
 - Track strikethrough (SGR 9 / 29) in the ANSI style tracker so it is re-emitted like bold, dim, italic, and underline, and is no longer dropped after the first highlighted token when displaying ANSI input with syntax highlighting, see #4015 (@mikehasa)
diff --git a/doc/long-help.txt b/doc/long-help.txt
index b4b0710783..2a7868d157 100644
--- a/doc/long-help.txt
+++ b/doc/long-help.txt
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ Options:
   -p, --plain...
           Only show plain style, no decorations. This is an alias for '--style=plain'. When '-p' is
           used twice ('-pp'), it also disables automatic paging (alias for '--style=plain
-          --paging=never').
+          --paging=never'). When '-p' is used three times ('-ppp'), it also disables syntax
+          highlighting (alias for '--style=plain --paging=never --color=never').
 
   -l, --language <language>
           Explicitly set the language for syntax highlighting. The language can be specified as a
diff --git a/src/bin/bat/app.rs b/src/bin/bat/app.rs
index feb2e11e95..992cbc14c8 100644
--- a/src/bin/bat/app.rs
+++ b/src/bin/bat/app.rs
@@ -270,6 +270,12 @@ impl App {
         let style_components = self.style_components()?;
 
         let extra_plain = self.matches.get_count("plain") > 1;
+        let extra_extra_plain = self.matches.get_count("plain") > 2;
+        let plain_second_index = self
+            .matches
+            .indices_of("plain")
+            .and_then(|mut iter| iter.nth(0))
+            .unwrap_or_default();
         let plain_last_index = self
             .matches
             .indices_of("plain")
@@ -280,11 +286,21 @@ impl App {
             .indices_of("paging")
             .and_then(Iterator::max)
             .unwrap_or_default();
+        let color_last_index = self
+            .matches
+            .indices_of("color")
+            .and_then(Iterator::max)
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        let force_color_last_index = self
+            .matches
+            .indices_of("force-colorization")
+            .and_then(Iterator::max)
+            .unwrap_or_default();
 
         let paging_mode = match self.matches.get_one::<String>("paging").map(|s| s.as_str()) {
             Some("always") => {
                 // Disable paging if the second -p (or -pp) is specified after --paging=always
-                if extra_plain && plain_last_index > paging_last_index {
+                if extra_plain && plain_second_index > paging_last_index {
                     PagingMode::Never
                 } else {
                     PagingMode::Always
@@ -422,13 +438,14 @@ impl App {
                     }
                 }
             },
-            colored_output: self.matches.get_flag("force-colorization")
-                || match self.matches.get_one::<String>("color").map(|s| s.as_str()) {
-                    Some("always") => true,
-                    Some("never") => false,
-                    Some("auto") => !env_no_color() && self.interactive_output,
-                    _ => unreachable!("other values for --color are not allowed"),
-                },
+            colored_output: self.matches.get_flag("force-colorization") && {
+                force_color_last_index > plain_last_index || !extra_extra_plain
+            } || match self.matches.get_one::<String>("color").map(|s| s.as_str()) {
+                Some("always") => color_last_index > plain_last_index || !extra_extra_plain,
+                Some("never") => false,
+                Some("auto") => !env_no_color() && self.interactive_output && !extra_extra_plain,
+                _ => unreachable!("other values for --color are not allowed"),
+            },
             paging_mode,
             term_width: maybe_term_width.unwrap_or(Term::stdout().size().1 as usize),
             loop_through: !(self.interactive_output
diff --git a/src/bin/bat/clap_app.rs b/src/bin/bat/clap_app.rs
index 9d57fc92f1..3d4d76e378 100644
--- a/src/bin/bat/clap_app.rs
+++ b/src/bin/bat/clap_app.rs
@@ -106,7 +106,9 @@ pub fn build_app(interactive_output: bool) -> Command {
                 .long_help(
                     "Only show plain style, no decorations. This is an alias for \
                      '--style=plain'. When '-p' is used twice ('-pp'), it also disables \
-                     automatic paging (alias for '--style=plain --paging=never').",
+                     automatic paging (alias for '--style=plain --paging=never'). \
+                     When '-p' is used three times ('-ppp'), it also disables \
+                     syntax highlighting (alias for '--style=plain --paging=never --color=never').",
                 ),
         )
         .arg(