--- a/options.api/apichanges.xml	
+++ a/options.api/apichanges.xml	
@@ -75,6 +75,19 @@ 
 <!-- ACTUAL CHANGES BEGIN HERE: -->
 
 <changes>
+    <change id="OptionsDisplayer.openModal">
+        <api name="OptionsAPI"/>
+        <summary>API to control whether the options window should be modal or not when opened</summary>
+        <version major="1" minor="33"/>
+        <date day="26" month="2" year="2013"/>
+        <author login="theofanis"/>
+        <compatibility addition="yes"/>
+        <description>
+            Added API to control whether the options window should be modal or not when opened.
+        </description>
+        <class package="org.netbeans.api.options" name="OptionsDisplayer"/>
+        <issue number="207120"/>
+    </change>
     <change id="OptionsPanelController.handleSuccessfulSearch">
         <api name="OptionsAPI"/>
         <summary>API to handle successfull search in some panel in options window</summary>
--- a/options.api/manifest.mf	
+++ a/options.api/manifest.mf	
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@ 
 OpenIDE-Module: org.netbeans.modules.options.api/1
 OpenIDE-Module-Localizing-Bundle: org/netbeans/modules/options/Bundle.properties
 OpenIDE-Module-Layer: org/netbeans/modules/options/resources/mf-layer.xml
-OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 1.32
+OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 1.33
 AutoUpdate-Show-In-Client: false
 AutoUpdate-Essential-Module: true
--- a/options.api/src/org/netbeans/api/options/OptionsDisplayer.java	
+++ a/options.api/src/org/netbeans/api/options/OptionsDisplayer.java	
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ 
     }
     
     /**
-     * Open the options dialog with no guarantee which category is pre-selected.
+     * Open the options dialog (in non-modal mode) with no guarantee which category is pre-selected.
      * @return true if optins dialog was sucesfully opened with some pre-selected
      * category. If no category is registered at all then false will be returned and
      * options dialog won't be opened.
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ 
     }
     
     /**
-     * Open the options dialog with some panel preselected.
+     * Open the options dialog (in non-modal mode) with some panel preselected.
      * To open a top-level panel, pass its {@link TopLevelRegistration#id}.
      * To open a subpanel, pass its {@link SubRegistration#location} followed by {@code /}
      * followed by its {@link SubRegistration#id}.
@@ -182,6 +182,46 @@ 
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Open the options dialog with no guarantee which category is pre-selected.
+     * @param isModal true if the options window should be in modal mode, false otherwise
+     * @return true if options dialog was successfully opened with some pre-selected
+     * category. If no category is registered at all then false will be returned and
+     * options dialog won't be opened.
+     * @since 1.33
+     */
+    public boolean open(boolean isModal) {
+	impl.setIsModal(isModal);
+	return open();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Open the options dialog with some panel preselected.
+     * To open a top-level panel, pass its {@link TopLevelRegistration#id}.
+     * To open a subpanel, pass its {@link SubRegistration#location} followed by {@code /}
+     * followed by its {@link SubRegistration#id}.
+     * To open a container panel without specifying a particular subpanel, pass its {@link ContainerRegistration#id}.
+     * To avoid typos and keep track of dependencies it is recommended to define compile-time
+     * constants for all these IDs, to be used both by the annotations and by calls to this method.
+     * @param path slash-separated path of category and perhaps subcategories to be selected
+     * @param isModal true if the options window should be in modal mode, false otherwise
+     * @return true if options dialog was successfully opened with required category.
+     * If this method is called when options dialog is already opened then this method
+     * will return immediately false without affecting currently selected category
+     * in opened options dialog.
+     * If category (i.e. the first item in the path) does not correspond to any
+     * of registered categories then false is returned and options dialog is not opened
+     * at all (e.g. in case that module providing such category is not installed or enabled).
+     * If subcategory doesn't exist, it opens with category selected and
+     * it returns true. It is up to particular <code>OptionsPanelController</code>
+     * to handle such situation.
+     * @since 1.33
+     */
+    public boolean open(String path, boolean isModal) {
+	impl.setIsModal(isModal);
+	return open(path);
+    }
+
     private boolean openImpl(final String path) {
         if(path == null) {
             log.warning("Category to open is null."); //NOI18N
--- a/options.api/src/org/netbeans/modules/options/OptionsDisplayerImpl.java	
+++ a/options.api/src/org/netbeans/modules/options/OptionsDisplayerImpl.java	
@@ -127,6 +127,10 @@ 
             Exceptions.printStackTrace(ex);
         }
     }
+
+    public void setIsModal(boolean isModal) {
+	this.modal = isModal;
+    }
     
     public boolean isOpen() {
         return dialog != null;
--- a/options.api/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/api/options/OptionsDisplayerOpenTest.java	
+++ a/options.api/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/api/options/OptionsDisplayerOpenTest.java	
@@ -279,6 +279,24 @@ 
             }
         }
     }
+
+    public void testModality() throws Exception {
+	OptionsDisplayer.getDefault().open(false) ;
+	modality(displayer.descriptor, false);
+	close();
+
+	TestDisplayer td = new TestDisplayer();
+	td.createDialog(new DialogDescriptor(displayer, null, true, null));
+	OptionsDisplayer.getDefault().open(true) ;
+	modality(td.descriptor, true);
+	close();
+    }
+
+    public void modality(DialogDescriptor desc, boolean expectedResult) {
+        if (desc != null) {
+            assertEquals(expectedResult, desc.isModal());
+        }
+    }
     
     public void open(boolean expectedResult) {
         modality(displayer.descriptor);