diff --git a/lib/preprocessor.cpp b/lib/preprocessor.cpp
index e747ab837..5136efbce 100644
--- a/lib/preprocessor.cpp
+++ b/lib/preprocessor.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@
 
 bool Preprocessor::missingIncludeFlag;
 
+char Preprocessor::macroChar = char(1);
+
 Preprocessor::Preprocessor(Settings *settings, ErrorLogger *errorLogger) : _settings(settings), _errorLogger(errorLogger)
 {
 
@@ -2759,7 +2761,7 @@ std::string Preprocessor::expandMacros(const std::string &code, std::string file
                         macrocode.append(1,' ');
 
                     // insert expanded macro code
-                    line.insert(pos1, "$" + macrocode);
+                    line.insert(pos1, macroChar + macrocode);
 
                     // position = start position.
                     pos = pos1;
diff --git a/lib/preprocessor.h b/lib/preprocessor.h
index 19763995f..461269601 100644
--- a/lib/preprocessor.h
+++ b/lib/preprocessor.h
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ public:
         SystemHeader
     };
 
+    /** character that is inserted in expanded macros */
+    static char macroChar;
+
     Preprocessor(Settings *settings = 0, ErrorLogger *errorLogger = 0);
 
     static bool missingIncludeFlag;
diff --git a/lib/tokenize.cpp b/lib/tokenize.cpp
index a6835c00d..63b901806 100644
--- a/lib/tokenize.cpp
+++ b/lib/tokenize.cpp
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "path.h"
 #include "symboldatabase.h"
 #include "templatesimplifier.h"
+#include "preprocessor.h"   // Preprocessor::macroChar
 
 #include <string>
 #include <cstring>
@@ -293,8 +294,8 @@ void Tokenizer::createTokens(std::istream &code)
 
     // Read one byte at a time from code and create tokens
     for (char ch = (char)code.get(); code.good(); ch = (char)code.get()) {
-        if (ch == '$') {
-            while (code.peek() == '$')
+        if (ch == Preprocessor::macroChar) {
+            while (code.peek() == Preprocessor::macroChar)
                 code.get();
             ch = ' ';
             expandedMacro = true;
diff --git a/test/testpreprocessor.cpp b/test/testpreprocessor.cpp
index a6e2d5f92..89d785d9c 100644
--- a/test/testpreprocessor.cpp
+++ b/test/testpreprocessor.cpp
@@ -36,8 +36,9 @@ extern std::ostringstream output;
 
 class TestPreprocessor : public TestFixture {
 public:
-    TestPreprocessor() : TestFixture("TestPreprocessor")
-    { }
+    TestPreprocessor() : TestFixture("TestPreprocessor") {
+        Preprocessor::macroChar = '$';
+    }
 
     class OurPreprocessor : public Preprocessor {
     public:
@@ -256,6 +257,7 @@ private:
         TEST_CASE(undef8);
         TEST_CASE(undef9);
 
+        TEST_CASE(macroChar);
     }
 
 
@@ -3422,6 +3424,14 @@ private:
         ASSERT_EQUALS(1U, actual.size());
         ASSERT_EQUALS("\n\nFred & Wilma\n\n\n\n", actual[""]);
     }
+
+    void macroChar() {
+        const char filedata[] = "#define X 1\nX\n";
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("\n$1\n", OurPreprocessor::expandMacros(filedata,NULL));
+        OurPreprocessor::macroChar = '¤';
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("\n¤1\n", OurPreprocessor::expandMacros(filedata,NULL));
+        OurPreprocessor::macroChar = '$';
+    }
 };
 
 REGISTER_TEST(TestPreprocessor)