diff --git a/src/prompt_toolkit/renderer.py b/src/prompt_toolkit/renderer.py
index fcfde223e..b96db3f32 100644
--- a/src/prompt_toolkit/renderer.py
+++ b/src/prompt_toolkit/renderer.py
@@ -201,6 +201,16 @@ def get_max_column_index(row: dict[int, Char]) -> int:
         new_max_line_len = min(width - 1, get_max_column_index(new_row))
         previous_max_line_len = min(width - 1, get_max_column_index(previous_row))
 
+        # Whether this row has any real (non-blank) content at all. A row
+        # with nothing in it still gets a max index of 0 from
+        # `get_max_column_index`, same as a row whose only visible
+        # character happens to sit at column 0, so that can't be used here
+        # to tell the two apart.
+        new_row_has_content = any(
+            cell.char != " " or style_string_has_style[cell.style]
+            for cell in new_row.values()
+        )
+
         # Loop over the columns.
         c = 0  # Column counter.
         while c <= new_max_line_len:
@@ -218,7 +228,12 @@ def get_max_column_index(row: dict[int, Char]) -> int:
                 if c in zero_width_escapes_row:
                     write_raw(zero_width_escapes_row[c])
 
-                output_char(new_char)
+                # Don't bother drawing a blank row just because its style
+                # differs from whatever was there before (this is what
+                # happens the first time an otherwise-empty line renders).
+                # There's nothing worth repainting.
+                if new_row_has_content:
+                    output_char(new_char)
                 current_pos = Point(x=current_pos.x + char_width, y=current_pos.y)
 
             c += char_width
diff --git a/tests/test_renderer.py b/tests/test_renderer.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..13758e0ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_renderer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+"""
+Tests for `prompt_toolkit.renderer._output_screen_diff`.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from prompt_toolkit.data_structures import Point, Size
+from prompt_toolkit.layout.screen import Char, Screen
+from prompt_toolkit.output import ColorDepth, DummyOutput
+from prompt_toolkit.renderer import (
+    _output_screen_diff,
+    _StyleStringHasStyleCache,
+    _StyleStringToAttrsCache,
+)
+from prompt_toolkit.styles import DummyStyleTransformation, Style
+
+
+class _CapturingOutput(DummyOutput):
+    "Like `DummyOutput`, but remembers everything written to it."
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self.written: list[str] = []
+
+    def write(self, data: str) -> None:
+        self.written.append(data)
+
+
+def _render(new_row_cells):
+    """
+    Render a single ten-column, one-row screen against a blank previous
+    screen, given the (column, char, style) cells to put in the new row.
+    Returns the concatenation of everything that got written to the output.
+    """
+    style = Style.from_dict({})
+    attrs_for_style_string = _StyleStringToAttrsCache(
+        style.get_attrs_for_style_str, DummyStyleTransformation()
+    )
+    style_string_has_style = _StyleStringHasStyleCache(attrs_for_style_string)
+
+    previous_screen = Screen()
+    previous_screen.width = 10
+    previous_screen.height = 1
+
+    screen = Screen()
+    screen.width = 10
+    screen.height = 1
+    for column, char, cell_style in new_row_cells:
+        screen.data_buffer[0][column] = Char(char, cell_style)
+
+    output = _CapturingOutput()
+
+    _output_screen_diff(
+        app=None,
+        output=output,
+        screen=screen,
+        current_pos=Point(x=0, y=0),
+        color_depth=ColorDepth.DEPTH_1_BIT,
+        previous_screen=previous_screen,
+        last_style=None,
+        is_done=True,
+        full_screen=False,
+        attrs_for_style_string=attrs_for_style_string,
+        style_string_has_style=style_string_has_style,
+        size=Size(rows=1, columns=10),
+        previous_width=10,
+    )
+    return "".join(output.written)
+
+
+def test_blank_row_does_not_redraw_a_space():
+    """
+    A line that never got any real content (just the default blank cell at
+    column 0) shouldn't have a space written for it, even on the first
+    render where its style differs from the previous screen's default.
+    """
+    written = _render([(0, " ", "")])
+    assert " " not in written
+
+
+def test_content_at_column_zero_is_still_drawn():
+    """
+    A line whose only visible character happens to sit at column 0 must
+    still be drawn. This is the case a naive "skip column 0 when the row's
+    max index is 0" fix would break, since a lone character at column 0
+    also has a max index of 0.
+    """
+    written = _render([(0, "$", "")])
+    assert "$" in written
+
+
+def test_content_after_column_zero_is_still_drawn():
+    """
+    A line with real content beyond column 0 is unaffected by the blank-row
+    check either way, but is worth pinning down alongside the two cases
+    above.
+    """
+    written = _render([(0, " ", ""), (1, "$", "")])
+    assert "$" in written