diff --git a/browser/components/places/content/places.js b/browser/components/places/content/places.js
index 8f65352e529..3a302d31fac 100755
--- a/browser/components/places/content/places.js
+++ b/browser/components/places/content/places.js
@@ -1643,3 +1643,27 @@ var ViewMenu = {
     result.sortingMode = sortingMode;
   }
 };
+
+var PlacesToolbar = {
+  // make places toolbar act like menus
+  openedMenuButton: null,
+
+  autoOpenMenu: function (aTarget) {
+    if (this.openedMenuButton && this.openedMenuButton != aTarget &&
+        aTarget.localName == "toolbarbutton" &&
+        (aTarget.type == "menu" || aTarget.type == "menu-button")) {
+      this.openedMenuButton.open = false;
+      aTarget.open = true;
+    }
+  },
+
+  onMenuOpen: function (aTarget) {
+    if (aTarget.parentNode.localName == "toolbarbutton")
+      this.openedMenuButton = aTarget.parentNode;
+  },
+
+  onMenuClose: function (aTarget) {
+    if (aTarget.parentNode.localName == "toolbarbutton")
+      this.openedMenuButton = null;
+  }
+};
diff --git a/browser/components/places/content/places.xul b/browser/components/places/content/places.xul
index ff7d5f4492a..459c70347b2 100755
--- a/browser/components/places/content/places.xul
+++ b/browser/components/places/content/places.xul
@@ -141,7 +141,10 @@
   </popupset>
 
   <toolbox id="placesToolbox">
-    <toolbar class="chromeclass-toolbar" id="placesToolbar" align="center">
+    <toolbar class="chromeclass-toolbar" id="placesToolbar" align="center"
+             onmouseover="PlacesToolbar.autoOpenMenu(event.target);"
+             onpopupshowing="PlacesToolbar.onMenuOpen(event.target);"
+             onpopuphidden="PlacesToolbar.onMenuClose(event.target);">
       <toolbarbutton id="back-button" class="toolbarbutton-1 chromeclass-toolbar-additional"
                      command="OrganizerCommand:Back"
                      tooltiptext="&backButton.tooltip;"