diff --git a/src/protocol/protocol.c b/src/protocol/protocol.c
index d7d2e71af..78921f572 100644
--- a/src/protocol/protocol.c
+++ b/src/protocol/protocol.c
@@ -52,34 +52,35 @@ struct protocol_backend {
 	unsigned int need_slash_after_host:1;
 	unsigned int free_syntax:1;
 	unsigned int need_ssl:1;
+	unsigned int keep_double_slashes:1;
 };
 
 static const struct protocol_backend protocol_backends[] = {
-	{ "about",	   0, about_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0 },
-	{ "bittorrent",	   0, bittorrent_protocol_handler,	0, 0, 1, 0 },
-	{ "data",	   0, data_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0 },
-	{ "file",	   0, file_protocol_handler,		1, 0, 0, 0 },
-	{ "finger",	  79, finger_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "fsp",	  21, fsp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "ftp",	  21, ftp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "gopher",	  70, gopher_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "http",	  80, http_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "https",	 443, https_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 1 },
-	{ "javascript",	   0, NULL,				0, 0, 1, 0 },
-	{ "news",	   0, news_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0 },
-	{ "nntp",	 119, nntp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "nntps",	 563, nntp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 1 },
-	{ "proxy",	3128, proxy_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "smb",	 139, smb_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0 },
-	{ "snews",	   0, news_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0 },
+	{ "about",	   0, about_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
+	{ "bittorrent",	   0, bittorrent_protocol_handler,	0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
+	{ "data",	   0, data_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
+	{ "file",	   0, file_protocol_handler,		1, 0, 0, 0, 0 },
+	{ "finger",	  79, finger_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 1 },
+	{ "fsp",	  21, fsp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 1 },
+	{ "ftp",	  21, ftp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 0 },
+	{ "gopher",	  70, gopher_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 1 },
+	{ "http",	  80, http_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 1 },
+	{ "https",	 443, https_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 1, 1 },
+	{ "javascript",	   0, NULL,				0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
+	{ "news",	   0, news_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
+	{ "nntp",	 119, nntp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 0 },
+	{ "nntps",	 563, nntp_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 1, 0 },
+	{ "proxy",	3128, proxy_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 1 },
+	{ "smb",	 139, smb_protocol_handler,		1, 1, 0, 0, 1 },
+	{ "snews",	   0, news_protocol_handler,		0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
 
 	/* Keep these last! */
-	{ NULL,		   0, NULL,			0, 0, 1, 0 },
+	{ NULL,		   0, NULL,			0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
 
-	{ "user",	   0, NULL,			0, 0, 0, 0 },
+	{ "user",	   0, NULL,			0, 0, 0, 0, 1 },
 	/* Internal protocol for mapping to protocol.user.* handlers. Placed
 	 * last because it's checked first and else should be ignored. */
-	{ "custom",	   0, NULL,			0, 0, 1, 0 },
+	{ "custom",	   0, NULL,			0, 0, 1, 0, 1 },
 };
 
 
@@ -174,6 +175,14 @@ get_protocol_need_slash_after_host(enum protocol protocol)
 	return protocol_backends[protocol].need_slash_after_host;
 }
 
+int
+get_protocol_keep_double_slashes(enum protocol protocol)
+{
+	assert(VALID_PROTOCOL(protocol));
+	if_assert_failed return 0;
+	return protocol_backends[protocol].keep_double_slashes;
+}
+
 int
 get_protocol_free_syntax(enum protocol protocol)
 {
diff --git a/src/protocol/protocol.h b/src/protocol/protocol.h
index c39e794c8..c02e67166 100644
--- a/src/protocol/protocol.h
+++ b/src/protocol/protocol.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ typedef void (protocol_external_handler_T)(struct session *, struct uri *);
 
 int get_protocol_port(enum protocol protocol);
 int get_protocol_need_slashes(enum protocol protocol);
+int get_protocol_keep_double_slashes(enum protocol protocol);
 int get_protocol_need_slash_after_host(enum protocol protocol);
 int get_protocol_free_syntax(enum protocol protocol);
 int get_protocol_need_ssl(enum protocol protocol);
diff --git a/src/protocol/uri.c b/src/protocol/uri.c
index 33316ebfc..9da2e9ee9 100644
--- a/src/protocol/uri.c
+++ b/src/protocol/uri.c
@@ -673,7 +673,7 @@ normalize_uri(struct uri *uri, unsigned char *uristring)
 {
 	unsigned char *parse_string = uristring;
 	unsigned char *src, *dest, *path;
-	int need_slash = 0;
+	int need_slash = 0, keep_dslash = 1;
 	int parse = (uri == NULL);
 	struct uri uri_struct;
 
@@ -701,8 +701,10 @@ normalize_uri(struct uri *uri, unsigned char *uristring)
 	if (get_protocol_free_syntax(uri->protocol))
 		return uristring;
 
-	if (uri->protocol != PROTOCOL_UNKNOWN)
+	if (uri->protocol != PROTOCOL_UNKNOWN) {
 		need_slash = get_protocol_need_slash_after_host(uri->protocol);
+		keep_dslash = get_protocol_keep_double_slashes(uri->protocol);
+	}
 
 	path = uri->data - need_slash;
 	dest = src = path;
@@ -766,8 +768,7 @@ normalize_uri(struct uri *uri, unsigned char *uristring)
 				continue;
 			}
 
-		} else if (is_uri_dir_sep(uri, src[1]) &&
-			   uri->protocol == PROTOCOL_FILE) {
+		} else if (is_uri_dir_sep(uri, src[1]) && !keep_dslash) {
 			/* // - ignore first '/'. */
 			src += 1;
 			continue;