diff --git a/configure b/configure
index a24b7f2d8..92fc20bd6 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -8058,7 +8058,86 @@ fi
 
 fi
 
-if test "x$with_system_argon2" = "xno"; then :
+has_system_argon2="no"
+if test "x$with_system_argon2" = "xyes"; then :
+
+
+pkg_failed=no
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for ARGON2" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for ARGON2... " >&6; }
+
+if test -n "$ARGON2_CFLAGS"; then
+    pkg_cv_ARGON2_CFLAGS="$ARGON2_CFLAGS"
+ elif test -n "$PKG_CONFIG"; then
+    if test -n "$PKG_CONFIG" && \
+    { { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors \"libargon2\""; } >&5
+  ($PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors "libargon2") 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  test $ac_status = 0; }; then
+  pkg_cv_ARGON2_CFLAGS=`$PKG_CONFIG --cflags "libargon2" 2>/dev/null`
+		      test "x$?" != "x0" && pkg_failed=yes
+else
+  pkg_failed=yes
+fi
+ else
+    pkg_failed=untried
+fi
+if test -n "$ARGON2_LIBS"; then
+    pkg_cv_ARGON2_LIBS="$ARGON2_LIBS"
+ elif test -n "$PKG_CONFIG"; then
+    if test -n "$PKG_CONFIG" && \
+    { { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors \"libargon2\""; } >&5
+  ($PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors "libargon2") 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  test $ac_status = 0; }; then
+  pkg_cv_ARGON2_LIBS=`$PKG_CONFIG --libs "libargon2" 2>/dev/null`
+		      test "x$?" != "x0" && pkg_failed=yes
+else
+  pkg_failed=yes
+fi
+ else
+    pkg_failed=untried
+fi
+
+
+
+if test $pkg_failed = yes; then
+   	{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+$as_echo "no" >&6; }
+
+if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-pkgconfig-version 0.20; then
+        _pkg_short_errors_supported=yes
+else
+        _pkg_short_errors_supported=no
+fi
+        if test $_pkg_short_errors_supported = yes; then
+	        ARGON2_PKG_ERRORS=`$PKG_CONFIG --short-errors --print-errors --cflags --libs "libargon2" 2>&1`
+        else
+	        ARGON2_PKG_ERRORS=`$PKG_CONFIG --print-errors --cflags --libs "libargon2" 2>&1`
+        fi
+	# Put the nasty error message in config.log where it belongs
+	echo "$ARGON2_PKG_ERRORS" >&5
+
+	has_system_argon2=no
+elif test $pkg_failed = untried; then
+     	{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+$as_echo "no" >&6; }
+	has_system_argon2=no
+else
+	ARGON2_CFLAGS=$pkg_cv_ARGON2_CFLAGS
+	ARGON2_LIBS=$pkg_cv_ARGON2_LIBS
+        { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: yes" >&5
+$as_echo "yes" >&6; }
+	has_system_argon2=yes
+if test "x$PRIVATELIBDIR" != "x"; then :
+  rm -f "$PRIVATELIBDIR/"libargon2*
+fi
+fi
+fi
+
+if test "$has_system_argon2" = "no"; then :
 
 argon2_version="20181209"
 { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: extracting Argon2 library" >&5
@@ -8090,100 +8169,6 @@ ARGON2_LIBS="-L$PRIVATELIBDIR -largon2 -lrt -ldl"
 
 cd $cur_dir
 
-else
-
-
-pkg_failed=no
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for ARGON2" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for ARGON2... " >&6; }
-
-if test -n "$ARGON2_CFLAGS"; then
-    pkg_cv_ARGON2_CFLAGS="$ARGON2_CFLAGS"
- elif test -n "$PKG_CONFIG"; then
-    if test -n "$PKG_CONFIG" && \
-    { { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors \"libargon2 >= 0\""; } >&5
-  ($PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors "libargon2 >= 0") 2>&5
-  ac_status=$?
-  $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
-  test $ac_status = 0; }; then
-  pkg_cv_ARGON2_CFLAGS=`$PKG_CONFIG --cflags "libargon2 >= 0" 2>/dev/null`
-		      test "x$?" != "x0" && pkg_failed=yes
-else
-  pkg_failed=yes
-fi
- else
-    pkg_failed=untried
-fi
-if test -n "$ARGON2_LIBS"; then
-    pkg_cv_ARGON2_LIBS="$ARGON2_LIBS"
- elif test -n "$PKG_CONFIG"; then
-    if test -n "$PKG_CONFIG" && \
-    { { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors \"libargon2 >= 0\""; } >&5
-  ($PKG_CONFIG --exists --print-errors "libargon2 >= 0") 2>&5
-  ac_status=$?
-  $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
-  test $ac_status = 0; }; then
-  pkg_cv_ARGON2_LIBS=`$PKG_CONFIG --libs "libargon2 >= 0" 2>/dev/null`
-		      test "x$?" != "x0" && pkg_failed=yes
-else
-  pkg_failed=yes
-fi
- else
-    pkg_failed=untried
-fi
-
-
-
-if test $pkg_failed = yes; then
-   	{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
-$as_echo "no" >&6; }
-
-if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-pkgconfig-version 0.20; then
-        _pkg_short_errors_supported=yes
-else
-        _pkg_short_errors_supported=no
-fi
-        if test $_pkg_short_errors_supported = yes; then
-	        ARGON2_PKG_ERRORS=`$PKG_CONFIG --short-errors --print-errors --cflags --libs "libargon2 >= 0" 2>&1`
-        else
-	        ARGON2_PKG_ERRORS=`$PKG_CONFIG --print-errors --cflags --libs "libargon2 >= 0" 2>&1`
-        fi
-	# Put the nasty error message in config.log where it belongs
-	echo "$ARGON2_PKG_ERRORS" >&5
-
-	as_fn_error $? "Package requirements (libargon2 >= 0) were not met:
-
-$ARGON2_PKG_ERRORS
-
-Consider adjusting the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable if you
-installed software in a non-standard prefix.
-
-Alternatively, you may set the environment variables ARGON2_CFLAGS
-and ARGON2_LIBS to avoid the need to call pkg-config.
-See the pkg-config man page for more details." "$LINENO" 5
-elif test $pkg_failed = untried; then
-     	{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
-$as_echo "no" >&6; }
-	{ { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: error: in \`$ac_pwd':" >&5
-$as_echo "$as_me: error: in \`$ac_pwd':" >&2;}
-as_fn_error $? "The pkg-config script could not be found or is too old.  Make sure it
-is in your PATH or set the PKG_CONFIG environment variable to the full
-path to pkg-config.
-
-Alternatively, you may set the environment variables ARGON2_CFLAGS
-and ARGON2_LIBS to avoid the need to call pkg-config.
-See the pkg-config man page for more details.
-
-To get pkg-config, see <http://pkg-config.freedesktop.org/>.
-See \`config.log' for more details" "$LINENO" 5; }
-else
-	ARGON2_CFLAGS=$pkg_cv_ARGON2_CFLAGS
-	ARGON2_LIBS=$pkg_cv_ARGON2_LIBS
-        { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: yes" >&5
-$as_echo "yes" >&6; }
-
-fi
-
 fi
 
 has_system_cares="no"
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 90afe64b5..411a7b147 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -838,7 +838,13 @@ dnl use pkgconfig for pcre2:
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES([PCRE2], libpcre2-8 >= 10.00)
 ])
 
-AS_IF([test "x$with_system_argon2" = "xno"],[
+dnl Use system argon2 when available, unless --without-system-argon2
+has_system_argon2="no"
+AS_IF([test "x$with_system_argon2" = "xyes"],[
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([ARGON2], [libargon2],[has_system_argon2=yes
+AS_IF([test "x$PRIVATELIBDIR" != "x"], [rm -f "$PRIVATELIBDIR/"libargon2*])],[has_system_argon2=no])])
+
+AS_IF([test "$has_system_argon2" = "no"],[
 dnl REMEMBER TO CHANGE WITH A NEW ARGON2 RELEASE!
 argon2_version="20181209"
 AC_MSG_RESULT(extracting Argon2 library)
@@ -868,9 +874,6 @@ AC_SUBST(ARGON2_CFLAGS)
 ARGON2_LIBS="-L$PRIVATELIBDIR -largon2 -lrt -ldl"
 AC_SUBST(ARGON2_LIBS)
 cd $cur_dir
-],[
-dnl use pkgconfig for argon2:
-PKG_CHECK_MODULES([ARGON2], libargon2 >= 0)
 ])
 
 dnl Use system c-ares when available, unless --without-system-cares.