diff --git a/option-script.js b/option-script.js
index fc03654..b5e1fcb 100644
--- a/option-script.js
+++ b/option-script.js
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ function loadHandlers() {
   });
 }
 
+// Update controls based on saved options
 function TMNSetOptionsMenu( options ) {
   let default_options = tmn._getOptions();
   options = $.extend({}, default_options, options);
@@ -123,7 +124,6 @@ function TMNShowLog() {
   $('#tmn_logs_container').html(htmlStr);
 }
 
-
 function TMNShowEngines(engines) {
   let htmlStr = "<table>";
   for (let i=0;  i<engines.length ; i++) {
@@ -209,7 +209,14 @@ function TMNShowQueries() {
   $('#tmn_logs_container').html(htmlStr);
 }
 
+// ES6 function to remove duplicates.
+function remove_duplicates_es6(arr) {
+  let s = new Set(arr);
+  let it = s.values();
+  return Array.from(it);
+}
 
+// Make an options object and return it. Does not actually save anything.
 function saveOptions() {
   let options = {};
   options.enabled =  $("#trackmenot-opt-enabled").is(':checked');
@@ -229,7 +236,15 @@ function saveOptions() {
     let userlist = "";
     reader.onload = function(e) {
       userlist = reader.result;
-      options.userList = userlist.split("\n");
+      let words = userlist.split("\n");
+      words = remove_duplicates_es6(words);
+      words = words.filter(function(elem, pos) {
+        return (elem !== "");
+      });
+      browser.runtime.sendMessage({
+        'tmn':"TMNSaveUserlist",
+        'option':words,
+      });
     }
     reader.readAsText(file);
   }
diff --git a/trackmenot.js b/trackmenot.js
index a720a6c..103b2c3 100644
--- a/trackmenot.js
+++ b/trackmenot.js
@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@ TRACKMENOT.TMNSearch = function() {
     sendMessageToPanelScript("TMNSendOption",panel_inputs);
     tmn_panel.port.on("TMNOpenOption",openOptionWindow);
     tmn_panel.port.on("TMNSaveOptions",saveOptionFromTab);
+    tmn_panel.port.on("TMNSaveUserlist",saveUserlist);
   }
 
   function openOptionWindow() {
@@ -261,6 +262,8 @@ TRACKMENOT.TMNSearch = function() {
     disableLogs = options.disableLogs;
     saveLogs = options.saveLogs;
     useBlackList = options.use_black_list;
+    useRss = options.useRss;
+    useUserList = options.useUserList;
     if ( useDHSList!= options.use_dhs_list) {
       if ( options.use_dhs_list ) {
         readDHSList();
@@ -1040,7 +1043,6 @@ TRACKMENOT.TMNSearch = function() {
       feedList = options.feedList;
       tmn_id = options.tmn_id;
       useRss = options.useRss;
-      useUserList = options.useUserList;
       if (browser.storage.local.get("gen_queries") != "") {
         TMNQueries = JSON.parse(browser.storage.local.get("gen_queries"));
       }
@@ -1098,6 +1100,10 @@ TRACKMENOT.TMNSearch = function() {
     return val;
   }
 
+  function saveUserlist (list) {
+    TMNQueries.userlist = list;
+  }
+
   function log (entry) {
     if (disableLogs)
       return;
@@ -1217,6 +1223,10 @@ TRACKMENOT.TMNSearch = function() {
         saveOptionFromTab(request.option);
         sendResponse({});
         break;
+      case "TMNSaveUserlist":
+        saveUserlist(request.option);
+        sendResponse({});
+        break;
       case "TMNResetOptions":
         resetOptions();
         sendResponse({});
@@ -1273,20 +1283,7 @@ TRACKMENOT.TMNSearch = function() {
         typeoffeeds.push('zeitgeist');
         TMNQueries.zeitgeist = zeitgeist;
       } else {
-        // populate userlist from the file — synchronous request
-        var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
-        xhr.open("GET", browser.extension.getURL("tmn_wordlist.txt"), false);
-        xhr.onreadystatechange = function() {
-          if (xhr.readyState == 4) {
-            clearTimeout(tmn_errTimeout);
-            if (xhr.status >= 200 && xhr.status < 400 ) {
-              typeoffeeds.push('userlist');
-              let list = xhr.responseText;
-              TMNQueries.userlist = list.split("\n");
-            } else {
-            }
-          }
-        };
+        typeoffeeds.push('userlist');
       }
 
       if ( useDHSList ) {