diff --git a/block.c b/block.c
index cb5d7ae..d0b9101 100644
--- a/block.c
+++ b/block.c
@@ -1385,11 +1385,13 @@
               qstring_from_str("file"));
     qdict_put(snapshot_options, "file.filename",
               qstring_from_str(tmp_filename));
+    qdict_put(snapshot_options, "driver",
+              qstring_from_str("qcow2"));
 
     bs_snapshot = bdrv_new();
 
     ret = bdrv_open(&bs_snapshot, NULL, NULL, snapshot_options,
-                    flags, &bdrv_qcow2, &local_err);
+                    flags, NULL, &local_err);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
         goto out;
@@ -3739,7 +3741,6 @@
     const char *backing_fmt, *backing_file;
     int64_t size;
     BlockDriver *drv, *proto_drv;
-    BlockDriver *backing_drv = NULL;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     int ret = 0;
 
@@ -3813,14 +3814,6 @@
     }
 
     backing_fmt = qemu_opt_get(opts, BLOCK_OPT_BACKING_FMT);
-    if (backing_fmt) {
-        backing_drv = bdrv_find_format(backing_fmt);
-        if (!backing_drv) {
-            error_setg(errp, "Unknown backing file format '%s'",
-                       backing_fmt);
-            goto out;
-        }
-    }
 
     // The size for the image must always be specified, with one exception:
     // If we are using a backing file, we can obtain the size from there
@@ -3831,6 +3824,7 @@
             char *full_backing = g_new0(char, PATH_MAX);
             int64_t size;
             int back_flags;
+            QDict *backing_options = NULL;
 
             bdrv_get_full_backing_filename_from_filename(filename, backing_file,
                                                          full_backing, PATH_MAX,
@@ -3844,9 +3838,15 @@
             back_flags =
                 flags & ~(BDRV_O_RDWR | BDRV_O_SNAPSHOT | BDRV_O_NO_BACKING);
 
+            if (backing_fmt) {
+                backing_options = qdict_new();
+                qdict_put(backing_options, "driver",
+                          qstring_from_str(backing_fmt));
+            }
+
             bs = NULL;
-            ret = bdrv_open(&bs, full_backing, NULL, NULL, back_flags,
-                            backing_drv, &local_err);
+            ret = bdrv_open(&bs, full_backing, NULL, backing_options,
+                            back_flags, NULL, &local_err);
             g_free(full_backing);
             if (ret < 0) {
                 goto out;
diff --git a/block/qcow2.c b/block/qcow2.c
index ea34ae2..867b43b 100644
--- a/block/qcow2.c
+++ b/block/qcow2.c
@@ -1873,8 +1873,10 @@
                          QemuOpts *opts, int version, int refcount_order,
                          Error **errp)
 {
-    /* Calculate cluster_bits */
     int cluster_bits;
+    QDict *options;
+
+    /* Calculate cluster_bits */
     cluster_bits = ctz32(cluster_size);
     if (cluster_bits < MIN_CLUSTER_BITS || cluster_bits > MAX_CLUSTER_BITS ||
         (1 << cluster_bits) != cluster_size)
@@ -2032,9 +2034,11 @@
      * refcount of the cluster that is occupied by the header and the refcount
      * table)
      */
-    ret = bdrv_open(&bs, filename, NULL, NULL,
+    options = qdict_new();
+    qdict_put(options, "driver", qstring_from_str("qcow2"));
+    ret = bdrv_open(&bs, filename, NULL, options,
                     BDRV_O_RDWR | BDRV_O_CACHE_WB | BDRV_O_NO_FLUSH,
-                    &bdrv_qcow2, &local_err);
+                    NULL, &local_err);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
         goto out;
@@ -2084,9 +2088,11 @@
     bs = NULL;
 
     /* Reopen the image without BDRV_O_NO_FLUSH to flush it before returning */
-    ret = bdrv_open(&bs, filename, NULL, NULL,
+    options = qdict_new();
+    qdict_put(options, "driver", qstring_from_str("qcow2"));
+    ret = bdrv_open(&bs, filename, NULL, options,
                     BDRV_O_RDWR | BDRV_O_CACHE_WB | BDRV_O_NO_BACKING,
-                    &bdrv_qcow2, &local_err);
+                    NULL, &local_err);
     if (local_err) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
         goto out;
diff --git a/block/vvfat.c b/block/vvfat.c
index 2068697..bffe8ad 100644
--- a/block/vvfat.c
+++ b/block/vvfat.c
@@ -2926,6 +2926,8 @@
     QemuOpts *opts = NULL;
     int ret;
     int size = sector2cluster(s, s->sector_count);
+    QDict *options;
+
     s->used_clusters = calloc(size, 1);
 
     array_init(&(s->commits), sizeof(commit_t));
@@ -2956,9 +2958,11 @@
     }
 
     s->qcow = NULL;
-    ret = bdrv_open(&s->qcow, s->qcow_filename, NULL, NULL,
+    options = qdict_new();
+    qdict_put(options, "driver", qstring_from_str("qcow"));
+    ret = bdrv_open(&s->qcow, s->qcow_filename, NULL, options,
                     BDRV_O_RDWR | BDRV_O_CACHE_WB | BDRV_O_NO_FLUSH,
-                    bdrv_qcow, errp);
+                    NULL, errp);
     if (ret < 0) {
         goto err;
     }
diff --git a/blockdev.c b/blockdev.c
index 6b48be6..577bf42 100644
--- a/blockdev.c
+++ b/blockdev.c
@@ -1422,9 +1422,8 @@
 static void external_snapshot_prepare(BlkTransactionState *common,
                                       Error **errp)
 {
-    BlockDriver *drv;
     int flags, ret;
-    QDict *options = NULL;
+    QDict *options;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     bool has_device = false;
     const char *device;
@@ -1459,12 +1458,6 @@
     }
 
     /* start processing */
-    drv = bdrv_find_format(format);
-    if (!drv) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_INVALID_BLOCK_FORMAT, format);
-        return;
-    }
-
     state->old_bs = bdrv_lookup_bs(has_device ? device : NULL,
                                    has_node_name ? node_name : NULL,
                                    &local_err);
@@ -1523,17 +1516,18 @@
         }
     }
 
+    options = qdict_new();
     if (has_snapshot_node_name) {
-        options = qdict_new();
         qdict_put(options, "node-name",
                   qstring_from_str(snapshot_node_name));
     }
+    qdict_put(options, "driver", qstring_from_str(format));
 
     /* TODO Inherit bs->options or only take explicit options with an
      * extended QMP command? */
     assert(state->new_bs == NULL);
     ret = bdrv_open(&state->new_bs, new_image_file, NULL, options,
-                    flags | BDRV_O_NO_BACKING, drv, &local_err);
+                    flags | BDRV_O_NO_BACKING, NULL, &local_err);
     /* We will manually add the backing_hd field to the bs later */
     if (ret != 0) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
@@ -1895,13 +1889,19 @@
 
 /* Assumes AioContext is held */
 static void qmp_bdrv_open_encrypted(BlockDriverState *bs, const char *filename,
-                                    int bdrv_flags, BlockDriver *drv,
+                                    int bdrv_flags, const char *format,
                                     const char *password, Error **errp)
 {
     Error *local_err = NULL;
+    QDict *options = NULL;
     int ret;
 
-    ret = bdrv_open(&bs, filename, NULL, NULL, bdrv_flags, drv, &local_err);
+    if (format) {
+        options = qdict_new();
+        qdict_put(options, "driver", qstring_from_str(format));
+    }
+
+    ret = bdrv_open(&bs, filename, NULL, options, bdrv_flags, NULL, &local_err);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
         return;
@@ -1916,7 +1916,6 @@
     BlockBackend *blk;
     BlockDriverState *bs;
     AioContext *aio_context;
-    BlockDriver *drv = NULL;
     int bdrv_flags;
     Error *err = NULL;
 
@@ -1931,14 +1930,6 @@
     aio_context = bdrv_get_aio_context(bs);
     aio_context_acquire(aio_context);
 
-    if (format) {
-        drv = bdrv_find_whitelisted_format(format, bs->read_only);
-        if (!drv) {
-            error_setg(errp, QERR_INVALID_BLOCK_FORMAT, format);
-            goto out;
-        }
-    }
-
     eject_device(blk, 0, &err);
     if (err) {
         error_propagate(errp, err);
@@ -1948,7 +1939,7 @@
     bdrv_flags = bdrv_is_read_only(bs) ? 0 : BDRV_O_RDWR;
     bdrv_flags |= bdrv_is_snapshot(bs) ? BDRV_O_SNAPSHOT : 0;
 
-    qmp_bdrv_open_encrypted(bs, filename, bdrv_flags, drv, NULL, errp);
+    qmp_bdrv_open_encrypted(bs, filename, bdrv_flags, format, NULL, errp);
 
 out:
     aio_context_release(aio_context);
@@ -2466,7 +2457,7 @@
     BlockDriverState *source = NULL;
     BdrvDirtyBitmap *bmap = NULL;
     AioContext *aio_context;
-    BlockDriver *drv = NULL;
+    QDict *options = NULL;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     int flags;
     int64_t size;
@@ -2506,13 +2497,6 @@
     if (!has_format) {
         format = mode == NEW_IMAGE_MODE_EXISTING ? NULL : bs->drv->format_name;
     }
-    if (format) {
-        drv = bdrv_find_format(format);
-        if (!drv) {
-            error_setg(errp, QERR_INVALID_BLOCK_FORMAT, format);
-            goto out;
-        }
-    }
 
     /* Early check to avoid creating target */
     if (bdrv_op_is_blocked(bs, BLOCK_OP_TYPE_BACKUP_SOURCE, errp)) {
@@ -2540,7 +2524,7 @@
     }
 
     if (mode != NEW_IMAGE_MODE_EXISTING) {
-        assert(format && drv);
+        assert(format);
         if (source) {
             bdrv_img_create(target, format, source->filename,
                             source->drv->format_name, NULL,
@@ -2556,8 +2540,13 @@
         goto out;
     }
 
+    if (format) {
+        options = qdict_new();
+        qdict_put(options, "driver", qstring_from_str(format));
+    }
+
     target_bs = NULL;
-    ret = bdrv_open(&target_bs, target, NULL, NULL, flags, drv, &local_err);
+    ret = bdrv_open(&target_bs, target, NULL, options, flags, NULL, &local_err);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
         goto out;
@@ -2663,9 +2652,8 @@
     BlockDriverState *bs;
     BlockDriverState *source, *target_bs;
     AioContext *aio_context;
-    BlockDriver *drv = NULL;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
-    QDict *options = NULL;
+    QDict *options;
     int flags;
     int64_t size;
     int ret;
@@ -2722,13 +2710,6 @@
     if (!has_format) {
         format = mode == NEW_IMAGE_MODE_EXISTING ? NULL : bs->drv->format_name;
     }
-    if (format) {
-        drv = bdrv_find_format(format);
-        if (!drv) {
-            error_setg(errp, QERR_INVALID_BLOCK_FORMAT, format);
-            goto out;
-        }
-    }
 
     if (bdrv_op_is_blocked(bs, BLOCK_OP_TYPE_MIRROR, errp)) {
         goto out;
@@ -2783,7 +2764,7 @@
         && mode != NEW_IMAGE_MODE_EXISTING)
     {
         /* create new image w/o backing file */
-        assert(format && drv);
+        assert(format);
         bdrv_img_create(target, format,
                         NULL, NULL, NULL, size, flags, &local_err, false);
     } else {
@@ -2807,17 +2788,20 @@
         goto out;
     }
 
+    options = qdict_new();
     if (has_node_name) {
-        options = qdict_new();
         qdict_put(options, "node-name", qstring_from_str(node_name));
     }
+    if (format) {
+        qdict_put(options, "driver", qstring_from_str(format));
+    }
 
     /* Mirroring takes care of copy-on-write using the source's backing
      * file.
      */
     target_bs = NULL;
     ret = bdrv_open(&target_bs, target, NULL, options,
-                    flags | BDRV_O_NO_BACKING, drv, &local_err);
+                    flags | BDRV_O_NO_BACKING, NULL, &local_err);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
         goto out;