diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/config.py b/src/calibre/utils/config.py
index ffb0474374..d5a9fbf478 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/config.py
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/config.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ Manage application-wide preferences.
 
 import optparse
 import os
-import plistlib
 from copy import deepcopy
 
 from calibre.constants import (
@@ -22,7 +21,6 @@ from calibre.utils.config_base import (
     tweaks, from_json, to_json
 )
 from calibre.utils.lock import ExclusiveFile
-from polyglot.builtins import string_or_bytes
 
 
 # optparse uses gettext.gettext instead of _ from builtins, so we
@@ -335,10 +333,12 @@ class XMLConfig(dict):
             pass
 
     def raw_to_object(self, raw):
-        return plistlib.readPlistFromString(raw)
+        from polyglot.plistlib import loads
+        return loads(raw)
 
     def to_raw(self):
-        return plistlib.writePlistToString(self)
+        from polyglot.plistlib import dumps
+        return dumps(self)
 
     def decouple(self, prefix):
         self.file_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(self.file_path), prefix + os.path.basename(self.file_path))
@@ -362,26 +362,29 @@ class XMLConfig(dict):
         self.update(d)
 
     def __getitem__(self, key):
+        from polyglot.plistlib import Data
         try:
             ans = dict.__getitem__(self, key)
-            if isinstance(ans, plistlib.Data):
+            if isinstance(ans, Data):
                 ans = ans.data
             return ans
         except KeyError:
             return self.defaults.get(key, None)
 
     def get(self, key, default=None):
+        from polyglot.plistlib import Data
         try:
             ans = dict.__getitem__(self, key)
-            if isinstance(ans, plistlib.Data):
+            if isinstance(ans, Data):
                 ans = ans.data
             return ans
         except KeyError:
             return self.defaults.get(key, default)
 
     def __setitem__(self, key, val):
-        if isinstance(val, string_or_bytes):
-            val = plistlib.Data(val)
+        from polyglot.plistlib import Data
+        if isinstance(val, bytes):
+            val = Data(val)
         dict.__setitem__(self, key, val)
         self.commit()
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/open_with/osx.py b/src/calibre/utils/open_with/osx.py
index 68ee4a2ecf..3a0d7a235d 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/open_with/osx.py
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/open_with/osx.py
@@ -6,12 +6,13 @@ from __future__ import (unicode_literals, division, absolute_import,
 __license__ = 'GPL v3'
 __copyright__ = '2015, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>'
 
-import os, plistlib, re, mimetypes, subprocess
+import os, re, mimetypes, subprocess
 from collections import defaultdict
 
 from calibre.ptempfile import TemporaryDirectory
 from calibre.utils.icu import numeric_sort_key
 from polyglot.builtins import iteritems, unicode_type, string_or_bytes
+from polyglot.plistlib import loads
 
 application_locations = ('/Applications', '~/Applications', '~/Desktop')
 
@@ -266,7 +267,8 @@ def get_bundle_data(path):
         'path': path,
     }
     try:
-        plist = plistlib.readPlist(info)
+        with open(info, 'rb') as f:
+            plist = loads(f.read())
     except Exception:
         return None
     ans['name'] = plist.get('CFBundleDisplayName') or plist.get('CFBundleName') or ans['name']
diff --git a/src/polyglot/plistlib.py b/src/polyglot/plistlib.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d428ab3d2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/polyglot/plistlib.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python2
+# vim:fileencoding=utf-8
+# License: GPL v3 Copyright: 2019, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>
+
+from __future__ import absolute_import, division, print_function, unicode_literals
+
+from polyglot.builtins import is_py3
+
+if is_py3:
+    from plistlib import loads, dumps, Data  # noqa
+else:
+    from plistlib import readPlistFromString as loads, writePlistToString as dumps, Data  # noqa