diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
index 8e9fca718e..f8177b7680 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ class MyBlockingBusy(QDialog):
             return self.accept()
 
     def do_one(self, id):
-        remove, add, au, aus, do_aus, rating, pub, do_series, \
+        remove_all, remove, add, au, aus, do_aus, rating, pub, do_series, \
             do_autonumber, do_remove_format, remove_format, do_swap_ta, \
             do_remove_conv, do_auto_author, series, do_series_restart, \
             series_start_value, do_title_case, clear_series = self.args
@@ -168,6 +168,8 @@ class MyBlockingBusy(QDialog):
             # both of these are fast enough to just do them all
             for w in self.cc_widgets:
                 w.commit(self.ids)
+            if remove_all:
+                self.db.remove_all_tags(self.ids)
             self.db.bulk_modify_tags(self.ids, add=add, remove=remove,
                                          notify=False)
             self.current_index = len(self.ids)
@@ -640,9 +642,9 @@ class MetadataBulkDialog(QDialog, Ui_MetadataBulkDialog):
         for w in getattr(self, 'custom_column_widgets', []):
             w.gui_val
 
-        if self.remove_all_tags.isChecked():
-            remove = self.db.all_tags()
-        else:
+        remove_all = self.remove_all_tags.isChecked()
+        remove = []
+        if not remove_all:
             remove = unicode(self.remove_tags.text()).strip().split(',')
         add = unicode(self.tags.text()).strip().split(',')
         au = unicode(self.authors.text())
@@ -663,7 +665,7 @@ class MetadataBulkDialog(QDialog, Ui_MetadataBulkDialog):
         do_auto_author = self.auto_author_sort.isChecked()
         do_title_case = self.change_title_to_title_case.isChecked()
 
-        args = (remove, add, au, aus, do_aus, rating, pub, do_series,
+        args = (remove_all, remove, add, au, aus, do_aus, rating, pub, do_series,
                 do_autonumber, do_remove_format, remove_format, do_swap_ta,
                 do_remove_conv, do_auto_author, series, do_series_restart,
                 series_start_value, do_title_case, clear_series)
diff --git a/src/calibre/library/database2.py b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
index efe92d3c63..c4d11beb58 100644
--- a/src/calibre/library/database2.py
+++ b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
@@ -1759,6 +1759,18 @@ class LibraryDatabase2(LibraryDatabase, SchemaUpgrade, CustomColumns):
                 ans.append(tag)
         return ans
 
+    def remove_all_tags(self, ids, notify=False, commit=True):
+        self.conn.executemany(
+            'DELETE FROM books_tags_link WHERE book=?', [(x,) for x in ids])
+        self.dirtied(ids, commit=False)
+        if commit:
+            self.conn.commit()
+
+        for x in ids:
+            self.data.set(x, self.FIELD_MAP['tags'], '', row_is_id=True)
+        if notify:
+            self.notify('metadata', ids)
+
     def bulk_modify_tags(self, ids, add=[], remove=[], notify=False):
         add = self.cleanup_tags(add)
         remove = self.cleanup_tags(remove)