diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/core/utils.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/core/utils.js
index acf8ca4d68d..b9f5a7c9689 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/core/utils.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/core/utils.js
@@ -23,6 +23,25 @@ var utils = {
             throw new Error("AssertionError");
         }
     },
+    /**
+     * Check if the value is a bin_size or not.
+     * If not, compute an approximate size out of the base64 encoded string.
+     *
+     * @param  {string} value original format
+     * @return {string} bin_size (human-readable)
+     */
+    binaryToBinsize: function (value) {
+        if (!value) {
+            return this.human_size(0);
+        }
+        if (!this.is_bin_size(value)) {
+            // Computing approximate size out of base64 encoded string
+            // http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base64#MIME
+            return this.human_size(value.length / 1.37);
+        }
+        // already bin_size
+        return value;
+    },
     /**
      * Confines a value inside an interval
      *
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/basic_fields.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/basic_fields.js
index 38fc0cad439..09406b43711 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/basic_fields.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/basic_fields.js
@@ -1298,25 +1298,6 @@ var FieldBinaryFile = AbstractFieldBinary.extend({
     },
 });
 
-var FieldBinaryDownloadLink = AbstractFieldBinary.extend({
-    template: 'FieldBinaryDownloadLink',
-    events: _.extend({}, AbstractFieldBinary.prototype.events, {
-        'click': function (ev) {
-            ev.stopPropagation();
-        },
-    }),
-    supportedFieldTypes: ['binary'],
-    init: function () {
-        this._super.apply(this, arguments);
-        this.filename = _t("Binary File");
-        if (this.nodeOptions.filename && this.recordData[this.nodeOptions.filename]) {
-            this.filename = this.recordData[this.nodeOptions.filename];
-        }
-        this.url = "data:application/octet-stream;base64," + this.value;
-        this.text = _t("Download");
-    },
-});
-
 var PriorityWidget = AbstractField.extend({
     // the current implementation of this widget makes it
     // only usable for fields of type selection
@@ -2547,7 +2528,6 @@ return {
     TranslatableFieldMixin: TranslatableFieldMixin,
     DebouncedField: DebouncedField,
     FieldEmail: FieldEmail,
-    FieldBinaryDownloadLink: FieldBinaryDownloadLink,
     FieldBinaryFile: FieldBinaryFile,
     FieldBinaryImage: FieldBinaryImage,
     FieldBoolean: FieldBoolean,
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_registry.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_registry.js
index 85b4fc1187f..6692663d5f9 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_registry.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_registry.js
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ registry
     .add('email', basic_fields.FieldEmail)
     .add('phone', basic_fields.FieldPhone)
     .add('url', basic_fields.UrlWidget)
-    .add('download_link', basic_fields.FieldBinaryDownloadLink)
     .add('image', basic_fields.FieldBinaryImage)
     .add('binary', basic_fields.FieldBinaryFile)
     .add('monetary', basic_fields.FieldMonetary)
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_utils.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_utils.js
index 812a7f380f7..5ac180b1de1 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_utils.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/fields/field_utils.js
@@ -28,17 +28,17 @@ var _t = core._t;
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 /**
+ * Convert binary to bin_size
  * 
- * @param {string} value base64 representation of the binary
+ * @param {string} value base64 representation of the binary (might be already a bin_size!)
  * @param {Object} [field]
  *        a description of the field (note: this parameter is ignored) 
  * @param {Object} [options] additional options (note: this parameter is ignored)
+ * 
+ * @returns {string} bin_size (which is human-readable)
  */
 function formatBinary(value, field, options) {
-    if (!value) {
-        return '';
-    }
-    return utils.human_size(value.length / 1.37); // base64 estimated size: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base64#MIME
+    return utils.binaryToBinsize(value);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml b/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml
index 0371bd7ec84..c0386a0a87f 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml
@@ -935,9 +935,6 @@
         </t>
     </div>
 </t>
-<t t-name="FieldBinaryDownloadLink">
-    <a t-att-download="widget.filename" t-att-href="widget.url"><t t-esc="widget.text"/></a>
-</t>
 <t t-name="HiddenInputFile">
     <div t-attf-class="o_hidden_input_file #{fileupload_class or ''}" t-att-style="fileupload_style">
         <form class="o_form_binary_form" t-att-target="fileupload_id"
diff --git a/addons/web/static/tests/fields/basic_fields_tests.js b/addons/web/static/tests/fields/basic_fields_tests.js
index a2f59a68e2a..9ea423250e4 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/tests/fields/basic_fields_tests.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/tests/fields/basic_fields_tests.js
@@ -1481,40 +1481,6 @@ QUnit.module('basic_fields', {
         session.get_file = oldGetFile;
     });
 
-    QUnit.test('download_link widget in list view', function (assert) {
-        assert.expect(5);
-        
-        this.data.partner.fields.filename = { string: "Filename", type: "char" };
-        this.data.partner.records[0].filename = "document.txt";
-
-        var form = createView({
-            View: ListView,
-            model: 'partner',
-            data: this.data,
-            arch: '<tree string="Partners">' +
-                      '<field name="document" widget="download_link" options="{\'filename\': \'filename\'}"/>' +
-                      '<field name="filename"/>' +
-                  '</tree>',
-            res_id: 1,
-        });
-
-        assert.ok(form.$('.o_data_cell').first().hasClass("o_download_link_cell"),
-            "this should be a download link cell");
-        assert.ok(form.$('.o_data_cell').first().find('a').eq(0),
-            "there should be a link in the cell");
-        assert.strictEqual(form.$('.o_data_cell').first().find('a').eq(0).attr('download'),
-            "document.txt",
-            "it should download a file named 'document.txt'");
-        assert.strictEqual(form.$('.o_data_cell').first().find('a').eq(0).attr('href').trim(),
-            "data:application/octet-stream;base64,coucou==",
-            "it should have the appropriate link of a binary");
-        assert.strictEqual(form.$('.o_data_cell').first().find('a').eq(0).text(),
-            "Download",
-            "the text of the link should be 'Download'");
-
-        form.destroy();
-    });
-
     QUnit.test('text field rendering in list view', function (assert) {
         assert.expect(1);