diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 57dc63b6d..e4e8f257e 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(RDK_USE_BOOST_SERIALIZATION)
-    find_package(Boost ${RDK_BOOST_VERSION} COMPONENTS system serialization iostreams REQUIRED CONFIG)
+    find_package(Boost ${RDK_BOOST_VERSION} COMPONENTS serialization iostreams REQUIRED CONFIG)
     target_link_libraries(rdkit_base INTERFACE ${Boost_LIBRARIES})
     target_compile_definitions(rdkit_base INTERFACE -DRDK_USE_BOOST_SERIALIZATION)
     if(NOT Boost_USE_STATIC_LIBS)
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ endif()
 
 if(RDK_USE_BOOST_IOSTREAMS)
     target_compile_definitions(rdkit_base INTERFACE -DRDK_USE_BOOST_IOSTREAMS)
-    find_package(Boost ${RDK_BOOST_VERSION} COMPONENTS system iostreams REQUIRED CONFIG)
+    find_package(Boost ${RDK_BOOST_VERSION} COMPONENTS iostreams REQUIRED CONFIG)
     target_link_libraries(rdkit_base INTERFACE ${Boost_LIBRARIES})
 
     if (NOT Boost_USE_STATIC_LIBS)
diff --git a/Docs/Book/C++Examples/CMakeLists.txt b/Docs/Book/C++Examples/CMakeLists.txt
index cab3678ff..d5b67129a 100644
--- a/Docs/Book/C++Examples/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Docs/Book/C++Examples/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ add_compile_options(-Wall)
 set(Boost_USE_STATIC_LIBS ON)
 set(Boost_USE_MULTITHREADED OFF)
 set(Boost_USE_STATIC_RUNTIME ON)
-find_package( Boost COMPONENTS iostreams filesystem system)
+find_package( Boost COMPONENTS iostreams filesystem)
 find_package( Cairo REQUIRED )
 
 # specify where CMake can find the RDKit libraries
diff --git a/rdkit-config.cmake.in b/rdkit-config.cmake.in
index b494bf956..ad0a3fe28 100644
--- a/rdkit-config.cmake.in
+++ b/rdkit-config.cmake.in
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ set(RDKit_HAS_URF_SUPPORT @RDK_USE_URF@)
 set(RDKit_USE_OPTIMIZED_POPCNT @RDK_OPTIMIZE_POPCNT@)
 set(RDKit_USE_STRICT_ROTOR_DEFINITION @RDK_USE_STRICT_ROTOR_DEFINITION@)
 set(RDKit_USE_BOOST_VERSION @Boost_VERSION_STRING@)
-set(RDKit_USE_BOOST_COMPONENTS system)
+set(RDKit_USE_BOOST_COMPONENTS headers)
 set(RDKit_USE_BOOST_IOSTREAMS @RDK_USE_BOOST_IOSTREAMS@)
 if (RDKit_USE_BOOST_IOSTREAMS)
     set(RDKit_USE_BOOST_COMPONENTS ${RDKit_USE_BOOST_COMPONENTS} iostreams)
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ include(CMakeFindDependencyMacro)
 
 find_dependency(Threads REQUIRED)
 
-find_dependency(Boost @Boost_VERSION_STRING@ COMPONENTS headers ${RDKit_USE_BOOST_COMPONENTS})
+find_dependency(Boost @Boost_VERSION_STRING@ COMPONENTS ${RDKit_USE_BOOST_COMPONENTS})
 
 if(RDKit_HAS_DESCRIPTORS3D)
     find_dependency(Eigen3 REQUIRED NO_MODULE)