diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index 8886d3c..c70d6a6 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ version = "0.4.2"
 [deps]
 LinearAlgebra = "37e2e46d-f89d-539d-b4ee-838fcccc9c8e"
 PeriodicTable = "7b2266bf-644c-5ea3-82d8-af4bbd25a884"
+Preferences = "21216c6a-2e73-6563-6e65-726566657250"
 Printf = "de0858da-6303-5e67-8744-51eddeeeb8d7"
 Requires = "ae029012-a4dd-5104-9daa-d747884805df"
 StaticArrays = "90137ffa-7385-5640-81b9-e52037218182"
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ UnitfulAtomic = "a7773ee8-282e-5fa2-be4e-bd808c38a91a"
 
 [compat]
 PeriodicTable = "1"
+Preferences = "1.4"
 Requires = "1"
 StaticArrays = "1"
 Unitful = "1"
diff --git a/src/utils/show.jl b/src/utils/show.jl
index 7d09841..809a633 100644
--- a/src/utils/show.jl
+++ b/src/utils/show.jl
@@ -55,8 +55,7 @@ function show_system(io::IO, ::MIME"text/plain", system::AbstractSystem{D}) wher
         extra_line = true
     end
 
-    # TODO We will make this configurable in a follow-up PR
-    show_ascii = false
+    show_ascii = length(system) > @load_preference("system_visualize_ascii_max_atoms", 10)
     if show_ascii
         ascii = visualize_ascii(system)
         if !isempty(ascii)