diff --git a/extension.json b/extension.json
index 92d2c0f6f7..0adc9d44ae 100644
--- a/extension.json
+++ b/extension.json
@@ -1223,12 +1223,14 @@
 				"visualeditor-help-label",
 				"visualeditor-help-link",
 				"visualeditor-help-title",
+				"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-progress",
 				"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-title",
 				"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-tool",
 				"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning",
 				"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning-cancel",
 				"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning-switch",
 				"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning-switch-discard",
+				"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-progress",
 				"visualeditor-pagemenu-tooltip",
 				"visualeditor-pagetranslationwarning",
 				"visualeditor-recreate",
diff --git a/modules/ve-mw/i18n/en.json b/modules/ve-mw/i18n/en.json
index 99d20b07a6..e3bd6933e5 100644
--- a/modules/ve-mw/i18n/en.json
+++ b/modules/ve-mw/i18n/en.json
@@ -254,6 +254,7 @@
 	"visualeditor-mainnamespacepagelink": "Project:Main namespace",
 	"visualeditor-media-input-placeholder": "Search for media",
 	"visualeditor-meta-tool": "Options",
+	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-progress": "Switching to source editing…",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-title": "Switch to source editing?",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-tool": "Switch to source editing",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning": "You are switching to source editing.\nDo you want to continue?",
@@ -262,6 +263,7 @@
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning-switch-discard": "Discard my changes and switch",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-popup-body": "You can switch back to visual editing at any time by clicking on this icon.",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-popup-title": "You have switched to source editing",
+	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-progress": "Switching to visual editing…",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-showagain": "Don't show this message again",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-title": "Switch to visual editing?",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-tool": "Switch to visual editing",
diff --git a/modules/ve-mw/i18n/qqq.json b/modules/ve-mw/i18n/qqq.json
index a9b80333d0..889487c4c9 100644
--- a/modules/ve-mw/i18n/qqq.json
+++ b/modules/ve-mw/i18n/qqq.json
@@ -265,6 +265,7 @@
 	"visualeditor-mainnamespacepagelink": "Name of a page describing the main namespace (NS0) in this project.\n{{doc-important|Do not translate \"Project\"; it is automatically converted to the wiki's project namespace.}}",
 	"visualeditor-media-input-placeholder": "Place holder text for media search input",
 	"visualeditor-meta-tool": "Text of tool in the toolbar the lets users set categories, language links and other page settings.\n{{Identical|Options}}",
+	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-progress": "Title of progress bar shown while switching to source mode.",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-title": "Title of dialog to confirm switching to source mode.",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-tool": "Label for tool that changes edit mode to source editing.",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning": "Warning message show before changing edit mode to source editing. It may allow the user to keep the changes using the message {{msg-mw|Visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning-switch}} or cancel.",
@@ -273,6 +274,7 @@
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodesource-warning-switch-discard": "Label for the button on the confirmation dialog for switching to source editing to continue and switch editors when doing so will throw away your changes.",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-popup-body": "Body text of popup shown after switching to source mode from visual mode",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-popup-title": "Title of popup shown after switching to source mode from visual mode",
+	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-progress": "Title of progress bar shown while switching to visual mode.",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-showagain": "Label for the checkboxes to not show one of the 'switched to visual mode' or 'switched to source mode' popups again",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-title": "Title of dialog to confirm switching to visual mode.",
 	"visualeditor-mweditmodeve-tool": "Label for tool that changes edit mode to visual editing.",
diff --git a/modules/ve-mw/init/targets/ve.init.mw.DesktopWikitextArticleTarget.js b/modules/ve-mw/init/targets/ve.init.mw.DesktopWikitextArticleTarget.js
index 5b7df8715f..cc5d784f58 100644
--- a/modules/ve-mw/init/targets/ve.init.mw.DesktopWikitextArticleTarget.js
+++ b/modules/ve-mw/init/targets/ve.init.mw.DesktopWikitextArticleTarget.js
@@ -117,7 +117,11 @@ ve.init.mw.DesktopWikitextArticleTarget.prototype.onWindowPopState = function (
 ve.init.mw.DesktopWikitextArticleTarget.prototype.reloadSurface = function ( dataPromise ) {
 	var target = this;
 	// Create progress - will be discarded when surface is destroyed.
-	this.getSurface().createProgress( $.Deferred().promise() );
+	this.getSurface().createProgress(
+		$.Deferred().promise(),
+		ve.msg( this.mode === 'source' ? 'visualeditor-mweditmodesource-progress' : 'visualeditor-mweditmodeve-progress' ),
+		true /* non-cancellable */
+	);
 	this.activating = true;
 	this.activatingDeferred = $.Deferred();
 	this.load( dataPromise );