diff --git a/src/bitmessageqt/__init__.py b/src/bitmessageqt/__init__.py
index 593a8b4b..5ca1064b 100644
--- a/src/bitmessageqt/__init__.py
+++ b/src/bitmessageqt/__init__.py
@@ -2418,6 +2418,8 @@ class MyForm(settingsmixin.SMainWindow):
                 QMessageBox.about(self, _translate("MainWindow", "Number needed"), _translate(
                     "MainWindow", "Your maximum download and upload rate must be numbers. Ignoring what you typed."))
 
+            shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'maxoutboundconnections', str(
+                self.settingsDialogInstance.ui.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections.text()))
             shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'namecoinrpctype',
                 self.settingsDialogInstance.getNamecoinType())
             shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'namecoinrpchost', str(
@@ -4049,6 +4051,8 @@ class settingsDialog(QtGui.QDialog):
             shared.config.get('bitmessagesettings', 'sockspassword')))
         QtCore.QObject.connect(self.ui.comboBoxProxyType, QtCore.SIGNAL(
             "currentIndexChanged(int)"), self.comboBoxProxyTypeChanged)
+        self.ui.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections.setText(str(
+            shared.config.get('bitmessagesettings', 'maxoutboundconnections')))
         self.ui.lineEditMaxDownloadRate.setText(str(
             shared.config.get('bitmessagesettings', 'maxdownloadrate')))
         self.ui.lineEditMaxUploadRate.setText(str(
diff --git a/src/bitmessageqt/settings.py b/src/bitmessageqt/settings.py
index 6b7dd9b3..e58afb54 100644
--- a/src/bitmessageqt/settings.py
+++ b/src/bitmessageqt/settings.py
@@ -149,6 +149,18 @@ class Ui_settingsDialog(object):
         self.lineEditMaxUploadRate.setMaximumSize(QtCore.QSize(60, 16777215))
         self.lineEditMaxUploadRate.setObjectName(_fromUtf8("lineEditMaxUploadRate"))
         self.gridLayout_9.addWidget(self.lineEditMaxUploadRate, 1, 2, 1, 1)
+        self.label_26 = QtGui.QLabel(self.groupBox_3)
+        self.label_26.setObjectName(_fromUtf8("label_26"))
+        self.gridLayout_9.addWidget(self.label_26, 2, 1, 1, 1)
+        self.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections = QtGui.QLineEdit(self.groupBox_3)
+        sizePolicy = QtGui.QSizePolicy(QtGui.QSizePolicy.Fixed, QtGui.QSizePolicy.Fixed)
+        sizePolicy.setHorizontalStretch(0)
+        sizePolicy.setVerticalStretch(0)
+        sizePolicy.setHeightForWidth(self.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections.sizePolicy().hasHeightForWidth())
+        self.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections.setSizePolicy(sizePolicy)
+        self.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections.setMaximumSize(QtCore.QSize(60, 16777215))
+        self.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections.setObjectName(_fromUtf8("lineEditMaxOutboundConnections"))
+        self.gridLayout_9.addWidget(self.lineEditMaxOutboundConnections, 2, 2, 1, 1)
         self.gridLayout_4.addWidget(self.groupBox_3, 2, 0, 1, 1)
         self.groupBox_2 = QtGui.QGroupBox(self.tabNetworkSettings)
         self.groupBox_2.setObjectName(_fromUtf8("groupBox_2"))
@@ -448,6 +460,7 @@ class Ui_settingsDialog(object):
         self.groupBox_3.setTitle(_translate("settingsDialog", "Bandwidth limit", None))
         self.label_24.setText(_translate("settingsDialog", "Maximum download rate (kB/s): [0: unlimited]", None))
         self.label_25.setText(_translate("settingsDialog", "Maximum upload rate (kB/s): [0: unlimited]", None))
+        self.label_26.setText(_translate("settingsDialog", "Maximum outbound connections: [0: none]", None))
         self.groupBox_2.setTitle(_translate("settingsDialog", "Proxy server / Tor", None))
         self.label_2.setText(_translate("settingsDialog", "Type:", None))
         self.label_3.setText(_translate("settingsDialog", "Server hostname:", None))
diff --git a/src/bitmessageqt/settings.ui b/src/bitmessageqt/settings.ui
index 475821f8..4aeba3ce 100644
--- a/src/bitmessageqt/settings.ui
+++ b/src/bitmessageqt/settings.ui
@@ -317,6 +317,29 @@
             </property>
            </widget>
           </item>
+          <item row="2" column="1">
+           <widget class="QLabel" name="label_26">
+            <property name="text">
+             <string>Maximum outbound connections: [0: none]</string>
+            </property>
+           </widget>
+          </item>
+          <item row="2" column="2">
+           <widget class="QLineEdit" name="lineEditMaxOutboundConnections">
+            <property name="sizePolicy">
+             <sizepolicy hsizetype="Fixed" vsizetype="Fixed">
+              <horstretch>0</horstretch>
+              <verstretch>0</verstretch>
+             </sizepolicy>
+            </property>
+            <property name="maximumSize">
+             <size>
+              <width>60</width>
+              <height>16777215</height>
+             </size>
+            </property>
+           </widget>
+          </item>
          </layout>
         </widget>
        </item>
diff --git a/src/class_outgoingSynSender.py b/src/class_outgoingSynSender.py
index f61129a2..9f0a9abd 100644
--- a/src/class_outgoingSynSender.py
+++ b/src/class_outgoingSynSender.py
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class outgoingSynSender(threading.Thread, StoppableThread):
             self.stop.wait(2)
         while shared.safeConfigGetBoolean('bitmessagesettings', 'sendoutgoingconnections') and not self._stopped:
             self.name = "outgoingSynSender"
-            maximumConnections = 1 if shared.trustedPeer else 8 # maximum number of outgoing connections = 8
+            maximumConnections = 1 if shared.trustedPeer else shared.config.getint('bitmessagesettings', 'maxoutboundconnections')
             while len(self.selfInitiatedConnections[self.streamNumber]) >= maximumConnections:
                 self.stop.wait(10)
             if shared.shutdown:
diff --git a/src/class_sqlThread.py b/src/class_sqlThread.py
index 016386ab..2c08cc9e 100644
--- a/src/class_sqlThread.py
+++ b/src/class_sqlThread.py
@@ -427,6 +427,8 @@ class sqlThread(threading.Thread):
             shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'onionbindip', '127.0.0.1')
         if not shared.config.has_option('bitmessagesettings', 'smtpdeliver'):
             shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'smtpdeliver', '')
+        if not shared.config.has_option('bitmessagesettings', 'maxoutboundconnections'):
+            shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'maxoutboundconnections', '8')
         shared.writeKeysFile()
         
         # Are you hoping to add a new option to the keys.dat file of existing
diff --git a/src/helper_startup.py b/src/helper_startup.py
index b7a1ef1b..8ef27791 100644
--- a/src/helper_startup.py
+++ b/src/helper_startup.py
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ def loadConfig():
         shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'useidenticons', 'True')
         shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'identiconsuffix', ''.join(random.choice("123456789ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijkmnopqrstuvwxyz") for x in range(12))) # a twelve character pseudo-password to salt the identicons
         shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'replybelow', 'False')
+        shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'maxoutboundconnections', '8')
         shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'maxdownloadrate', '0')
         shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'maxuploadrate', '0')
         shared.config.set('bitmessagesettings', 'ttl', '367200')