diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 27fa9ae5d..052ec48de 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16 FATAL_ERROR) # Policies <= CMP0097 default t
 list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/Modules)
 
 project(qBittorrent
-    VERSION 4.4.0.0
     DESCRIPTION "The qBittorrent BitTorrent client"
     HOMEPAGE_URL "https://www.qbittorrent.org/"
     LANGUAGES CXX
@@ -55,25 +54,12 @@ include(GNUInstallDirs)
 add_subdirectory(src)
 add_subdirectory(dist)
 
-# Generate version header
-set(QBT_VER_STATUS "alpha1" CACHE STRING "Project status version. Should be empty for release builds.")
-
-set(QBT_PROJECT_VERSION "${qBittorrent_VERSION_MAJOR}.${qBittorrent_VERSION_MINOR}.${qBittorrent_VERSION_PATCH}")
-if (NOT ${qBittorrent_VERSION_TWEAK} EQUAL 0)
-    set(QBT_PROJECT_VERSION "${QBT_PROJECT_VERSION}.${qBittorrent_VERSION_TWEAK}")
-endif()
-set(QBT_PROJECT_VERSION "${QBT_PROJECT_VERSION}${QBT_VER_STATUS}")
-
-file(READ "src/base/version.h.in" versionHeader)
-string(REPLACE "@VER_MAJOR@" ${qBittorrent_VERSION_MAJOR} versionHeader "${versionHeader}")
-string(REPLACE "@VER_MINOR@" ${qBittorrent_VERSION_MINOR} versionHeader "${versionHeader}")
-string(REPLACE "@VER_BUGFIX@" ${qBittorrent_VERSION_PATCH} versionHeader "${versionHeader}")
-string(REPLACE "@VER_BUILD@" ${qBittorrent_VERSION_TWEAK} versionHeader "${versionHeader}")
-string(REPLACE "@PROJECT_VERSION@" ${QBT_PROJECT_VERSION} versionHeader "${versionHeader}")
-file(WRITE "src/base/version.h" "${versionHeader}")
-
 if (VERBOSE_CONFIGURE)
     feature_summary(WHAT ALL)
 else()
     feature_summary(WHAT ENABLED_FEATURES DISABLED_FEATURES)
 endif()
+
+# Generate version header
+file(READ "src/base/version.h.in" versionHeader)
+file(WRITE "src/base/version.h" "${versionHeader}")
diff --git a/build_dist.sh b/build_dist.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..aa00205d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_dist.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# get version numbers
+versionSrc="src/base/version.h.in"
+versionMajor="$(grep -Po '(?<=QBT_VERSION_MAJOR )\d+' "$versionSrc")"
+versionMinor="$(grep -Po '(?<=QBT_VERSION_MINOR )\d+' "$versionSrc")"
+versionBugfix="$(grep -Po '(?<=QBT_VERSION_BUGFIX )\d+' "$versionSrc")"
+versionBuild="$(grep -Po '(?<=QBT_VERSION_BUILD )\d+' "$versionSrc")"
+versionStatus="$(grep -Po '(?<=QBT_VERSION_STATUS ")\w+' "$versionSrc")"
+
+if [ "$versionBuild" != "0" ]; then
+    projectVersion="$versionMajor.$versionMinor.$versionBugfix.$versionBuild$versionStatus"
+else
+    projectVersion="$versionMajor.$versionMinor.$versionBugfix$versionStatus"
+fi
+
+# pack archives
+git archive --format=tar --prefix="qbittorrent-$projectVersion/" HEAD | gzip -9 > "qbittorrent-$projectVersion.tar.gz"
+git archive --format=tar --prefix="qbittorrent-$projectVersion/" HEAD | xz -9 > "qbittorrent-$projectVersion.tar.xz"
diff --git a/qbittorrent.pro b/qbittorrent.pro
index a7f2a137d..0d5f80872 100644
--- a/qbittorrent.pro
+++ b/qbittorrent.pro
@@ -4,19 +4,6 @@ SUBDIRS += src
 
 include(version.pri)
 
-# Make target to create release tarball. Use 'make tarball'
-tarball.commands += rm -fR ../$${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION}/ &&
-tarball.commands += git clone . ../$${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION} &&
-tarball.commands += rm -fR ../$${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION}/.git &&
-tarball.commands += rm -f ../$${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION}/.gitignore &&
-tarball.commands += cd .. &&
-tarball.commands += tar czf $${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION}.tar.gz $${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION} &&
-tarball.commands += tar cf $${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION}.tar $${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION} &&
-tarball.commands += xz -f $${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION}.tar &&
-tarball.commands += rm -fR $${PROJECT_NAME}-$${PROJECT_VERSION}
-
-QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += tarball
-
 # For Qt Creator beautifier
 DISTFILES += \
     uncrustify.cfg
diff --git a/src/base/version.h.in b/src/base/version.h.in
index 070f5228f..a2000289e 100644
--- a/src/base/version.h.in
+++ b/src/base/version.h.in
@@ -28,10 +28,20 @@
 
 #pragma once
 
-#define QBT_VERSION_MAJOR @VER_MAJOR@
-#define QBT_VERSION_MINOR @VER_MINOR@
-#define QBT_VERSION_BUGFIX @VER_BUGFIX@
-#define QBT_VERSION_BUILD @VER_BUILD@
+#define QBT_VERSION_MAJOR 4
+#define QBT_VERSION_MINOR 4
+#define QBT_VERSION_BUGFIX 0
+#define QBT_VERSION_BUILD 0
+#define QBT_VERSION_STATUS "alpha1"  // Should be empty for stable releases!
 
-#define QBT_VERSION "v@PROJECT_VERSION@"
-#define QBT_VERSION_2 "@PROJECT_VERSION@"
+#define QBT__STRINGIFY(x) #x
+#define QBT_STRINGIFY(x) QBT__STRINGIFY(x)
+
+#if (QBT_VERSION_BUILD != 0)
+#define PROJECT_VERSION QBT_STRINGIFY(QBT_VERSION_MAJOR.QBT_VERSION_MINOR.QBT_VERSION_BUGFIX.QBT_VERSION_BUILD) QBT_VERSION_STATUS
+#else
+#define PROJECT_VERSION QBT_STRINGIFY(QBT_VERSION_MAJOR.QBT_VERSION_MINOR.QBT_VERSION_BUGFIX) QBT_VERSION_STATUS
+#endif
+
+#define QBT_VERSION "v" PROJECT_VERSION
+#define QBT_VERSION_2 PROJECT_VERSION
diff --git a/version.pri b/version.pri
index 9c6f2864e..39c55c73b 100644
--- a/version.pri
+++ b/version.pri
@@ -1,27 +1,3 @@
-# keep it all lowercase to match program naming convention on *nix systems
-PROJECT_NAME = qbittorrent
-
-# Define version numbers here
-VER_MAJOR = 4
-VER_MINOR = 4
-VER_BUGFIX = 0
-VER_BUILD = 0
-VER_STATUS = alpha1 # Should be empty for stable releases!
-
-# Don't touch the rest part
-PROJECT_VERSION = $${VER_MAJOR}.$${VER_MINOR}.$${VER_BUGFIX}
-
-!equals(VER_BUILD, 0) {
-    PROJECT_VERSION = $${PROJECT_VERSION}.$${VER_BUILD}
-}
-
-PROJECT_VERSION = $${PROJECT_VERSION}$${VER_STATUS}
-
 # Generate version header
 versionHeader = $$cat(src/base/version.h.in, blob)
-versionHeader = $$replace(versionHeader, "@VER_MAJOR@", $$VER_MAJOR)
-versionHeader = $$replace(versionHeader, "@VER_MINOR@", $$VER_MINOR)
-versionHeader = $$replace(versionHeader, "@VER_BUGFIX@", $$VER_BUGFIX)
-versionHeader = $$replace(versionHeader, "@VER_BUILD@", $$VER_BUILD)
-versionHeader = $$replace(versionHeader, "@PROJECT_VERSION@", $$PROJECT_VERSION)
 write_file(src/base/version.h, versionHeader)