diff --git a/gdk/quartz/gdkevents-quartz.c b/gdk/quartz/gdkevents-quartz.c
index 151e9ff0be..4bd50478eb 100644
--- a/gdk/quartz/gdkevents-quartz.c
+++ b/gdk/quartz/gdkevents-quartz.c
@@ -1113,8 +1113,6 @@ fill_key_event (GdkSurface    *window,
 {
   GdkEventPrivate *priv;
   GdkQuartzDeviceManagerCore *device_manager;
-  gchar buf[7];
-  gunichar c = 0;
 
   priv = (GdkEventPrivate *) event;
   priv->windowing_data = [nsevent retain];
@@ -1189,44 +1187,6 @@ fill_key_event (GdkSurface    *window,
   gdk_keymap_add_virtual_modifiers (gdk_display_get_keymap (_gdk_display),
                                     &event->key.state);
 
-  event->key.string = NULL;
-
-  /* Fill in ->string since apps depend on it, taken from the x11 backend. */
-  if (event->key.keyval != GDK_KEY_VoidSymbol)
-    c = gdk_keyval_to_unicode (event->key.keyval);
-
-  if (c)
-    {
-      gsize bytes_written;
-      gint len;
-
-      len = g_unichar_to_utf8 (c, buf);
-      buf[len] = '\0';
-      
-      event->key.string = g_locale_from_utf8 (buf, len,
-					      NULL, &bytes_written,
-					      NULL);
-      if (event->key.string)
-	event->key.length = bytes_written;
-    }
-  else if (event->key.keyval == GDK_KEY_Escape)
-    {
-      event->key.length = 1;
-      event->key.string = g_strdup ("\033");
-    }
-  else if (event->key.keyval == GDK_KEY_Return ||
-	  event->key.keyval == GDK_KEY_KP_Enter)
-    {
-      event->key.length = 1;
-      event->key.string = g_strdup ("\r");
-    }
-
-  if (!event->key.string)
-    {
-      event->key.length = 0;
-      event->key.string = g_strdup ("");
-    }
-
   GDK_NOTE(EVENTS,
     g_message ("key %s:\t\twindow: %p  key: %12s  %d",
 	  type == GDK_KEY_PRESS ? "press" : "release",
diff --git a/gdk/win32/gdkevents-win32.c b/gdk/win32/gdkevents-win32.c
index c18422f8b2..6017f605b2 100644
--- a/gdk/win32/gdkevents-win32.c
+++ b/gdk/win32/gdkevents-win32.c
@@ -738,8 +738,6 @@ build_wm_ime_composition_event (GdkEvent *event,
   build_key_event_state (event, key_state);
 
   event->key.hardware_keycode = 0; /* FIXME: What should it be? */
-  event->key.string = NULL;
-  event->key.length = 0;
   event->key.keyval = gdk_unicode_to_keyval (wc);
 }
 
@@ -768,7 +766,7 @@ print_event_state (guint state)
 void
 _gdk_win32_print_event (const GdkEvent *event)
 {
-  gchar *escaped, *kvname;
+  gchar *kvname;
 
   g_print ("%s%*s===> ", (debug_indent > 0 ? "\n" : ""), debug_indent, "");
   switch (event->any.type)
@@ -819,17 +817,10 @@ _gdk_win32_print_event (const GdkEvent *event)
       break;
     case GDK_KEY_PRESS:
     case GDK_KEY_RELEASE:
-      if (event->key.length == 0)
-	escaped = g_strdup ("");
-      else
-	escaped = g_strescape (event->key.string, NULL);
       kvname = gdk_keyval_name (event->key.keyval);
-      g_print ("%#.02x group:%d %s %d:\"%s\" ",
+      g_print ("%#.02x group:%d %s",
 	       event->key.hardware_keycode, event->key.group,
-	       (kvname ? kvname : "??"),
-	       event->key.length,
-	       escaped);
-      g_free (escaped);
+	       (kvname ? kvname : "??"));
       print_event_state (event->key.state);
       break;
     case GDK_ENTER_NOTIFY:
@@ -940,73 +931,6 @@ _gdk_win32_append_event (GdkEvent *event)
 #endif
 }
 
-static void
-fill_key_event_string (GdkEvent *event)
-{
-  gunichar c;
-  gchar buf[256];
-
-  /* Fill in event->string crudely, since various programs
-   * depend on it.
-   */
-
-  c = 0;
-  if (event->key.keyval != GDK_KEY_VoidSymbol)
-    c = gdk_keyval_to_unicode (event->key.keyval);
-
-  if (c)
-    {
-      gsize bytes_written;
-      gint len;
-
-      /* Apply the control key - Taken from Xlib
-       */
-      if (event->key.state & GDK_CONTROL_MASK)
-	{
-	  if ((c >= '@' && c < '\177') || c == ' ')
-	    c &= 0x1F;
-	  else if (c == '2')
-	    {
-	      event->key.string = g_memdup ("\0\0", 2);
-	      event->key.length = 1;
-	      return;
-	    }
-	  else if (c >= '3' && c <= '7')
-	    c -= ('3' - '\033');
-	  else if (c == '8')
-	    c = '\177';
-	  else if (c == '/')
-	    c = '_' & 0x1F;
-	}
-
-      len = g_unichar_to_utf8 (c, buf);
-      buf[len] = '\0';
-
-      event->key.string = g_locale_from_utf8 (buf, len,
-					      NULL, &bytes_written,
-					      NULL);
-      if (event->key.string)
-	event->key.length = bytes_written;
-    }
-  else if (event->key.keyval == GDK_KEY_Escape)
-    {
-      event->key.length = 1;
-      event->key.string = g_strdup ("\033");
-    }
-  else if (event->key.keyval == GDK_KEY_Return ||
-	   event->key.keyval == GDK_KEY_KP_Enter)
-    {
-      event->key.length = 1;
-      event->key.string = g_strdup ("\r");
-    }
-
-  if (!event->key.string)
-    {
-      event->key.length = 0;
-      event->key.string = g_strdup ("");
-    }
-}
-
 static GdkWin32MessageFilterReturn
 apply_message_filters (GdkDisplay *display,
                        MSG        *msg,
@@ -2288,8 +2212,6 @@ gdk_event_translate (MSG  *msg,
       event->any.surface = window;
       event->key.time = _gdk_win32_get_next_tick (msg->time);
       event->key.keyval = GDK_KEY_VoidSymbol;
-      event->key.string = NULL;
-      event->key.length = 0;
       event->key.hardware_keycode = msg->wParam;
       /* save original scancode */
       gdk_event_set_scancode (event, msg->lParam >> 16);
@@ -2360,8 +2282,6 @@ gdk_event_translate (MSG  *msg,
       else
 	impl->leading_surrogate_keyup = 0;
 
-      fill_key_event_string (event);
-
   /* Only one release key event is fired when both shift keys are pressed together
      and then released. In order to send the missing event, press events for shift
      keys are recorded and sent together when the release event occurs.