diff --git a/docs/reference/gtk/gtk4-sections.txt b/docs/reference/gtk/gtk4-sections.txt
index 75c71e609c..45ee4de405 100644
--- a/docs/reference/gtk/gtk4-sections.txt
+++ b/docs/reference/gtk/gtk4-sections.txt
@@ -4600,9 +4600,6 @@ gtk_main_iteration
 gtk_main_iteration_do
 gtk_main_do_event
 
-GtkModuleInitFunc
-GtkModuleDisplayInitFunc
-
 <SUBSECTION>
 gtk_grab_add
 gtk_grab_get_current
diff --git a/docs/reference/gtk/running.sgml b/docs/reference/gtk/running.sgml
index ebf9851756..e26370f12d 100644
--- a/docs/reference/gtk/running.sgml
+++ b/docs/reference/gtk/running.sgml
@@ -122,36 +122,13 @@ additional environment variables.
   </para>
 </formalpara>
 
-<formalpara>
-  <title><envar>GTK3_MODULES</envar></title>
-
-  <para>
-    A list of modules to load. Note that GTK+ also allows to specify modules to load via a commandline option (<option>--gtk-module</option>) and with the <literal>gtk-modules</literal> setting.
-  </para>
-</formalpara>
-
-<formalpara>
-  <title><envar>GTK_MODULES</envar></title>
-
-  <para>
-    A list of modules to load in addition to the ones in the <envar>GTK3_MODULES</envar> variable.
-  </para>
-  <warning>
-    Note that this environment variable is read by GTK+ 2.x too,
-    which may not have the same set of modules available for loading.
-    Use <envar>GTK3_MODULES</envar> for modules that are only compatible
-    with GTK+ 3.
-  </warning>
-</formalpara>
-
 <formalpara id="gtk-path">
   <title><envar>GTK_PATH</envar></title>
 
   <para>
     Specifies a list of directories to search when GTK+ is looking for
-    dynamically loaded objects such as the modules specified by
-    <envar>GTK_MODULES</envar>, theme engines, input method
-    modules, file system backends and print backends. If the path to
+    dynamically loaded objects such as input method
+    modules and print backends. If the path to
     the dynamically loaded object is given as an absolute path name,
     then GTK+ loads it directly.
     Otherwise, GTK+ goes in turn through the directories in <envar>GTK_PATH</envar>,
diff --git a/gtk/gtk.h b/gtk/gtk.h
index 3143f3f7f2..bb7fc29a4b 100644
--- a/gtk/gtk.h
+++ b/gtk/gtk.h
@@ -146,7 +146,6 @@
 #include <gtk/gtkmenutoolbutton.h>
 #include <gtk/gtkmessagedialog.h>
 #include <gtk/gtkmodelbutton.h>
-#include <gtk/gtkmodules.h>
 #include <gtk/gtkmountoperation.h>
 #include <gtk/gtknativedialog.h>
 #include <gtk/gtknotebook.h>
diff --git a/gtk/gtkmodules.c b/gtk/gtkmodules.c
index d8e98c848b..57e6eb0f24 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkmodules.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkmodules.c
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 
 #include <string.h>
 
-#include "gtkmodules.h"
 #include "gtksettings.h"
 #include "gtkdebug.h"
 #include "gtkprivate.h"
diff --git a/gtk/gtkmodules.h b/gtk/gtkmodules.h
deleted file mode 100644
index d851cd0f4c..0000000000
--- a/gtk/gtkmodules.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,54 +0,0 @@
-/* GTK - The GIMP Toolkit
- * Copyright 1998-2002 Tim Janik, Red Hat, Inc., and others.
- * Copyright (C) 2003 Alex Graveley
- *
- * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
- * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
- * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
- * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
- *
- * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
- * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
- * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
- * Lesser General Public License for more details.
- *
- * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
- * License along with this library. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
- */
-
-#ifndef __GTK_MODULES_H__
-#define __GTK_MODULES_H__
-
-#if !defined (__GTK_H_INSIDE__) && !defined (GTK_COMPILATION)
-#error "Only <gtk/gtk.h> can be included directly."
-#endif
-
-#include <gdk/gdk.h>
-
-G_BEGIN_DECLS
-
-/**
- * GtkModuleInitFunc:
- * @argc: (allow-none): GTK+ always passes %NULL for this argument
- * @argv: (allow-none) (array length=argc): GTK+ always passes %NULL for this argument
- *
- * Each GTK+ module must have a function gtk_module_init() with this prototype.
- * This function is called after loading the module.
- */
-typedef void     (*GtkModuleInitFunc)        (gint        *argc,
-                                              gchar      ***argv);
-
-/**
- * GtkModuleDisplayInitFunc:
- * @display: an open #GdkDisplay
- *
- * A multihead-aware GTK+ module may have a gtk_module_display_init() function
- * with this prototype. GTK+ calls this function for each opened display.
- */
-typedef void     (*GtkModuleDisplayInitFunc) (GdkDisplay   *display);
-
-
-G_END_DECLS
-
-
-#endif /* __GTK_MODULES_H__ */
diff --git a/gtk/gtkprintbackend.c b/gtk/gtkprintbackend.c
index 38bb769ee8..bd294fca0f 100644
--- a/gtk/gtkprintbackend.c
+++ b/gtk/gtkprintbackend.c
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 #include <gmodule.h>
 
 #include "gtkintl.h"
-#include "gtkmodules.h"
 #include "gtkmodulesprivate.h"
 #include "gtkmarshalers.h"
 #include "gtkprivate.h"
diff --git a/gtk/meson.build b/gtk/meson.build
index 92d4c0b434..4379956d86 100644
--- a/gtk/meson.build
+++ b/gtk/meson.build
@@ -486,7 +486,6 @@ gtk_public_headers = files([
   'gtkmenutoolbutton.h',
   'gtkmessagedialog.h',
   'gtkmodelbutton.h',
-  'gtkmodules.h',
   'gtkmountoperation.h',
   'gtknativedialog.h',
   'gtknotebook.h',