diff --git a/browser/components/preferences/privacy.js b/browser/components/preferences/privacy.js
index 5604aac9f5a8..eb0a01a7baf0 100644
--- a/browser/components/preferences/privacy.js
+++ b/browser/components/preferences/privacy.js
@@ -80,7 +80,6 @@ var gPrivacyPane = {
    */
   prefsForDefault: [
     "places.history.enabled",
-    "browser.download.manager.retention",
     "browser.formfill.enable",
     "network.cookie.cookieBehavior",
     "network.cookie.lifetimePolicy",
@@ -96,7 +95,6 @@ var gPrivacyPane = {
    */
   dependentControls: [
     "rememberHistory",
-    "rememberDownloads",
     "rememberForms",
     "keepUntil",
     "keepCookiesUntil",
@@ -177,10 +175,6 @@ var gPrivacyPane = {
       if (!rememberHistoryCheckbox.checked)
         rememberHistoryCheckbox.checked = true;
 
-      // select the remember downloads option if needed
-      if (!document.getElementById("rememberDownloads").checked)
-        document.getElementById("browser.download.manager.retention").value = 2;
-
       // select the remember forms history option
       document.getElementById("browser.formfill.enable").value = true;
 
@@ -223,8 +217,6 @@ var gPrivacyPane = {
       // adjust the checked state of the remember history checkboxes
       document.getElementById("rememberHistory").checked = disabled ? false :
         document.getElementById("places.history.enabled").value;
-      document.getElementById("rememberDownloads").checked = disabled ? false :
-        this.readDownloadRetention();
       document.getElementById("rememberForms").checked = disabled ? false :
         document.getElementById("browser.formfill.enable").value;
 
@@ -331,36 +323,8 @@ var gPrivacyPane = {
    * browser.formfill.enable
    * - true if entries in forms and the search bar should be saved, false
    *   otherwise
-   * browser.download.manager.retention
-   * - determines when downloads are automatically removed from the download
-   *   manager:
-   *
-   *     0 means remove downloads when they finish downloading
-   *     1 means downloads will be removed when the browser quits
-   *     2 means never remove downloads
    */
 
-  /**
-   * Converts the value of the browser.download.manager.retention preference
-   * into a Boolean value.  "remove on close" and "don't remember" both map
-   * to an unchecked checkbox, while "remember" maps to a checked checkbox.
-   */
-  readDownloadRetention: function ()
-  {
-    var pref = document.getElementById("browser.download.manager.retention");
-    return (pref.value == 2);
-  },
-
-  /**
-   * Returns the appropriate value of the browser.download.manager.retention
-   * preference for the current UI.
-   */
-  writeDownloadRetention: function ()
-  {
-    var checkbox = document.getElementById("rememberDownloads");
-    return checkbox.checked ? 2 : 0;
-  },
-
   // COOKIES
 
   /*
diff --git a/browser/components/preferences/privacy.xul b/browser/components/preferences/privacy.xul
index e52989b5a8e4..07927579e1b9 100644
--- a/browser/components/preferences/privacy.xul
+++ b/browser/components/preferences/privacy.xul
@@ -87,9 +87,6 @@
       <preference id="browser.formfill.enable"
                   name="browser.formfill.enable"
                   type="bool"/>
-      <preference id="browser.download.manager.retention"
-                  name="browser.download.manager.retention"
-                  type="int"/>
 
       <!-- Cookies -->
       <preference id="network.cookie.cookieBehavior"      name="network.cookie.cookieBehavior"      type="int"/>
@@ -194,15 +191,9 @@
           <vbox class="indent">
             <vbox class="indent">
               <checkbox id="rememberHistory"
-                        label="&rememberHistory.label;"
-                        accesskey="&rememberHistory.accesskey;"
+                        label="&rememberHistory2.label;"
+                        accesskey="&rememberHistory2.accesskey;"
                         preference="places.history.enabled"/>
-              <checkbox id="rememberDownloads"
-                        label="&rememberDownload.label;"
-                        accesskey="&rememberDownload.accesskey;"
-                        preference="browser.download.manager.retention"
-                        onsyncfrompreference="return gPrivacyPane.readDownloadRetention();"
-                        onsynctopreference="return gPrivacyPane.writeDownloadRetention();"/>
               <checkbox id="rememberForms"
                         label="&rememberSearchForm.label;"
                         accesskey="&rememberSearchForm.accesskey;"
diff --git a/browser/components/preferences/tests/browser_privacypane_3.js b/browser/components/preferences/tests/browser_privacypane_3.js
index bead9e907cb8..9f0a6031e906 100644
--- a/browser/components/preferences/tests/browser_privacypane_3.js
+++ b/browser/components/preferences/tests/browser_privacypane_3.js
@@ -49,8 +49,6 @@ function test() {
   run_test_subset([
     test_custom_retention("rememberHistory", "remember"),
     test_custom_retention("rememberHistory", "custom"),
-    test_custom_retention("rememberDownloads", "remember"),
-    test_custom_retention("rememberDownloads", "custom"),
     test_custom_retention("rememberForms", "remember"),
     test_custom_retention("rememberForms", "custom"),
     test_historymode_retention("remember", "remember"),
diff --git a/browser/components/preferences/tests/privacypane_tests.js b/browser/components/preferences/tests/privacypane_tests.js
index 8a439dd9cd27..0c3ff1a0aa06 100644
--- a/browser/components/preferences/tests/privacypane_tests.js
+++ b/browser/components/preferences/tests/privacypane_tests.js
@@ -92,7 +92,6 @@ function test_dependent_elements(win) {
   ok(pbautostart, "the private browsing auto-start checkbox should exist");
   let controls = [
     win.document.getElementById("rememberHistory"),
-    win.document.getElementById("rememberDownloads"),
     win.document.getElementById("rememberForms"),
     win.document.getElementById("keepUntil"),
     win.document.getElementById("keepCookiesUntil"),
@@ -116,8 +115,6 @@ function test_dependent_elements(win) {
   ok(alwaysclear, "the clear data on close checkbox should exist");
   let rememberhistory = win.document.getElementById("rememberHistory");
   ok(rememberhistory, "the remember history checkbox should exist");
-  let rememberdownloads = win.document.getElementById("rememberDownloads");
-  ok(rememberdownloads, "the remember downloads checkbox should exist");
   let rememberforms = win.document.getElementById("rememberForms");
   ok(rememberforms, "the remember forms checkbox should exist");
   let alwaysclearsettings = win.document.getElementById("clearDataSettings");
@@ -135,8 +132,6 @@ function test_dependent_elements(win) {
         "the clear data on close checkbox value should be as expected");
      ok(!rememberhistory.checked,
         "the remember history checkbox value should be as expected");
-     ok(!rememberdownloads.checked,
-        "the remember downloads checkbox value should be as expected");
      ok(!rememberforms.checked,
         "the remember forms checkbox value should be as expected");
     }
@@ -302,7 +297,6 @@ function test_dependent_prefs(win) {
   ok(historymode, "history mode menulist should exist");
   let controls = [
     win.document.getElementById("rememberHistory"),
-    win.document.getElementById("rememberDownloads"),
     win.document.getElementById("rememberForms"),
     win.document.getElementById("acceptCookies"),
     win.document.getElementById("acceptThirdParty"),
diff --git a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/preferences/privacy.dtd b/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/preferences/privacy.dtd
index df4e7866724f..c0a78b1f7ed1 100644
--- a/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/preferences/privacy.dtd
+++ b/browser/locales/en-US/chrome/browser/preferences/privacy.dtd
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 <!ENTITY  locbar.bookmarks.label        "Bookmarks">
 <!ENTITY  locbar.nothing.label          "Nothing">
 
-
 <!ENTITY  acceptCookies.label           "Accept cookies from sites">
 <!ENTITY  acceptCookies.accesskey       "A">
 
@@ -64,11 +63,8 @@
 <!ENTITY  privateBrowsingPermanent2.label "Always use private browsing mode">
 <!ENTITY  privateBrowsingPermanent2.accesskey "p">
 
-<!ENTITY  rememberHistory.label      "Remember my browsing history">
-<!ENTITY  rememberHistory.accesskey  "b">
-
-<!ENTITY  rememberDownload.label         "Remember download history">
-<!ENTITY  rememberDownload.accesskey     "d">
+<!ENTITY  rememberHistory2.label      "Remember my browsing and download history">
+<!ENTITY  rememberHistory2.accesskey  "b">
 
 <!ENTITY  rememberSearchForm.label       "Remember search and form history">
 <!ENTITY  rememberSearchForm.accesskey   "f">