diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index 64427462e..dcd7ba0ac 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ Changelog
 - Have the :option:`kitty --title` flag apply to all windows created
   using :option:`kitty --session` (:iss:`921`)
 
+- Revert change for backspacing of wide characters in the previous release,
+  as it breaks backspacing in some wide-character aware programs (:iss:`875`)
+
 
 0.12.1 [2018-09-08]
 ------------------------------
diff --git a/kitty/screen.c b/kitty/screen.c
index 872eed784..0000f5e36 100644
--- a/kitty/screen.c
+++ b/kitty/screen.c
@@ -708,15 +708,7 @@ screen_is_cursor_visible(Screen *self) {
 
 void
 screen_backspace(Screen *self) {
-    unsigned int amount = 1;
-    if (self->cursor->x < self->columns && self->cursor->x > 1) {
-        // check if previous character is a wide character
-        linebuf_init_line(self->linebuf, self->cursor->y);
-        unsigned int xpos = self->cursor->x - 2;
-        GPUCell *gpu_cell = self->linebuf->line->gpu_cells + xpos;
-        if ((gpu_cell->attrs & WIDTH_MASK) == 2) amount = 2;
-    }
-    screen_cursor_back(self, amount, -1);
+    screen_cursor_back(self, 1, -1);
 }
 
 void