diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index b04a1649c5..4b46f5dd9e 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -43,10 +43,6 @@
 [submodule "tests/lcitool/libvirt-ci"]
 	path = tests/lcitool/libvirt-ci
 	url = https://gitlab.com/libvirt/libvirt-ci.git
-[submodule "ui/thirdparty/imgui"]
-	path = ui/thirdparty/imgui
-	url = https://github.com/xemu-project/imgui.git
-	ignore = untracked
 [submodule "ui/thirdparty/implot"]
 	path = ui/thirdparty/implot
 	url = https://github.com/epezent/implot.git
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 851812736c..7399f72ba5 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1756,6 +1756,7 @@ if not get_option('opengl').auto() or have_system or have_vhost_user_gpu
     error('epoxy/egl.h not found')
   endif
 endif
+
 gbm = not_found
 if (have_system or have_tools) and (virgl.found() or opengl.found())
   gbm = dependency('gbm', method: 'pkg-config', required: false)
@@ -2348,6 +2349,28 @@ endif
 
 libsamplerate = dependency('samplerate', method: 'pkg-config', required: true)
 
+imgui_proj = subproject('imgui', required: true,
+                         default_options: [
+                           'default_library=static',
+                           'dx9=disabled',
+                           'dx10=disabled',
+                           'dx11=disabled',
+                           'dx12=disabled',
+                           'metal=disabled',
+                           'opengl=enabled',
+                           'sdl2_renderer=disabled',
+                           'sdl3_renderer=disabled',
+                           'vulkan=disabled',
+                           'webgpu=disabled',
+                           'glfw=disabled',
+                           'sdl2=enabled',
+                           'sdl3=disabled',
+                           'osx=disabled',
+                           'win=disabled',
+                           'allegro5=disabled',
+                        ])
+imgui = imgui_proj.get_variable('imgui_dep')
+
 subdir('thirdparty')
 
 #################
diff --git a/scripts/archive-source.sh b/scripts/archive-source.sh
index 462dc2a6c0..c87e1bc96d 100755
--- a/scripts/archive-source.sh
+++ b/scripts/archive-source.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ sub_deinit=""
 
 # xemu extras
 subprojects="$subprojects glslang SPIRV-Reflect volk VulkanMemoryAllocator
-  nv2a_vsh_cpu tomlplusplus cpp-httplib xxhash"
+  nv2a_vsh_cpu tomlplusplus cpp-httplib xxhash imgui"
 
 function cleanup() {
     local status=$?
diff --git a/scripts/gen-license.py b/scripts/gen-license.py
index 656ad90431..ded4c0b517 100755
--- a/scripts/gen-license.py
+++ b/scripts/gen-license.py
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ Lib('slirp', 'https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/slirp',
 Lib('imgui', 'https://github.com/ocornut/imgui',
 	mit, 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ocornut/imgui/master/LICENSE.txt',
 	ships_static=all_platforms,
-	submodule=Submodule('ui/thirdparty/imgui')
+	submodule=Submodule('subprojects/imgui.wrap')
 	),
 
 Lib('implot', 'https://github.com/epezent/implot',
diff --git a/subprojects/.gitignore b/subprojects/.gitignore
index fedba661f0..7ac39126ea 100644
--- a/subprojects/.gitignore
+++ b/subprojects/.gitignore
@@ -26,3 +26,4 @@ nv2a_vsh_cpu
 tomlplusplus
 cpp-httplib
 xxHash-*
+imgui
diff --git a/subprojects/imgui.wrap b/subprojects/imgui.wrap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7494556bf2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/subprojects/imgui.wrap
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+[wrap-git]
+url=https://github.com/xemu-project/imgui
+revision=80cbdab5ecd70db79917c448c333163995e605a5
+depth=1
diff --git a/ui/thirdparty/imgui b/ui/thirdparty/imgui
deleted file mode 160000
index fceff3210b..0000000000
--- a/ui/thirdparty/imgui
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit fceff3210b9ecfa8fc66710a00f4cabc2447460f
diff --git a/ui/thirdparty/meson.build b/ui/thirdparty/meson.build
index c40caaad77..5ea66df9c5 100644
--- a/ui/thirdparty/meson.build
+++ b/ui/thirdparty/meson.build
@@ -1,25 +1,3 @@
-imgui_files = files(
-  'imgui/imgui.cpp',
-  'imgui/imgui_draw.cpp',
-  'imgui/imgui_tables.cpp',
-  'imgui/imgui_widgets.cpp',
-  'imgui/backends/imgui_impl_sdl2.cpp',
-  'imgui/backends/imgui_impl_opengl3.cpp',
-  'imgui/misc/cpp/imgui_stdlib.cpp',
-  #'imgui/imgui_demo.cpp',
-)
-
-imgui_cppargs = ['-DIMGUI_IMPL_OPENGL_LOADER_CUSTOM',
-                 '-include', 'imgui_impl_opengl3_loader_override.h']
-
-libimgui = static_library('imgui',
-                          sources: imgui_files,
-                          cpp_args: imgui_cppargs,
-                          include_directories: ['.', 'imgui'],
-                          dependencies: [sdl, opengl])
-imgui = declare_dependency(link_with: libimgui,
-                           include_directories: ['imgui', 'imgui/backends'])
-
 implot_files = files(
   'implot/implot.cpp',
   'implot/implot_items.cpp'