diff --git a/src/cmd/devdraw/osx-screen.c b/src/cmd/devdraw/osx-screen.c
index 7c686ed9..abf276aa 100644
--- a/src/cmd/devdraw/osx-screen.c
+++ b/src/cmd/devdraw/osx-screen.c
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ struct {
 char*
 getsnarf(void)
 {
-	char *s;
+	char *s, *t;
 	CFArrayRef flavors;
 	CFDataRef data;
 	CFIndex nflavor, ndata, j;
@@ -741,9 +741,6 @@ getsnarf(void)
 	PasteboardItemID id;
 	PasteboardSyncFlags flags;
 	UInt32 i;
-	u16int *u;
-	Fmt fmt;
-	Rune r;
 
 /*	fprint(2, "applegetsnarf\n"); */
 	qlock(&clip.lk);
@@ -778,26 +775,15 @@ getsnarf(void)
 				continue;
 			if(PasteboardCopyItemFlavorData(clip.apple, id, type, &data) != noErr)
 				continue;
+			ndata = CFDataGetLength(data);
 			qunlock(&clip.lk);
-			ndata = CFDataGetLength(data)/2;
-			u = (u16int*)CFDataGetBytePtr(data);
-			fmtstrinit(&fmt);
-			// decode utf-16.  what was apple thinking?
-			for(i=0; i<ndata; i++) {
-				r = u[i];
-				if(0xd800 <= r && r < 0xdc00 && i+1 < ndata && 0xdc00 <= u[i+1] && u[i+1] < 0xe000) {
-					r = (((r - 0xd800)<<10) |  (u[i+1] - 0xdc00)) + 0x10000;
-					i++;
-				}
-				else if(0xd800 <= r && r < 0xe000)
-					r = Runeerror;
-				if(r == '\r')
-					r = '\n';
-				fmtrune(&fmt, r);
-			}
+			s = smprint("%.*S", ndata/2, (Rune*)CFDataGetBytePtr(data));
 			CFRelease(flavors);
 			CFRelease(data);
-			return fmtstrflush(&fmt);
+			for(t=s; *t; t++)
+				if(*t == '\r')
+					*t = '\n';
+			return s;
 		}
 		CFRelease(flavors);
 	}
@@ -810,9 +796,6 @@ putsnarf(char *s)
 {
 	CFDataRef cfdata;
 	PasteboardSyncFlags flags;
-	u16int *u, *p;
-	Rune r;
-	int i;
 
 /*	fprint(2, "appleputsnarf\n"); */
 
@@ -833,23 +816,9 @@ putsnarf(char *s)
 		qunlock(&clip.lk);
 		return;
 	}
-	u = malloc(runestrlen(clip.rbuf)*4);
-	p = u;
-	for(i=0; clip.rbuf[i]; i++) {
-		r = clip.rbuf[i];
-		// convert to utf-16
-		if(0xd800 <= r && r < 0xe000)
-			r = Runeerror;
-		if(r >= 0x10000) {
-			r -= 0x10000;
-			*p++ = 0xd800 + (r>>10);
-			*p++ = 0xdc00 + (r & ((1<<10)-1));
-		} else
-			*p++ = r;
-	}
+	assert(sizeof(clip.rbuf[0]) == 2);
 	cfdata = CFDataCreate(kCFAllocatorDefault, 
-		(uchar*)u, (p-u)*2);
-	free(u);
+		(uchar*)clip.rbuf, runestrlen(clip.rbuf)*2);
 	if(cfdata == nil){
 		fprint(2, "apple pasteboard cfdatacreate failed\n");
 		qunlock(&clip.lk);