diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index 3b4cff1f18..ce300b5b85 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -89,7 +89,14 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
     # is raised here, but is denied by disable_api.
     #
     # See http://stackoverflow.com/a/15350123 for more information on login CSRF.
-    render_error status: 422, message: 'Invalid form authenticity token.' unless api_request?
+    unless api_request?
+
+      # Check whether user have cookies enabled, otherwise they'll only be
+      # greeted with the CSRF error upon login.
+      message = I18n.t(:error_token_authenticity)
+      message << ' ' + I18n.t(:error_cookie_missing) if openproject_cookie_missing?
+      render_error status: 422, message: message
+    end
   end
 
   rescue_from ActionController::ParameterMissing do |exception|
@@ -193,6 +200,13 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
     require_login if Setting.login_required?
   end
 
+  # Checks if the session cookie is missing.
+  # This is useful only on a second request
+  def openproject_cookie_missing?
+    request.cookies[OpenProject::Configuration['session_cookie_name']].nil?
+  end
+  helper_method :openproject_cookie_missing?
+
   def log_requesting_user
     return unless Setting.log_requesting_user?
     login_and_mail = " (#{escape_for_logging(User.current.login)} ID: #{User.current.id} " \
diff --git a/config/configuration.yml.example b/config/configuration.yml.example
index cff1a55428..25fa1a6159 100644
--- a/config/configuration.yml.example
+++ b/config/configuration.yml.example
@@ -194,6 +194,9 @@ default:
   # autologin_cookie_path:
   # autologin_cookie_secure:
 
+  # Configuration of the session cookie
+  # session_cookie_name: the name of the OpenProject cookie (default: _open_project_session)
+
   # disable browser cache for security reasons
   # see: https://websecuritytool.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=Checks#http-cache-control-header-no-store
   # disable_browser_cache: true
diff --git a/config/initializers/session_store.rb b/config/initializers/session_store.rb
index adeccd2dbc..05045278cc 100644
--- a/config/initializers/session_store.rb
+++ b/config/initializers/session_store.rb
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ session_store     = config['session_store'].to_sym
 relative_url_root = config['rails_relative_url_root'].presence
 
 session_options = {
-  key:    '_open_project_session',
+  key:    config['session_cookie_name'],
   path:   relative_url_root
 }
 
diff --git a/config/locales/en.yml b/config/locales/en.yml
index a1cc84d8f5..a7e558a84b 100644
--- a/config/locales/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/en.yml
@@ -753,6 +753,8 @@ en:
   error_can_not_remove_role: "This role is in use and cannot be deleted."
   error_can_not_reopen_work_package_on_closed_version: "A work package assigned to a closed version cannot be reopened"
   error_check_user_and_role: "Please choose a user and a role."
+  error_cookie_missing: 'The OpenProject cookie is missing. Please ensure that cookies are enabled, as this application will not properly function without.'
+  error_token_authenticity: 'Unable to verify Cross-Site Request Forgery token.'
   error_work_package_done_ratios_not_updated: "Work package done ratios not updated."
   error_work_package_not_found_in_project: "The work package was not found or does not belong to this project"
   error_must_be_project_member: "must be project member"
diff --git a/lib/open_project/configuration.rb b/lib/open_project/configuration.rb
index 77c8eb0aed..fff9d1ccc6 100644
--- a/lib/open_project/configuration.rb
+++ b/lib/open_project/configuration.rb
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ module OpenProject
       'cache_memcache_server'   => nil,
       # where to store session data
       'session_store'           => :cache_store,
+      'session_cookie_name'     => '_open_project_session',
       # url-path prefix
       'rails_relative_url_root' => '',
       'rails_force_ssl' => false,