diff --git a/project/ScalaOptionParser.scala b/project/ScalaOptionParser.scala
index 3bd7f4bbd2d7..2bdfeb63b784 100644
--- a/project/ScalaOptionParser.scala
+++ b/project/ScalaOptionParser.scala
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ object ScalaOptionParser {
 
   // TODO retrieve these data programmatically, ala https://github.com/scala/scala-tool-support/blob/master/bash-completion/src/main/scala/BashCompletion.scala
   private def booleanSettingNames = List("-X", "-Xcheckinit", "-Xdev", "-Xdisable-assertions", "-Xexperimental", "-Xfatal-warnings", "-Xlog-free-terms", "-Xlog-free-types", "-Xlog-implicit-conversions", "-Xlog-implicits", "-Xlog-reflective-calls",
-    "-Xno-forwarders", "-Xno-patmat-analysis", "-Xno-uescape", "-Xnojline", "-Xprint-pos", "-Xprint-types", "-Xprompt", "-Xresident", "-Xshow-phases", "-Xverify", "-Y",
+    "-Xno-forwarders", "-Xno-patmat-analysis", "-Xnojline", "-Xprint-pos", "-Xprint-types", "-Xprompt", "-Xresident", "-Xshow-phases", "-Xverify", "-Y",
     "-Ybreak-cycles", "-Ydebug", "-Ycompact-trees", "-YdisableFlatCpCaching", "-Ydoc-debug",
     "-Yide-debug",
     "-Yissue-debug", "-Ylog-classpath", "-Ymacro-debug-lite", "-Ymacro-debug-verbose", "-Ymacro-no-expand",
diff --git a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/javac/JavaScanners.scala b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/javac/JavaScanners.scala
index c0f23deeada0..fe445c611d86 100644
--- a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/javac/JavaScanners.scala
+++ b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/javac/JavaScanners.scala
@@ -881,7 +881,7 @@ trait JavaScanners extends ast.parser.ScannersCommon {
   }
 
   class JavaUnitScanner(unit: CompilationUnit) extends JavaScanner {
-    in = new JavaCharArrayReader(new ArraySeq.ofChar(unit.source.content), !settings.nouescape.value, syntaxError)
+    in = new JavaCharArrayReader(new ArraySeq.ofChar(unit.source.content), true, syntaxError)
     init()
     def error(pos: Int, msg: String) = reporter.error(pos, msg)
     def incompleteInputError(pos: Int, msg: String) = currentRun.parsing.incompleteInputError(pos, msg)
diff --git a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/ScalaSettings.scala b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/ScalaSettings.scala
index 543350888b1b..cbcb8ee75369 100644
--- a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/ScalaSettings.scala
+++ b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/ScalaSettings.scala
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ trait ScalaSettings extends StandardScalaSettings with Warnings {
   val maxerrs            = IntSetting          ("-Xmaxerrs", "Maximum errors to print", 100, None, _ => None)
   val maxwarns           = IntSetting          ("-Xmaxwarns", "Maximum warnings to print", 100, None, _ => None)
   val Xmigration         = ScalaVersionSetting ("-Xmigration", "version", "Warn about constructs whose behavior may have changed since version.", initial = NoScalaVersion, default = Some(AnyScalaVersion))
-  val nouescape          = BooleanSetting      ("-Xno-uescape", "Disable handling of \\u unicode escapes.")
   val Xnojline           = BooleanSetting      ("-Xnojline", "Do not use JLine for editing.")
   val Xverify            = BooleanSetting      ("-Xverify", "Verify generic signatures in generated bytecode.")
   val plugin             = MultiStringSetting  ("-Xplugin", "paths", "Load a plugin from each classpath.")
diff --git a/src/manual/scala/man1/scalac.scala b/src/manual/scala/man1/scalac.scala
index e5f9f6279a61..15b333042856 100644
--- a/src/manual/scala/man1/scalac.scala
+++ b/src/manual/scala/man1/scalac.scala
@@ -241,9 +241,6 @@ object scalac extends Command {
         Definition(
           CmdOption("Xno-patmat-analysis"),
           "Don't perform exhaustivity/unreachability analysis. Also, ignore " & MItalic("@switch") & " annotation."),
-        Definition(
-          CmdOption("Xno-uescape"),
-          "Disable handling of " & BSlash & "u unicode escapes"),
         Definition(
           CmdOption("Xnojline"),
           "Do not use JLine for editing."),
diff --git a/test/files/run/repl-no-uescape.scala b/test/files/run/repl-no-uescape.scala
index 1865109ebf09..bd1a65bb6716 100644
--- a/test/files/run/repl-no-uescape.scala
+++ b/test/files/run/repl-no-uescape.scala
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@ scala> 42
  + "\u001B[1m\u001B[34mres0\u001B[0m: \u001B[1m\u001B[32mInt\u001B[0m = " + scala.runtime.ScalaRunTime.replStringOf(res0, 1000)
  */
 object Test extends ReplTest {
-  override def transformSettings(settings: Settings): Settings = {
-    settings.nouescape.value = true
-    settings
-  }
   def code = """
 object A
   """