diff --git a/src/d_main.cpp b/src/d_main.cpp
index f203e9a85f..14766fe092 100644
--- a/src/d_main.cpp
+++ b/src/d_main.cpp
@@ -2274,6 +2274,39 @@ static void CheckCmdLine()
 	}
 }
 
+//==========================================================================
+//
+//
+//
+//==========================================================================
+
+extern int currentrenderer;
+EXTERN_CVAR(Int, vid_renderer)
+FRenderer *gl_CreateInterface();
+FRenderer *CreateSWRenderer();
+
+static void DeleteRenderer()
+{
+	if (Renderer != NULL) delete Renderer;
+	if (SWRenderer != NULL) delete SWRenderer;
+}
+
+void D_CreateRenderer()
+{
+	currentrenderer = vid_renderer;
+	if (currentrenderer == 1)
+		Printf("Renderer: OpenGL\n");
+	else
+		Printf("Renderer: Software on OpenGL\n");
+
+	if (Renderer == NULL)
+	{
+		Renderer = gl_CreateInterface();
+		SWRenderer = CreateSWRenderer();
+		atterm(DeleteRenderer);
+	}
+}
+
 //==========================================================================
 //
 // D_DoomMain
@@ -2458,7 +2491,7 @@ void D_DoomMain (void)
 		{
 			if (!batchrun) Printf ("I_Init: Setting up machine state.\n");
 			I_Init ();
-			I_CreateRenderer();
+			D_CreateRenderer();
 		}
 
 		if (!batchrun) Printf ("V_Init: allocate screen.\n");
diff --git a/src/d_stats.cpp b/src/d_stats.cpp
index fc49e665f9..d607a8a5b7 100644
--- a/src/d_stats.cpp
+++ b/src/d_stats.cpp
@@ -36,9 +36,6 @@ extern int sys_ostype;
 #include "version.h"
 #include "v_video.h"
 
-#ifdef _WIN32
-EXTERN_CVAR(Bool, vid_glswfb)
-#endif
 extern int currentrenderer;
 CVAR(Int, sys_statsenabled, -1, CVAR_ARCHIVE | CVAR_GLOBALCONFIG | CVAR_NOSET)
 CVAR(String, sys_statshost, "gzstats.drdteam.org", CVAR_ARCHIVE|CVAR_GLOBALCONFIG|CVAR_NOSET)
@@ -254,20 +251,10 @@ static int GetCoreInfo()
 
 static int GetRenderInfo()
 {
-	if (currentrenderer == 0)
-	{
-#ifdef _WIN32
-		if (vid_glswfb) return 2;
-#endif
-		return 1;
-	}
-	else
-	{
-		auto info = gl_getInfo();
-		if (info.first < 3.3) return 3;	// Legacy OpenGL. Don't care about Intel HD 3000 on Windows being run in 'risky' mode.
-		if (!info.second) return 4;
-		return 5;
-	}
+	auto info = gl_getInfo();
+	if (info.first < 3.3) return 3;	// Legacy OpenGL. Don't care about Intel HD 3000 on Windows being run in 'risky' mode.
+	if (!info.second) return 4;
+	return 5;
 }
 
 static void D_DoHTTPRequest(const char *request)
diff --git a/src/posix/cocoa/i_video.mm b/src/posix/cocoa/i_video.mm
index 9dee7a58e8..036565f258 100644
--- a/src/posix/cocoa/i_video.mm
+++ b/src/posix/cocoa/i_video.mm
@@ -844,28 +844,6 @@ void I_InitGraphics()
 }
 
 
-static void I_DeleteRenderer()
-{
-	delete Renderer;
-	Renderer = NULL;
-}
-
-void I_CreateRenderer()
-{
-	currentrenderer = vid_renderer;
-
-	if (NULL == Renderer)
-	{
-		extern FRenderer* gl_CreateInterface();
-
-		Renderer = 1 == currentrenderer
-			? gl_CreateInterface()
-			: new FSoftwareRenderer;
-		atterm(I_DeleteRenderer);
-	}
-}
-
-
 DFrameBuffer* I_SetMode(int &width, int &height, DFrameBuffer* old)
 {
 	return Video->CreateFrameBuffer(width, height, swtruecolor, fullscreen, old);
diff --git a/src/posix/hardware.h b/src/posix/hardware.h
index 3c06cb6c6d..5f10dc25fc 100644
--- a/src/posix/hardware.h
+++ b/src/posix/hardware.h
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ class IVideo
 
 void I_InitGraphics ();
 void I_ShutdownGraphics ();
-void I_CreateRenderer();
 
 extern Semaphore FPSLimitSemaphore;
 void I_SetFPSLimit(int limit);
diff --git a/src/posix/sdl/hardware.cpp b/src/posix/sdl/hardware.cpp
index 32837ea84f..57bafcd3df 100644
--- a/src/posix/sdl/hardware.cpp
+++ b/src/posix/sdl/hardware.cpp
@@ -128,23 +128,6 @@ void I_InitGraphics ()
 	Video->SetWindowedScale (vid_winscale);
 }
 
-static void I_DeleteRenderer()
-{
-	if (Renderer != NULL) delete Renderer;
-}
-
-void I_CreateRenderer()
-{
-	currentrenderer = vid_renderer;
-	if (Renderer == NULL)
-	{
-		if (currentrenderer==1) Renderer = gl_CreateInterface();
-		else Renderer = new FSoftwareRenderer;
-		atterm(I_DeleteRenderer);
-	}
-}
-
-
 /** Remaining code is common to Win32 and Linux **/
 
 // VIDEO WRAPPERS ---------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/r_renderer.h b/src/r_renderer.h
index 6ab9aaa9a8..1853e7f3a2 100644
--- a/src/r_renderer.h
+++ b/src/r_renderer.h
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 struct FRenderer;
 extern FRenderer *Renderer;
+extern FRenderer *SWRenderer;
+
 class FSerializer;
 class FTexture;
 class AActor;
@@ -15,16 +17,6 @@ class FileWriter;
 
 struct FRenderer
 {
-	FRenderer()
-	{
-		Renderer = this;
-	}
-
-	virtual ~FRenderer()
-	{
-		Renderer = NULL;
-	}
-
 	// precache one texture
 	virtual void Precache(uint8_t *texhitlist, TMap<PClassActor*, bool> &actorhitlist) = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.cpp b/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.cpp
index a8114dc698..17038521a3 100644
--- a/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.cpp
+++ b/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.cpp
@@ -85,10 +85,12 @@ FSoftwareRenderer::FSoftwareRenderer()
 	InitSWColorMaps();
 }
 
-FSoftwareRenderer::~FSoftwareRenderer()
+FRenderer *CreateSWRenderer()
 {
+	return new FSoftwareRenderer;
 }
 
+
 void FSoftwareRenderer::PrecacheTexture(FTexture *tex, int cache)
 {
 	bool isbgra = screen->IsBgra();
diff --git a/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.h b/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.h
index 4a83c0b8c2..e5ac436286 100644
--- a/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.h
+++ b/src/swrenderer/r_swrenderer.h
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 struct FSoftwareRenderer : public FRenderer
 {
 	FSoftwareRenderer();
-	~FSoftwareRenderer();
 
 	// precache textures
 	void Precache(uint8_t *texhitlist, TMap<PClassActor*, bool> &actorhitlist) override;
@@ -34,3 +33,5 @@ private:
 
 	swrenderer::RenderScene mScene;
 };
+
+FRenderer *CreateSWRenderer();
diff --git a/src/v_video.cpp b/src/v_video.cpp
index 00563d1bfc..1c4319813a 100644
--- a/src/v_video.cpp
+++ b/src/v_video.cpp
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ EXTERN_CVAR(Bool, r_blendmethod)
 int active_con_scale();
 
 FRenderer *Renderer;
+FRenderer *SWRenderer;
 
 EXTERN_CVAR (Bool, swtruecolor)
 EXTERN_CVAR (Bool, fullscreen)
diff --git a/src/win32/hardware.cpp b/src/win32/hardware.cpp
index 5d89cf43f9..87fffb280f 100644
--- a/src/win32/hardware.cpp
+++ b/src/win32/hardware.cpp
@@ -180,27 +180,6 @@ void I_InitGraphics ()
 	Video->SetWindowedScale (vid_winscale);
 }
 
-static void I_DeleteRenderer()
-{
-	if (Renderer != NULL) delete Renderer;
-}
-
-void I_CreateRenderer()
-{
-	currentrenderer = vid_renderer;
-	if (currentrenderer == 1)
-		Printf("Renderer: OpenGL\n");
-	else
-		Printf("Renderer: Software on OpenGL\n");
-
-	if (Renderer == NULL)
-	{
-		if (currentrenderer==1) Renderer = gl_CreateInterface();
-		else Renderer = new FSoftwareRenderer;
-		atterm(I_DeleteRenderer);
-	}
-}
-
 /** Remaining code is common to Win32 and Linux **/
 
 // VIDEO WRAPPERS ---------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/win32/hardware.h b/src/win32/hardware.h
index d996bf3944..a4885964b8 100644
--- a/src/win32/hardware.h
+++ b/src/win32/hardware.h
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ class IVideo
 
 void I_InitGraphics ();
 void I_ShutdownGraphics ();
-void I_CreateRenderer();
 
 void I_SaveWindowedPos ();
 void I_RestoreWindowedPos ();
diff --git a/wadsrc/static/menudef.txt b/wadsrc/static/menudef.txt
index c0445fdffd..dcb2c981f6 100644
--- a/wadsrc/static/menudef.txt
+++ b/wadsrc/static/menudef.txt
@@ -1868,10 +1868,6 @@ OptionMenu RendererMenu protected
 	Option "$RNDMNU_RENDERER",	"vid_renderer", "PolyDoom"
 	Option "$RNDMNU_TRUECOLOR",	"swtruecolor", "OnOff"
 	Option "$RNDMNU_POLY",		"r_polyrenderer", "OnOff"
-	IfOption(Windows)
-	{
-		Option "$RNDMNU_CANVAS",	"vid_glswfb", "GLD3D"
-	}
 }
 
 /*=======================================