diff --git a/src/nvim/highlight_group.c b/src/nvim/highlight_group.c
index 636124a698..e93f83b76f 100644
--- a/src/nvim/highlight_group.c
+++ b/src/nvim/highlight_group.c
@@ -1887,8 +1887,7 @@ bool syn_list_header(const bool did_header, const int outlen, const int id, bool
     if (got_int) {
       return true;
     }
-    msg_outtrans(hl_table[id - 1].sg_name, 0, false);
-    name_col = msg_col;
+    msg_col = name_col = msg_outtrans(hl_table[id - 1].sg_name, 0, false);
     endcol = 15;
   } else if ((ui_has(kUIMessages) || msg_silent) && !force_newline) {
     msg_putchar(' ');
diff --git a/src/nvim/message.c b/src/nvim/message.c
index edb332a786..066aa6bc96 100644
--- a/src/nvim/message.c
+++ b/src/nvim/message.c
@@ -2129,8 +2129,8 @@ void msg_puts_len(const char *const str, const ptrdiff_t len, int hl_id, bool hi
   // If redirection is on, also write to the redirection file.
   redir_write(str, len);
 
-  // Don't print anything when using ":silent cmd".
-  if (msg_silent != 0) {
+  // Don't print anything when using ":silent cmd" or empty message.
+  if (msg_silent != 0 || *str == NUL) {
     return;
   }
 
@@ -2238,6 +2238,11 @@ static void msg_puts_display(const char *str, int maxlen, int hl_id, int recurse
     size_t len = maxlen < 0 ? strlen(str) : strnlen(str, (size_t)maxlen);
     ga_concat_len(&msg_ext_last_chunk, str, len);
     msg_ext_cur_len += len;
+    // When message ends in newline, reset variables used to format message: msg_advance().
+    if (str[len - 1] == '\n') {
+      msg_ext_cur_len = 0;
+      msg_col = 0;
+    }
     return;
   }
 
diff --git a/test/functional/ui/messages_spec.lua b/test/functional/ui/messages_spec.lua
index 287db81a12..6d8c6609c8 100644
--- a/test/functional/ui/messages_spec.lua
+++ b/test/functional/ui/messages_spec.lua
@@ -84,11 +84,6 @@ describe('ui/ext_messages', function()
     }
     feed('<cr><cr>')
     screen:expect {
-      grid = [[
-      line 1                   |
-      line ^2                   |
-      {1:~                        }|*3
-    ]],
       messages = {
         {
           content = { { '\ntest\n[O]k: ', 6, 10 } },
@@ -160,11 +155,6 @@ describe('ui/ext_messages', function()
     -- kind=emsg after :throw
     feed(':throw "foo"<cr>')
     screen:expect {
-      grid = [[
-      l^ine 1                   |
-      line 2                   |
-      {1:~                        }|*3
-    ]],
       messages = {
         {
           content = { { 'Error detected while processing :', 9, 6 } },
@@ -214,27 +204,20 @@ describe('ui/ext_messages', function()
     })
 
     -- highlight
-    feed(':hi ErrorMsg<cr>')
+    feed(':filter character highlight<CR>')
     screen:expect({
-      grid = [[
-        ^line 1                   |
-        line 2                   |
-        {1:~                        }|*3
-      ]],
       messages = {
         {
           content = {
-            { '\nErrorMsg      ' },
-            { 'xxx', 9, 6 },
+            { '\n@character     ' },
+            { 'xxx', 26, 150 },
             { ' ' },
-            { 'ctermfg=', 18, 5 },
-            { '15 ' },
-            { 'ctermbg=', 18, 5 },
-            { '1 ' },
-            { 'guifg=', 18, 5 },
-            { 'White ' },
-            { 'guibg=', 18, 5 },
-            { 'Red' },
+            { 'links to', 18, 5 },
+            { ' Character\n@character.special ' },
+            { 'xxx', 16, 151 },
+            { ' ' },
+            { 'links to', 18, 5 },
+            { ' SpecialChar' },
           },
           kind = 'list_cmd',
         },