diff --git a/arch/x86/xen/grant-table.c b/arch/x86/xen/grant-table.c
index 1580e7a5a4cf7600d0f424ddd5a66d76efef6b2f..e079500b17f37accbc12c73e655e9584cc48953b 100644
--- a/arch/x86/xen/grant-table.c
+++ b/arch/x86/xen/grant-table.c
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static int __init xlated_setup_gnttab_pages(void)
 		kfree(pages);
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
-	rc = alloc_xenballooned_pages(nr_grant_frames, pages, 0 /* lowmem */);
+	rc = alloc_xenballooned_pages(nr_grant_frames, pages);
 	if (rc) {
 		pr_warn("%s Couldn't balloon alloc %ld pfns rc:%d\n", __func__,
 			nr_grant_frames, rc);
diff --git a/drivers/xen/balloon.c b/drivers/xen/balloon.c
index ac6391bd8029c5836906f9cd8be1ecb2b6061896..7ec933d505d202fd0bd17b4d714f5e257d9187cb 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/balloon.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/balloon.c
@@ -136,17 +136,16 @@ static void balloon_append(struct page *page)
 }
 
 /* balloon_retrieve: rescue a page from the balloon, if it is not empty. */
-static struct page *balloon_retrieve(bool prefer_highmem)
+static struct page *balloon_retrieve(bool require_lowmem)
 {
 	struct page *page;
 
 	if (list_empty(&ballooned_pages))
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (prefer_highmem)
-		page = list_entry(ballooned_pages.prev, struct page, lru);
-	else
-		page = list_entry(ballooned_pages.next, struct page, lru);
+	page = list_entry(ballooned_pages.next, struct page, lru);
+	if (require_lowmem && PageHighMem(page))
+		return NULL;
 	list_del(&page->lru);
 
 	if (PageHighMem(page))
@@ -521,24 +520,20 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(balloon_set_new_target);
  * alloc_xenballooned_pages - get pages that have been ballooned out
  * @nr_pages: Number of pages to get
  * @pages: pages returned
- * @highmem: allow highmem pages
  * @return 0 on success, error otherwise
  */
-int alloc_xenballooned_pages(int nr_pages, struct page **pages, bool highmem)
+int alloc_xenballooned_pages(int nr_pages, struct page **pages)
 {
 	int pgno = 0;
 	struct page *page;
 	mutex_lock(&balloon_mutex);
 	while (pgno < nr_pages) {
-		page = balloon_retrieve(highmem);
-		if (page && (highmem || !PageHighMem(page))) {
+		page = balloon_retrieve(true);
+		if (page) {
 			pages[pgno++] = page;
 		} else {
 			enum bp_state st;
-			if (page)
-				balloon_append(page);
-			st = decrease_reservation(nr_pages - pgno,
-					highmem ? GFP_HIGHUSER : GFP_USER);
+			st = decrease_reservation(nr_pages - pgno, GFP_USER);
 			if (st != BP_DONE)
 				goto out_undo;
 		}
diff --git a/drivers/xen/grant-table.c b/drivers/xen/grant-table.c
index 62f591f8763ccfd4519248566b6f1d49eb78ce64..a4b702c9ac685c7050d02bc46121c6990ee28191 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/grant-table.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/grant-table.c
@@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ int gnttab_alloc_pages(int nr_pages, struct page **pages)
 	int i;
 	int ret;
 
-	ret = alloc_xenballooned_pages(nr_pages, pages, false);
+	ret = alloc_xenballooned_pages(nr_pages, pages);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		return ret;
 
diff --git a/drivers/xen/privcmd.c b/drivers/xen/privcmd.c
index 5e9adac928e694d6701b5c59ef5300144226a0ab..b199ad3d458777e4a390aacaea18a32df51e83a4 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/privcmd.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/privcmd.c
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ static int alloc_empty_pages(struct vm_area_struct *vma, int numpgs)
 	if (pages == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	rc = alloc_xenballooned_pages(numpgs, pages, 0);
+	rc = alloc_xenballooned_pages(numpgs, pages);
 	if (rc != 0) {
 		pr_warn("%s Could not alloc %d pfns rc:%d\n", __func__,
 			numpgs, rc);
diff --git a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c
index 2ba09c1195c87c68b47b2b210d6d0eb32c5ae056..aa304d05101ba7a90ad2055dd20cca44879b89a5 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c
@@ -614,8 +614,7 @@ static int xenbus_map_ring_valloc_hvm(struct xenbus_device *dev,
 	if (!node)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	err = alloc_xenballooned_pages(nr_grefs, node->hvm.pages,
-				       false /* lowmem */);
+	err = alloc_xenballooned_pages(nr_grefs, node->hvm.pages);
 	if (err)
 		goto out_err;
 
diff --git a/include/xen/balloon.h b/include/xen/balloon.h
index c8aee7a8b8d2095910c4de3846fdf79467b0c5f6..83efdeb243bf87903e772c29c64eea5f2272d0f4 100644
--- a/include/xen/balloon.h
+++ b/include/xen/balloon.h
@@ -22,8 +22,7 @@ extern struct balloon_stats balloon_stats;
 
 void balloon_set_new_target(unsigned long target);
 
-int alloc_xenballooned_pages(int nr_pages, struct page **pages,
-		bool highmem);
+int alloc_xenballooned_pages(int nr_pages, struct page **pages);
 void free_xenballooned_pages(int nr_pages, struct page **pages);
 
 struct device;