diff --git a/daemon/containerd/snapshotters.go b/daemon/containerd/snapshotters.go
deleted file mode 100644
index bd9e4766827a7..0000000000000
--- a/daemon/containerd/snapshotters.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-package containerd
-
-import "github.com/containerd/containerd"
-
-// SnapshotterFromGraphDriver returns the containerd snapshotter name based on
-// the supplied graphdriver name. It handles both legacy names and translates
-// them into corresponding containerd snapshotter names.
-func SnapshotterFromGraphDriver(graphDriver string) string {
-	switch graphDriver {
-	case "overlay", "overlay2":
-		return "overlayfs"
-	case "windowsfilter":
-		return "windows"
-	case "":
-		return containerd.DefaultSnapshotter
-	default:
-		return graphDriver
-	}
-}
diff --git a/daemon/containerd/snapshotters_test.go b/daemon/containerd/snapshotters_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 9d05794bb5cfa..0000000000000
--- a/daemon/containerd/snapshotters_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
-package containerd
-
-import (
-	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd"
-	"gotest.tools/v3/assert"
-)
-
-func TestSnapshotterFromGraphDriver(t *testing.T) {
-	testCases := []struct {
-		desc     string
-		input    string
-		expected string
-	}{
-		{
-			desc:     "empty defaults to containerd default",
-			input:    "",
-			expected: containerd.DefaultSnapshotter,
-		},
-		{
-			desc:     "overlay -> overlayfs",
-			input:    "overlay",
-			expected: "overlayfs",
-		},
-		{
-			desc:     "overlay2 -> overlayfs",
-			input:    "overlay2",
-			expected: "overlayfs",
-		},
-		{
-			desc:     "windowsfilter -> windows",
-			input:    "windowsfilter",
-			expected: "windows",
-		},
-		{
-			desc:     "containerd overlayfs",
-			input:    "overlayfs",
-			expected: "overlayfs",
-		},
-		{
-			desc:     "containerd zfs",
-			input:    "zfs",
-			expected: "zfs",
-		},
-		{
-			desc:     "unknown is unchanged",
-			input:    "somefuturesnapshotter",
-			expected: "somefuturesnapshotter",
-		},
-	}
-	for _, tc := range testCases {
-		tc := tc
-		t.Run(tc.desc, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, SnapshotterFromGraphDriver(tc.input), tc.expected)
-		})
-	}
-}
diff --git a/daemon/daemon.go b/daemon/daemon.go
index d6ac4cc713105..27169499ee716 100644
--- a/daemon/daemon.go
+++ b/daemon/daemon.go
@@ -987,28 +987,27 @@ func NewDaemon(ctx context.Context, config *config.Config, pluginStore *plugin.S
 	// Unix platforms however run a single graphdriver for all containers, and it can
 	// be set through an environment variable, a daemon start parameter, or chosen through
 	// initialization of the layerstore through driver priority order for example.
-	graphDriver := os.Getenv("DOCKER_DRIVER")
+	driverName := os.Getenv("DOCKER_DRIVER")
 	if isWindows {
-		graphDriver = "windowsfilter"
-	} else if graphDriver != "" {
-		logrus.Infof("Setting the storage driver from the $DOCKER_DRIVER environment variable (%s)", graphDriver)
+		driverName = "windowsfilter"
+	} else if driverName != "" {
+		logrus.Infof("Setting the storage driver from the $DOCKER_DRIVER environment variable (%s)", driverName)
 	} else {
-		graphDriver = config.GraphDriver
+		driverName = config.GraphDriver
 	}
 
 	if d.UsesSnapshotter() {
-		snapshotter := ctrd.SnapshotterFromGraphDriver(graphDriver)
 		// Configure and validate the kernels security support. Note this is a Linux/FreeBSD
 		// operation only, so it is safe to pass *just* the runtime OS graphdriver.
-		if err := configureKernelSecuritySupport(config, snapshotter); err != nil {
+		if err := configureKernelSecuritySupport(config, driverName); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		d.imageService = ctrd.NewService(d.containerdCli, d.containers, snapshotter)
+		d.imageService = ctrd.NewService(d.containerdCli, d.containers, driverName)
 	} else {
 		layerStore, err := layer.NewStoreFromOptions(layer.StoreOptions{
 			Root:                      config.Root,
 			MetadataStorePathTemplate: filepath.Join(config.Root, "image", "%s", "layerdb"),
-			GraphDriver:               graphDriver,
+			GraphDriver:               driverName,
 			GraphDriverOptions:        config.GraphOptions,
 			IDMapping:                 idMapping,
 			PluginGetter:              d.PluginStore,