diff --git a/libraries/Config.class.php b/libraries/Config.class.php
index f1ad1871a..0cf0c3baf 100644
--- a/libraries/Config.class.php
+++ b/libraries/Config.class.php
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ class PMA_Config
     }
 
     /**
-     * loads user preferences and merges them with current config
+     * Loads user preferences and merges them with current config
      * must be called after control connection has been estabilished
      *
      * @uses $GLOBALS['cfg']
@@ -443,6 +443,7 @@ class PMA_Config
                 $prefs = PMA_load_userprefs();
                 $_SESSION['cache']['userprefs'] = PMA_apply_userprefs($prefs['config_data']);
                 $_SESSION['cache']['userprefs_mtime'] = $prefs['mtime'];
+                $_SESSION['cache']['userprefs_type'] = $prefs['type'];
                 $_SESSION['cache']['config_mtime'] = $config_mtime;
             }
         } else if (!isset($_SESSION['cache']['userprefs'])) {
@@ -450,12 +451,11 @@ class PMA_Config
             return;
         }
         $config_data = $_SESSION['cache']['userprefs'];
-        // todo: check for empty user data, user_preferences should then be true
+        // type id 'db' or 'session'
+        $this->set('user_preferences', $_SESSION['cache']['userprefs_type']);
         if (!$config_data) {
-            $this->set('user_preferences', false);
             return false;
         }
-        $this->set('user_preferences', true);
 
         // backup some settings
         $fontsize = $this->get('fontsize');
@@ -511,13 +511,15 @@ class PMA_Config
     function setUserValue($cookie_name, $cfg_path, $new_cfg_value, $default_value = null)
     {
         // use permanent user preferences if possible
-        if ($this->get('user_preferences')) {
+        $prefs_type = $this->get('user_preferences');
+        if ($prefs_type) {
             require_once './libraries/user_preferences.lib.php';
             if ($default_value === null) {
                 $default_value = PMA_array_read($cfg_path, $this->default);
             }
             PMA_persist_option($cfg_path, $new_cfg_value, $default_value);
-        } else if ($cookie_name) {
+        }
+        if ($prefs_type != 'db' && $cookie_name) {
             // fall back to cookies
             if ($default_value === null) {
                 $default_value = PMA_array_read($cfg_path, $this->settings);
@@ -538,8 +540,9 @@ class PMA_Config
     function getUserValue($cookie_name, $cfg_value)
     {
         $cookie_exists = isset($_COOKIE) && !empty($_COOKIE[$cookie_name]);
-        if ($this->get('user_preferences')) {
-            // user preferences value exists, remove cookie
+        $prefs_type = $this->get('user_preferences');
+        if ($prefs_type == 'db') {
+            // permanent user preferences value exists, remove cookie
             if ($cookie_exists) {
                 $this->removeCookie($cookie_name);
             }
diff --git a/libraries/user_preferences.inc.php b/libraries/user_preferences.inc.php
index 2cdb01368..3b3ebe798 100644
--- a/libraries/user_preferences.inc.php
+++ b/libraries/user_preferences.inc.php
@@ -74,6 +74,11 @@ $arr2 .= '<br />Blacklist: ' . (empty($cfg['UserprefsDisallow'])
 $msg = PMA_Message::notice('Debug: ' . $arr2);
 $msg->display();
 
+// warn about using session storage for settings
+$msg = __('Your preferences will be saved only for current session. Storing them permanently requires %s pmadb %s.');
+$msg = PMA_sanitize(sprintf($msg, '[a@http://wiki.phpmyadmin.net/pma/pmadb@_blank]', '[/a]'));
+PMA_Message::notice($msg)->display();
+
 if (isset($error) && $error) {
     if (!$error instanceof PMA_Message) {
         $error = PMA_Message::error($error);
diff --git a/libraries/user_preferences.lib.php b/libraries/user_preferences.lib.php
index 3b52e9bbf..421ebebf1 100644
--- a/libraries/user_preferences.lib.php
+++ b/libraries/user_preferences.lib.php
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@
  * Returns false or an array:
  * * config_data - path => value pairs
  * * mtime - last modification time
+ * * type - 'db' (config read from pmadb) or 'session' (read from user session)
  *
+ * @uses $_SESSION['userconfig']
  * @uses PMA_array_merge_recursive
  * @uses PMA_backquote()
  * @uses PMA_DBI_fetch_single_row()
@@ -25,8 +27,18 @@ function PMA_load_userprefs()
 {
     $cfgRelation = PMA_getRelationsParam();
     if (!$cfgRelation['userconfigwork']) {
-        return false;
+        // no pmadb table, use session storage
+        if (!isset($_SESSION['userconfig'])) {
+            $_SESSION['userconfig'] = array(
+                'db' => array(),
+                'ts' => time());
+        }
+        return array(
+            'config_data' => $_SESSION['userconfig']['db'],
+            'mtime' => $_SESSION['userconfig']['ts'],
+            'type' => 'session');
     }
+    // load configuration from pmadb
     $query_table = PMA_backquote($cfgRelation['db']) . '.' . PMA_backquote($cfgRelation['userconfig']);
     $query = '
         SELECT `config_data`, UNIX_TIMESTAMP(`timevalue`) ts
@@ -39,7 +51,8 @@ function PMA_load_userprefs()
     $config_data = unserialize($row['config_data']);
     return array(
         'config_data' => $config_data,
-        'mtime' => $row['ts']);
+        'mtime' => $row['ts'],
+        'type' => 'db');
 }
 
 /**
@@ -47,6 +60,7 @@ function PMA_load_userprefs()
  *
  * @uses $GLOBALS['controllink']
  * @uses $_SESSION['cache']['userprefs']
+ * @uses $_SESSION['userconfig']
  * @uses ConfigFile::getConfigArray()
  * @uses ConfigFile::getInstance()
  * @uses PMA_backquote()
@@ -64,8 +78,18 @@ function PMA_load_userprefs()
 function PMA_save_userprefs(array $config_array)
 {
     $cfgRelation = PMA_getRelationsParam();
-    $config_data = serialize($config_array);
+    if (!$cfgRelation['userconfigwork']) {
+        // no pmadb table, use session storage
+        $_SESSION['userconfig'] = array(
+            'db' => $config_array,
+            'ts' => time());
+        if (isset($_SESSION['cache']['userprefs'])) {
+           unset($_SESSION['cache']['userprefs']);
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
 
+    // save configuration to pmadb
     $query_table = PMA_backquote($cfgRelation['db']) . '.' . PMA_backquote($cfgRelation['userconfig']);
     $query = '
         SELECT `username`
@@ -73,6 +97,7 @@ function PMA_save_userprefs(array $config_array)
           WHERE `username` = \'' . PMA_sqlAddslashes($cfgRelation['user']) . '\'';
 
     $has_config = PMA_DBI_fetch_value($query, 0, 0, $GLOBALS['controllink']);
+    $config_data = serialize($config_array);
     if ($has_config) {
         $query = '
             UPDATE ' . $query_table . '
diff --git a/themes/original/css/theme_right.css.php b/themes/original/css/theme_right.css.php
index 1fbc7652a..8cfb5d6e4 100644
--- a/themes/original/css/theme_right.css.php
+++ b/themes/original/css/theme_right.css.php
@@ -1217,7 +1217,7 @@ code.sql {
 .group-cnt {
     padding: 0 0 0 0.5em;
     display: inline-block;
-    width: 100%;
+    width: 98%;
 }
 
 /* for elements that should be revealed only via js */