diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/system/run_external.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/system/run_external.rs
index 6d0776a162..cb4d3bdde6 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/system/run_external.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/system/run_external.rs
@@ -600,9 +600,11 @@ impl ExternalCommand {
                 span: arg.span,
             };
 
-            arg.item = nu_path::expand_tilde(arg.item)
-                .to_string_lossy()
-                .to_string();
+            if !keep_raw {
+                arg.item = nu_path::expand_tilde(arg.item)
+                    .to_string_lossy()
+                    .to_string();
+            }
 
             let cwd = PathBuf::from(cwd);
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/run_external.rs b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/run_external.rs
index 94798e32bd..95a7b8e672 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/run_external.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/run_external.rs
@@ -201,6 +201,17 @@ fn external_command_escape_args() {
     })
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn external_command_not_expand_tilde_with_quotes() {
+    Playground::setup(
+        "external command not expand tilde with quotes",
+        |dirs, _| {
+            let actual = nu!(cwd: dirs.test(), pipeline(r#"nu --testbin nonu "~""#));
+            assert_eq!(actual.out, r#"~"#);
+        },
+    )
+}
+
 #[cfg(windows)]
 #[test]
 fn explicit_glob_windows() {