diff --git a/lexers/LexHTML.cxx b/lexers/LexHTML.cxx
index 0bff582d..6ed2d46f 100644
--- a/lexers/LexHTML.cxx
+++ b/lexers/LexHTML.cxx
@@ -675,6 +675,29 @@ constexpr bool isPHPStringState(int state) noexcept {
 	    (state == SCE_HPHP_COMPLEX_VARIABLE);
 }
 
+constexpr bool IsPHPEntryState(int state) noexcept {
+	return !(isPHPStringState(state) || IsScriptCommentState(state) || AnyOf(state, SCE_H_ASPAT, SCE_HPHP_COMMENT, SCE_HPHP_COMMENTLINE));
+}
+
+enum class AllowPHP : int {
+	None,
+	PHP,
+	QuestionOrPHP,
+};
+
+bool IsPHPStart(AllowPHP allowPHP, Accessor &styler, Sci_PositionU start) {
+	if (allowPHP == AllowPHP::None) {
+		return false;
+	}
+	if (allowPHP == AllowPHP::PHP) {
+		// Require <?php
+		constexpr std::string_view phpMark = "<?php";
+		const std::string s = styler.GetRangeLowered(start, start + phpMark.length());
+		return s == phpMark;
+	}
+	return true;
+}
+
 Sci_Position FindPhpStringDelimiter(std::string &phpStringDelimiter, Sci_Position i, const Sci_Position lengthDoc, Accessor &styler, bool &isSimpleString) {
 	const Sci_Position beginning = i - 1;
 	bool isQuoted = false;
@@ -722,6 +745,8 @@ struct OptionsHTML {
 	int aspDefaultLanguage = eScriptJS;
 	bool caseSensitive = false;
 	bool allowScripts = true;
+	AllowPHP allowPHPinXML = AllowPHP::QuestionOrPHP;
+	AllowPHP allowPHPinHTML = AllowPHP::QuestionOrPHP;
 	bool isMako = false;
 	bool isDjango = false;
 	bool fold = false;
@@ -767,6 +792,14 @@ struct OptionSetHTML : public OptionSet<OptionsHTML> {
 		DefineProperty("lexer.xml.allow.scripts", &OptionsHTML::allowScripts,
 			"Set to 0 to disable scripts in XML.");
 
+		DefineProperty("lexer.xml.allow.php", &OptionsHTML::allowPHPinXML,
+			"Set to 0 to disable PHP in XML, 1 to accept <?php, 2 to also accept <?."
+			"The default is 2.");
+
+		DefineProperty("lexer.html.allow.php", &OptionsHTML::allowPHPinHTML,
+			"Set to 0 to disable PHP in HTML, 1 to accept <?php, 2 to also accept <?."
+			"The default is 2.");
+
 		DefineProperty("lexer.html.mako", &OptionsHTML::isMako,
 			"Set to 1 to enable the mako template language.");
 
@@ -1219,6 +1252,7 @@ void SCI_METHOD LexerHTML::Lex(Sci_PositionU startPos, Sci_Position length, int
 	const bool foldXmlAtTagOpen = isXml && fold && options.foldXmlAtTagOpen;
 	const bool caseSensitive = options.caseSensitive;
 	const bool allowScripts = options.allowScripts;
+	const AllowPHP allowPHP = isXml ? options.allowPHPinXML : options.allowPHPinHTML;
 	const bool isMako = options.isMako;
 	const bool isDjango = options.isDjango;
 	const CharacterSet setHTMLWord(CharacterSet::setAlphaNum, ".-_:!#", true);
@@ -1447,13 +1481,7 @@ void SCI_METHOD LexerHTML::Lex(Sci_PositionU startPos, Sci_Position length, int
 
 		/////////////////////////////////////
 		// handle the start of PHP pre-processor = Non-HTML
-		else if ((state != SCE_H_ASPAT) &&
-		         !isPHPStringState(state) &&
-		         (state != SCE_HPHP_COMMENT) &&
-		         (state != SCE_HPHP_COMMENTLINE) &&
-		         (ch == '<') &&
-		         (chNext == '?') &&
-				 !IsScriptCommentState(state)) {
+		else if ((ch == '<') && (chNext == '?') && IsPHPEntryState(state) && IsPHPStart(allowPHP, styler, i)) {
  			beforeLanguage = scriptLanguage;
 			scriptLanguage = segIsScriptingIndicator(styler, i + 2, i + 6, isXml ? eScriptXML : eScriptPHP);
 			if ((scriptLanguage != eScriptPHP) && (isStringState(state) || (state==SCE_H_COMMENT))) continue;