diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 8637af362e3..54e9a6865f9 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ OSX_APP=Bitcoin-Qt.app
 OSX_VOLNAME = $(subst $(space),-,$(PACKAGE_NAME))
 OSX_DMG = $(OSX_VOLNAME).dmg
 OSX_TEMP_ISO = $(OSX_DMG:.dmg=).temp.iso
-OSX_BACKGROUND_IMAGE=$(top_srcdir)/contrib/macdeploy/background.tiff
 OSX_DEPLOY_SCRIPT=$(top_srcdir)/contrib/macdeploy/macdeployqtplus
 OSX_INSTALLER_ICONS=$(top_srcdir)/src/qt/res/icons/bitcoin.icns
 OSX_PLIST=$(top_builddir)/share/qt/Info.plist #not installed
@@ -129,28 +128,17 @@ $(OSX_DMG): $(OSX_APP_BUILT) $(OSX_PACKAGING)
 deploydir: $(OSX_DMG)
 else !BUILD_DARWIN
 APP_DIST_DIR=$(top_builddir)/dist
-APP_DIST_EXTRAS=$(APP_DIST_DIR)/.background/background.tiff $(APP_DIST_DIR)/.DS_Store $(APP_DIST_DIR)/Applications
 
-$(APP_DIST_DIR)/Applications:
-	@rm -f $@
-	@cd $(@D); $(LN_S) /Applications $(@F)
-
-$(APP_DIST_EXTRAS): $(APP_DIST_DIR)/$(OSX_APP)/Contents/MacOS/Bitcoin-Qt
-
-$(OSX_TEMP_ISO): $(APP_DIST_EXTRAS)
+$(OSX_TEMP_ISO): $(APP_DIST_DIR)/$(OSX_APP)/Contents/MacOS/Bitcoin-Qt
 	$(XORRISOFS) -D -l -V "$(OSX_VOLNAME)" -no-pad -r -dir-mode 0755 -o $@ $(APP_DIST_DIR) -- $(if $(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH),-volume_date all_file_dates =$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH))
 
 $(OSX_DMG): $(OSX_TEMP_ISO)
 	$(DMG) dmg "$<" "$@"
 
-$(APP_DIST_DIR)/.background/background.tiff:
-	$(MKDIR_P) $(@D)
-	cp $(OSX_BACKGROUND_IMAGE) $@
-
 $(APP_DIST_DIR)/$(OSX_APP)/Contents/MacOS/Bitcoin-Qt: $(OSX_APP_BUILT) $(OSX_PACKAGING)
 	INSTALLNAMETOOL=$(INSTALLNAMETOOL) OTOOL=$(OTOOL) STRIP=$(STRIP) $(PYTHON) $(OSX_DEPLOY_SCRIPT) $(OSX_APP) $(OSX_VOLNAME) -translations-dir=$(QT_TRANSLATION_DIR)
 
-deploydir: $(APP_DIST_EXTRAS)
+deploydir: $(APP_DIST_DIR)/$(OSX_APP)/Contents/MacOS/Bitcoin-Qt
 endif !BUILD_DARWIN
 
 appbundle: $(OSX_APP_BUILT)
diff --git a/contrib/macdeploy/macdeployqtplus b/contrib/macdeploy/macdeployqtplus
index 0455a137f12..cc24e0317b5 100755
--- a/contrib/macdeploy/macdeployqtplus
+++ b/contrib/macdeploy/macdeployqtplus
@@ -544,6 +544,22 @@ ds.close()
 if platform.system() == "Darwin":
     subprocess.check_call(f"codesign --deep --force --sign - {target}", shell=True)
 
+print("+ Installing background.tiff +")
+
+bg_path = os.path.join('dist', '.background', 'background.tiff')
+os.mkdir(os.path.dirname(bg_path))
+
+tiff_path = os.path.join('contrib', 'macdeploy', 'background.tiff')
+shutil.copy2(tiff_path, bg_path)
+
+# ------------------------------------------------
+
+print("+ Generating symlink for /Applications +")
+
+os.symlink("/Applications", os.path.join('dist', "Applications"))
+
+# ------------------------------------------------
+
 if config.dmg is not None:
 
     print("+ Preparing .dmg disk image +")
@@ -567,19 +583,6 @@ if config.dmg is not None:
         print("Attaching temp image...")
     output = run(["hdiutil", "attach", tempname, "-readwrite"], check=True, universal_newlines=True, stdout=PIPE).stdout
 
-    m = re.search(r"/Volumes/(.+$)", output)
-    disk_root = m.group(0)
-
-    print("+ Applying fancy settings +")
-
-    bg_path = os.path.join(disk_root, ".background", os.path.basename('background.tiff'))
-    os.mkdir(os.path.dirname(bg_path))
-    if verbose:
-        print('background.tiff', "->", bg_path)
-    shutil.copy2('contrib/macdeploy/background.tiff', bg_path)
-
-    os.symlink("/Applications", os.path.join(disk_root, "Applications"))
-
     print("+ Finalizing .dmg disk image +")
 
     run(["hdiutil", "detach", f"/Volumes/{appname}"], universal_newlines=True)