diff --git a/hw/display/qxl-render.c b/hw/display/qxl-render.c
index bcc5c3701a..e812ddd6e7 100644
--- a/hw/display/qxl-render.c
+++ b/hw/display/qxl-render.c
@@ -116,13 +116,14 @@ static void qxl_render_update_area_unlocked(PCIQXLDevice *qxl)
                qxl->guest_primary.bytes_pp,
                qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp);
         if (qxl->guest_primary.qxl_stride > 0) {
+            pixman_format_code_t format =
+                qemu_default_pixman_format(qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp, true);
             surface = qemu_create_displaysurface_from
                 (qxl->guest_primary.surface.width,
                  qxl->guest_primary.surface.height,
-                 qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp,
+                 format,
                  qxl->guest_primary.abs_stride,
-                 qxl->guest_primary.data,
-                 false);
+                 qxl->guest_primary.data);
         } else {
             surface = qemu_create_displaysurface
                 (qxl->guest_primary.surface.width,
diff --git a/hw/display/vga.c b/hw/display/vga.c
index 65dab8dbed..948265a748 100644
--- a/hw/display/vga.c
+++ b/hw/display/vga.c
@@ -1689,9 +1689,11 @@ static void vga_draw_graphic(VGACommonState *s, int full_update)
         height != s->last_height ||
         s->last_depth != depth) {
         if (depth == 32 || (depth == 16 && !byteswap)) {
+            pixman_format_code_t format =
+                qemu_default_pixman_format(depth, !byteswap);
             surface = qemu_create_displaysurface_from(disp_width,
-                    height, depth, s->line_offset,
-                    s->vram_ptr + (s->start_addr * 4), byteswap);
+                    height, format, s->line_offset,
+                    s->vram_ptr + (s->start_addr * 4));
             dpy_gfx_replace_surface(s->con, surface);
         } else {
             qemu_console_resize(s->con, disp_width, height);
@@ -1707,9 +1709,11 @@ static void vga_draw_graphic(VGACommonState *s, int full_update)
     } else if (is_buffer_shared(surface) &&
                (full_update || surface_data(surface) != s->vram_ptr
                 + (s->start_addr * 4))) {
+        pixman_format_code_t format =
+            qemu_default_pixman_format(depth, !byteswap);
         surface = qemu_create_displaysurface_from(disp_width,
-                height, depth, s->line_offset,
-                s->vram_ptr + (s->start_addr * 4), byteswap);
+                height, format, s->line_offset,
+                s->vram_ptr + (s->start_addr * 4));
         dpy_gfx_replace_surface(s->con, surface);
     }
 
diff --git a/hw/display/vmware_vga.c b/hw/display/vmware_vga.c
index 591b645439..b8901d018b 100644
--- a/hw/display/vmware_vga.c
+++ b/hw/display/vmware_vga.c
@@ -1052,10 +1052,12 @@ static inline void vmsvga_check_size(struct vmsvga_state_s *s)
         s->new_height != surface_height(surface) ||
         s->new_depth != surface_bits_per_pixel(surface)) {
         int stride = (s->new_depth * s->new_width) / 8;
+        pixman_format_code_t format =
+            qemu_default_pixman_format(s->new_depth, true);
         trace_vmware_setmode(s->new_width, s->new_height, s->new_depth);
         surface = qemu_create_displaysurface_from(s->new_width, s->new_height,
-                                                  s->new_depth, stride,
-                                                  s->vga.vram_ptr, false);
+                                                  format, stride,
+                                                  s->vga.vram_ptr);
         dpy_gfx_replace_surface(s->vga.con, surface);
         s->invalidated = 1;
     }
diff --git a/hw/display/xenfb.c b/hw/display/xenfb.c
index 07ddc9deba..8a61e959a6 100644
--- a/hw/display/xenfb.c
+++ b/hw/display/xenfb.c
@@ -713,15 +713,17 @@ static void xenfb_update(void *opaque)
 
     /* resize if needed */
     if (xenfb->do_resize) {
+        pixman_format_code_t format;
+
         xenfb->do_resize = 0;
         switch (xenfb->depth) {
         case 16:
         case 32:
             /* console.c supported depth -> buffer can be used directly */
+            format = qemu_default_pixman_format(xenfb->depth, true);
             surface = qemu_create_displaysurface_from
-                (xenfb->width, xenfb->height, xenfb->depth,
-                 xenfb->row_stride, xenfb->pixels + xenfb->offset,
-                 false);
+                (xenfb->width, xenfb->height, format,
+                 xenfb->row_stride, xenfb->pixels + xenfb->offset);
             break;
         default:
             /* we must convert stuff */
diff --git a/include/ui/console.h b/include/ui/console.h
index 845526ed01..68ac362f06 100644
--- a/include/ui/console.h
+++ b/include/ui/console.h
@@ -119,8 +119,6 @@ struct DisplaySurface {
     pixman_format_code_t format;
     pixman_image_t *image;
     uint8_t flags;
-
-    struct PixelFormat pf;
 };
 
 typedef struct QemuUIInfo {
@@ -188,9 +186,9 @@ struct DisplayChangeListener {
 };
 
 DisplayState *init_displaystate(void);
-DisplaySurface* qemu_create_displaysurface_from(int width, int height, int bpp,
-                                                int linesize, uint8_t *data,
-                                                bool byteswap);
+DisplaySurface *qemu_create_displaysurface_from(int width, int height,
+                                                pixman_format_code_t format,
+                                                int linesize, uint8_t *data);
 PixelFormat qemu_different_endianness_pixelformat(int bpp);
 PixelFormat qemu_default_pixelformat(int bpp);
 
@@ -199,10 +197,12 @@ void qemu_free_displaysurface(DisplaySurface *surface);
 
 static inline int is_surface_bgr(DisplaySurface *surface)
 {
-    if (surface->pf.bits_per_pixel == 32 && surface->pf.rshift == 0)
+    if (PIXMAN_FORMAT_BPP(surface->format) == 32 &&
+        PIXMAN_FORMAT_TYPE(surface->format) == PIXMAN_TYPE_ABGR) {
         return 1;
-    else
+    } else {
         return 0;
+    }
 }
 
 static inline int is_buffer_shared(DisplaySurface *surface)
diff --git a/trace-events b/trace-events
index 03ac5d205c..fb58963ca8 100644
--- a/trace-events
+++ b/trace-events
@@ -1045,7 +1045,7 @@ console_txt_new(int w, int h) "%dx%d"
 console_select(int nr) "%d"
 console_refresh(int interval) "interval %d ms"
 displaysurface_create(void *display_surface, int w, int h) "surface=%p, %dx%d"
-displaysurface_create_from(void *display_surface, int w, int h, int bpp, int swap) "surface=%p, %dx%d, bpp %d, bswap %d"
+displaysurface_create_from(void *display_surface, int w, int h, uint32_t format) "surface=%p, %dx%d, format 0x%x"
 displaysurface_free(void *display_surface) "surface=%p"
 displaychangelistener_register(void *dcl, const char *name) "%p [ %s ]"
 displaychangelistener_unregister(void *dcl, const char *name) "%p [ %s ]"
diff --git a/ui/console.c b/ui/console.c
index 28711a4f72..968aaaffef 100644
--- a/ui/console.c
+++ b/ui/console.c
@@ -1224,22 +1224,18 @@ static QemuConsole *new_console(DisplayState *ds, console_type_t console_type,
     return s;
 }
 
-static void qemu_alloc_display(DisplaySurface *surface, int width, int height,
-                               int linesize, PixelFormat pf, int newflags)
+static void qemu_alloc_display(DisplaySurface *surface, int width, int height)
 {
-    surface->pf = pf;
-
     qemu_pixman_image_unref(surface->image);
     surface->image = NULL;
 
-    surface->format = qemu_pixman_get_format(&pf);
-    assert(surface->format != 0);
+    surface->format = PIXMAN_x8r8g8b8;
     surface->image = pixman_image_create_bits(surface->format,
                                               width, height,
-                                              NULL, linesize);
+                                              NULL, width * 4);
     assert(surface->image != NULL);
 
-    surface->flags = newflags | QEMU_ALLOCATED_FLAG;
+    surface->flags = QEMU_ALLOCATED_FLAG;
 #ifdef HOST_WORDS_BIGENDIAN
     surface->flags |= QEMU_BIG_ENDIAN_FLAG;
 #endif
@@ -1248,29 +1244,20 @@ static void qemu_alloc_display(DisplaySurface *surface, int width, int height,
 DisplaySurface *qemu_create_displaysurface(int width, int height)
 {
     DisplaySurface *surface = g_new0(DisplaySurface, 1);
-    int linesize = width * 4;
 
     trace_displaysurface_create(surface, width, height);
-    qemu_alloc_display(surface, width, height, linesize,
-                       qemu_default_pixelformat(32), 0);
+    qemu_alloc_display(surface, width, height);
     return surface;
 }
 
-DisplaySurface *qemu_create_displaysurface_from(int width, int height, int bpp,
-                                                int linesize, uint8_t *data,
-                                                bool byteswap)
+DisplaySurface *qemu_create_displaysurface_from(int width, int height,
+                                                pixman_format_code_t format,
+                                                int linesize, uint8_t *data)
 {
     DisplaySurface *surface = g_new0(DisplaySurface, 1);
 
-    trace_displaysurface_create_from(surface, width, height, bpp, byteswap);
-    if (byteswap) {
-        surface->pf = qemu_different_endianness_pixelformat(bpp);
-    } else {
-        surface->pf = qemu_default_pixelformat(bpp);
-    }
-
-    surface->format = qemu_pixman_get_format(&surface->pf);
-    assert(surface->format != 0);
+    trace_displaysurface_create_from(surface, width, height, format);
+    surface->format = format;
     surface->image = pixman_image_create_bits(surface->format,
                                               width, height,
                                               (void *)data, linesize);
diff --git a/ui/sdl.c b/ui/sdl.c
index 4e7f920e37..94c1d9dc3a 100644
--- a/ui/sdl.c
+++ b/ui/sdl.c
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ static void do_sdl_resize(int width, int height, int bpp)
 static void sdl_switch(DisplayChangeListener *dcl,
                        DisplaySurface *new_surface)
 {
+    PixelFormat pf = qemu_pixelformat_from_pixman(new_surface->format);
 
     /* temporary hack: allows to call sdl_switch to handle scaling changes */
     if (new_surface) {
@@ -148,8 +149,8 @@ static void sdl_switch(DisplayChangeListener *dcl,
         (surface_data(surface),
          surface_width(surface), surface_height(surface),
          surface_bits_per_pixel(surface), surface_stride(surface),
-         surface->pf.rmask, surface->pf.gmask,
-         surface->pf.bmask, surface->pf.amask);
+         pf.rmask, pf.gmask,
+         pf.bmask, pf.amask);
 }
 
 /* generic keyboard conversion */