diff --git a/FL/Fl_Text_Buffer.H b/FL/Fl_Text_Buffer.H
index d74ddfc79..a9365d5c0 100644
--- a/FL/Fl_Text_Buffer.H
+++ b/FL/Fl_Text_Buffer.H
@@ -742,19 +742,11 @@ public:
    */
   const Fl_Text_Selection* highlight_selection() const { return &mHighlight; }
 
-  /**
-   Returns the index of the previous character.
-   \param ix index to the current character
-   */
-  int prev_char(int ix) const;
-  int prev_char_clipped(int ix) const;
+  int prev_char(int pos) const;
+  int prev_char_clipped(int pos) const;
 
-  /**
-   Returns the index of the next character.
-   \param ix index to the current character
-   */
-  int next_char(int ix) const;
-  int next_char_clipped(int ix) const;
+  int next_char(int pos) const;
+  int next_char_clipped(int pos) const;
 
   /**
    Align an index into the buffer to the current or previous UTF-8 boundary.
diff --git a/src/Fl_Text_Buffer.cxx b/src/Fl_Text_Buffer.cxx
index 907a5cce6..848cacd9a 100644
--- a/src/Fl_Text_Buffer.cxx
+++ b/src/Fl_Text_Buffer.cxx
@@ -2080,9 +2080,8 @@ int Fl_Text_Buffer::outputfile(const char *file,
 }
 
 
-/*
- Return the previous character position.
- Unicode safe.
+/**
+ As prev_char() but returns 0 if the beginning of the buffer is reached.
  */
 int Fl_Text_Buffer::prev_char_clipped(int pos) const
 {
@@ -2090,17 +2089,27 @@ int Fl_Text_Buffer::prev_char_clipped(int pos) const
     return 0;
 
   IS_UTF8_ALIGNED2(this, (pos))
-  const char *previous = fl_utf8_previous_composed_char(address(0) + pos, address(0));
-  pos = previous - address(0);
-
+  const int l_t = 40;
+  char t[l_t + 1]; t[l_t] = 0;
+  int l = l_t, p = pos, ll;
+  for (int i = l_t; i > 0 && p > 0; i--) {
+    t[--l] = byte_at(--p);
+    ll = fl_utf8len(t[l]);
+    if (ll == 1 || ll == 2) break;
+  }
+  const char *previous = fl_utf8_previous_composed_char(t + l_t, t + l);
+  ll = strlen(t + l);
+  pos = (pos - ll) + (previous - (t+l));
   IS_UTF8_ALIGNED2(this, (pos))
   return pos;
 }
 
 
-/*
- Return the previous character position.
+/**
+ Returns the index of the previous character.
+ This function processes a composed character (e.g., a flag emoji) as a single character.
  Returns -1 if the beginning of the buffer is reached.
+ \param pos index to the current character
  */
 int Fl_Text_Buffer::prev_char(int pos) const
 {
@@ -2109,15 +2118,31 @@ int Fl_Text_Buffer::prev_char(int pos) const
 }
 
 
-/*
- Return the next character position.
+/**
+ Returns the index of the next character.
+ This function processes a composed character (e.g., a flag emoji) as a single character.
  Returns length() if the end of the buffer is reached.
+ \param pos index to the current character
  */
 int Fl_Text_Buffer::next_char(int pos) const
 {
   IS_UTF8_ALIGNED2(this, (pos))
-  const char *next = fl_utf8_next_composed_char(address(0) + pos, address(0) + mLength);
-  pos = next - address(0);
+  int l = fl_utf8len1(byte_at(pos));
+  if (l > 2) { // test for composed character only if pos is at long codepoint
+    int p = pos, ll, b;
+    char t[40]; // crazyest composed characters I know use 28 bytes in UTF8 (e.g., 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿)
+    l = 0;
+    // extract bytes after pos stopping after short codepoint or 40 bytes at most
+    while (p < mLength && l < sizeof(t)) {
+      b = byte_at(p++);
+      t[l++] = b;
+      ll = fl_utf8len(b);
+      for (int i = 1; i < ll && l < sizeof(t); i++) t[l++] = byte_at(p++);
+      if (ll == 1 || ll == 2) break; // stop after short codepoint (includes '\n')
+    }
+    l = fl_utf8_next_composed_char(t, t + l) - t; // length of possibly composed character starting at pos
+  }
+  pos += l;
   if (pos>=mLength)
     return mLength;
   IS_UTF8_ALIGNED2(this, (pos))
diff --git a/src/fl_utf8.cxx b/src/fl_utf8.cxx
index df4c6d423..b9681108c 100644
--- a/src/fl_utf8.cxx
+++ b/src/fl_utf8.cxx
@@ -1634,17 +1634,32 @@ unsigned fl_utf8from_mb(char* dst, unsigned dstlen, const char* src, unsigned sr
  Returns pointer to beginning of next unicode character after potentially composed character.
  Some unicode characters (example: 👩‍✈️ "woman pilot") are composed of several unicode points. They may pair two successive
  codepoints with U+200D (zero-width joiner) and may qualify any component with variation selectors or Fitzpatrick emoji modifiers.
+ Most flag emojis are composed of 2 successive "regional indicator symbols" from range [U+1F1E6 , U+1F1FF].
  \param from points to a location within a UTF8 string. If this location is inside the UTF8
  encoding of a codepoint or is an invalid byte, this function returns \p from + 1.
  \param end points past last codepoint of the string.
- \return pointer to start of first codepoint after potentially composed character beginning at \p from.
+ \return pointer to beginning of first codepoint after potentially composed character that begins at \p from.
  */
 const char *fl_utf8_next_composed_char(const char *from, const char *end) {
-  int skip = fl_utf8len(*from);
-  if (skip == -1) return from + 1;
+  int skip = fl_utf8len1(*from);
+  if (skip <= 2) return from + skip;
+  unsigned u = fl_utf8decode(from, end, NULL);
+  if (u >= 0x1F1E6 && u <= 0x1F1FF) { // a 1st regional indicator symbol can be a flag
+    u = fl_utf8decode(from + skip, end, NULL);
+    if (u >= 0x1F1E6 && u <= 0x1F1FF) { // a 2nd regional indicator symbol gives a flag
+      return from + 2 * skip;
+    }
+  } else if (u == 0x1F3F4) { // “waving black flag” may start subdivision flags (e.g. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿)
+    const char *next = from + skip;
+    do {
+      u = fl_utf8decode(next, end, NULL);
+      next += fl_utf8len1(*next);
+      if (u == 0xE007F) return next; // ends with "cancel tag"
+    } while (u >= 0xE0020 && u <= 0xE007E); // any series of "tag components"
+  }
   from += skip; // skip 1st codepoint
   while (from < end) {
-    unsigned u = fl_utf8decode(from, end, NULL);
+    u = fl_utf8decode(from, end, NULL);
     if (u == 0x200D) { // zero-width joiner
       from += fl_utf8len(*from); // skip joiner
       from += fl_utf8len(*from); // skip joined codepoint
@@ -1664,14 +1679,31 @@ const char *fl_utf8_next_composed_char(const char *from, const char *end) {
  \param from points to a location within a UTF8 string. If this location is inside the UTF8
  encoding of a codepoint or is an invalid byte, this function returns \p from - 1.
  \param begin points to start of first codepoint of the string.
- \return pointer to start of first potentially composed character before the codepoint beginning at \p from.
+ \return pointer to beginning of first potentially composed character before the codepoint that begins at \p from.
  */
 const char *fl_utf8_previous_composed_char(const char *from, const char *begin) {
-  if (from <= begin || fl_utf8len(*from) == -1) return from - 1;
-  const char *keep = from;
+  int l = fl_utf8len(*from);
+  if (from <= begin || l == -1) return from - 1;
+  const char *keep = from + l;
   from = fl_utf8back(from - 1, begin, NULL);
+  unsigned u = fl_utf8decode(from, keep, NULL);
+  if (u >= 0x1F1E6 && u <= 0x1F1FF) { // a 1st regional indicator symbol can be a flag
+    const char *previous = fl_utf8back(from - 1, begin, NULL);
+    u = fl_utf8decode(previous, keep, NULL);
+    if (u >= 0x1F1E6 && u <= 0x1F1FF) { // a 2nd Regional indicator symbol gives a flag
+      return previous;
+    }
+  } else if (u == 0xE007F) { // ends with "cancel tag"
+    const char *previous = from;
+    do {
+      if (previous <= begin) return begin;
+      previous = fl_utf8back(previous - 1, begin, NULL);
+      u = fl_utf8decode(previous, keep, NULL);
+      if (u == 0x1F3F4) return previous; // “waving black flag” starts subdivision flags
+    } while (u >= 0xE0020 && u <= 0xE007E); // any series of "tag components"
+  }
   while (from >= begin) {
-    unsigned u = fl_utf8decode(from, keep, NULL);
+    u = fl_utf8decode(from, keep, NULL);
     if (u >= 0xFE00 && u <= 0xFE0F) { // a variation selector
       from = fl_utf8back(from - 1, begin, NULL);
     } else if (u >= 0x1F3FB && u <= 0x1F3FF) { // EMOJI MODIFIER FITZPATRICK