diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
index b1c636cf8..bc54d25e9 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ Application::Application (int &argc, char **argv, bool non_ui_mode)
       
     } else if (a == "-j" && (i + 1) < argc) {
 
-      custom_macro_paths.push_back (std::pair<std::string, std::string> (args [++i], "macros"));
+      custom_macro_paths.push_back (std::pair<std::string, std::string> (args [++i], std::string ()));
       
     } else if (a == "-nt") {
 
@@ -678,7 +678,7 @@ Application::Application (int &argc, char **argv, bool non_ui_mode)
       while (! ex.at_end ()) {
         std::string p;
         ex.read_word_or_quoted (p);
-        custom_macro_paths.push_back (std::pair<std::string, std::string> (p, "macros"));
+        custom_macro_paths.push_back (std::pair<std::string, std::string> (p, std::string ()));
         if (ex.test (":")) {
           ex.read_word (custom_macro_paths.back ().second);
         }
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc b/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc
index d6452d75f..52f83c029 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMacroController.cc
@@ -68,7 +68,12 @@ MacroController::load ()
 
     for (size_t c = 0; c < m_macro_categories.size (); ++c) {
       if (p->cat.empty () || p->cat == m_macro_categories [c].first) {
-        std::string mp = tl::to_string (QDir (tl::to_qstring (p->path)).absoluteFilePath (tl::to_qstring (m_macro_categories [c].first)));
+        std::string mp;
+        if (p->cat.empty ()) {
+          mp = tl::to_string (QDir (tl::to_qstring (p->path)).absoluteFilePath (tl::to_qstring (m_macro_categories [c].first)));
+        } else {
+          mp = p->path;
+        }
         lym::MacroCollection::root ().add_folder (p->description, mp, m_macro_categories [c].first, p->readonly);
       }
     }