diff --git a/src/ui/frames.c b/src/ui/frames.c
index 3339b1e3f..743e90c1e 100644
--- a/src/ui/frames.c
+++ b/src/ui/frames.c
@@ -1136,6 +1136,64 @@ meta_frame_right_click_event(MetaUIFrame     *frame,
   return meta_frame_titlebar_event (frame, event, action);
 }
 
+static gboolean
+meta_frames_try_grab_op (MetaFrames  *frames,
+                         MetaUIFrame *frame,
+                         MetaGrabOp   op,
+                         gdouble      grab_x,
+                         gdouble      grab_y,
+                         guint32      time)
+{
+  Display *display;
+  gboolean ret;
+
+  display = GDK_DISPLAY_XDISPLAY (gdk_display_get_default ());
+  ret = meta_core_begin_grab_op (display,
+                                 frame->xwindow,
+                                 op,
+                                 FALSE,
+                                 TRUE,
+                                 frame->grab_button,
+                                 0,
+                                 time,
+                                 grab_x, grab_y);
+  if (!ret)
+    {
+      frames->current_grab_op = op;
+      frames->grab_frame = frame;
+      frames->grab_x = grab_x;
+      frames->grab_y = grab_y;
+    }
+
+  return ret;
+}
+
+static gboolean
+meta_frames_retry_grab_op (MetaFrames *frames,
+                           guint       time)
+{
+  Display *display;
+  MetaGrabOp op;
+
+  if (frames->current_grab_op == META_GRAB_OP_NONE)
+    return TRUE;
+
+  op = frames->current_grab_op;
+  frames->current_grab_op = META_GRAB_OP_NONE;
+  display = GDK_DISPLAY_XDISPLAY (gdk_display_get_default ());
+
+  return meta_core_begin_grab_op (display,
+                                  frames->grab_frame->xwindow,
+                                  op,
+                                  FALSE,
+                                  TRUE,
+                                  frames->grab_frame->grab_button,
+                                  0,
+                                  time,
+                                  frames->grab_x,
+                                  frames->grab_y);
+}
+
 static gboolean
 meta_frames_button_press_event (GtkWidget      *widget,
                                 GdkEventButton *event)
@@ -1190,6 +1248,8 @@ meta_frames_button_press_event (GtkWidget      *widget,
   if (meta_core_get_grab_op (display) != META_GRAB_OP_NONE)
     return FALSE; /* already up to something */
 
+  frame->grab_button = event->button;
+
   if (event->button == 1 &&
       (control == META_FRAME_CONTROL_MAXIMIZE ||
        control == META_FRAME_CONTROL_UNMAXIMIZE ||
@@ -1293,16 +1353,9 @@ meta_frames_button_press_event (GtkWidget      *widget,
           break;
         }
 
-      meta_core_begin_grab_op (display,
-                               frame->xwindow,
-                               op,
-                               TRUE,
-                               TRUE,
-                               event->button,
-                               0,
-                               event->time,
-                               event->x_root,
-                               event->y_root);
+      meta_frames_try_grab_op (frames, frame, op,
+                               event->x_root, event->y_root,
+                               event->time);
     }
   else if (control == META_FRAME_CONTROL_TITLE &&
            event->button == 1)
@@ -1315,16 +1368,10 @@ meta_frames_button_press_event (GtkWidget      *widget,
 
       if (flags & META_FRAME_ALLOWS_MOVE)
         {
-          meta_core_begin_grab_op (display,
-                                   frame->xwindow,
+          meta_frames_try_grab_op (frames, frame,
                                    META_GRAB_OP_MOVING,
-                                   TRUE,
-                                   TRUE,
-                                   event->button,
-                                   0,
-                                   event->time,
-                                   event->x_root,
-                                   event->y_root);
+                                   event->x_root, event->y_root,
+                                   event->time);
         }
     }
   else if (event->button == 2)
@@ -1349,6 +1396,7 @@ meta_frames_button_release_event    (GtkWidget           *widget,
 
   frames = META_FRAMES (widget);
   display = GDK_DISPLAY_XDISPLAY (gdk_display_get_default ());
+  frames->current_grab_op = META_GRAB_OP_NONE;
 
   frame = meta_frames_lookup_window (frames, GDK_WINDOW_XID (event->window));
   if (frame == NULL)
@@ -1560,6 +1608,10 @@ meta_frames_motion_notify_event     (GtkWidget           *widget,
       meta_frames_update_prelit_control (frames, frame, control);
     }
 
+  if ((event->state & GDK_BUTTON1_MASK) &&
+      frames->current_grab_op != META_GRAB_OP_NONE)
+    meta_frames_retry_grab_op (frames, event->time);
+
   return TRUE;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/ui/frames.h b/src/ui/frames.h
index d0af95d68..3a29ffd31 100644
--- a/src/ui/frames.h
+++ b/src/ui/frames.h
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ struct _MetaFrames
   GtkStyleContext *normal_style;
   GHashTable *style_variants;
 
+  MetaGrabOp current_grab_op;
+  MetaUIFrame *grab_frame;
+  guint grab_button;
+  gdouble grab_x;
+  gdouble grab_y;
+
   Window grab_xwindow;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/ui/ui.c b/src/ui/ui.c
index 4ca859538..1acb70c44 100644
--- a/src/ui/ui.c
+++ b/src/ui/ui.c
@@ -221,6 +221,9 @@ maybe_redirect_mouse_event (XEvent *xevent)
       gevent->motion.time = xev_d->time;
       gevent->motion.x_root = xev_d->root_x;
       gevent->motion.y_root = xev_d->root_y;
+
+      if (XIMaskIsSet (xev_d->buttons.mask, 1))
+        gevent->motion.state |= GDK_BUTTON1_MASK;
       break;
     case XI_Enter:
     case XI_Leave: