diff --git a/client.c b/client.c
index 31b7bbdd2..f6b947d4f 100644
--- a/client.c
+++ b/client.c
@@ -58,7 +58,9 @@ client_loadprops(Client * c, int screen)
 
     prop = p_new(char, ntags + 2);
 
-    if(xgettextprop(c->win, AWESOMEPROPS_ATOM(globalconf.display), prop, ntags + 2))
+    if(xgettextprop(c->win,
+                    XInternAtom(globalconf.display, "_AWESOME_PROPERTIES", False),
+                    prop, ntags + 2))
     {
         for(i = 0, tag = globalconf.screens[screen].tags; tag && i < ntags && prop[i]; i++, tag = tag->next)
             if(prop[i] == '1')
@@ -551,8 +553,9 @@ client_saveprops(Client *c)
 
     prop[++i] = '\0';
 
-    XChangeProperty(globalconf.display, c->win, AWESOMEPROPS_ATOM(globalconf.display), XA_STRING, 8,
-                    PropModeReplace, (unsigned char *) prop, i);
+    XChangeProperty(globalconf.display, c->win,
+                    XInternAtom(globalconf.display, "_AWESOME_PROPERTIES", False),
+                    XA_STRING, 8, PropModeReplace, (unsigned char *) prop, i);
 
     p_delete(&prop);
 }
diff --git a/layout.c b/layout.c
index e628c2da6..9b189df29 100644
--- a/layout.c
+++ b/layout.c
@@ -142,7 +142,8 @@ loadawesomeprops(int screen)
     prop = p_new(char, ntags + 1);
 
     if(xgettextprop(RootWindow(globalconf.display, get_phys_screen(screen)),
-                    AWESOMEPROPS_ATOM(globalconf.display), prop, ntags + 1))
+                    XInternAtom(globalconf.display, "_AWESOME_PROPERTIES", False),
+                    prop, ntags + 1))
         for(i = 0, tag = globalconf.screens[screen].tags; tag && prop[i]; i++, tag = tag->next)
             if(prop[i] == '1')
                 tag->selected = True;
@@ -214,8 +215,8 @@ saveawesomeprops(int screen)
     prop[i] = '\0';
     XChangeProperty(globalconf.display,
                     RootWindow(globalconf.display, get_phys_screen(screen)),
-                    AWESOMEPROPS_ATOM(globalconf.display), XA_STRING, 8,
-                    PropModeReplace, (unsigned char *) prop, i);
+                    XInternAtom(globalconf.display, "_AWESOME_PROPERTIES", False),
+                    XA_STRING, 8, PropModeReplace, (unsigned char *) prop, i);
     p_delete(&prop);
 }
 
diff --git a/layout.h b/layout.h
index 83c95c433..1dbcd4f75 100644
--- a/layout.h
+++ b/layout.h
@@ -24,8 +24,6 @@
 
 #include "uicb.h"
 
-#define AWESOMEPROPS_ATOM(disp)                    XInternAtom(disp, "_AWESOME_PROPERTIES", False)
-
 typedef void (LayoutArrange)(int);
 
 typedef struct Layout Layout;