diff --git a/configs/targets/nios2-softmmu.mak b/configs/targets/nios2-softmmu.mak
index 9a372f0717..1e93b54cd1 100644
--- a/configs/targets/nios2-softmmu.mak
+++ b/configs/targets/nios2-softmmu.mak
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 TARGET_ARCH=nios2
+TARGET_ALIGNED_ONLY=y
diff --git a/target/nios2/helper.c b/target/nios2/helper.c
index c5a2dd65b1..2e9fea4a01 100644
--- a/target/nios2/helper.c
+++ b/target/nios2/helper.c
@@ -241,8 +241,8 @@ void nios2_cpu_do_unaligned_access(CPUState *cs, vaddr addr,
     CPUNios2State *env = &cpu->env;
 
     env->ctrl[CR_BADADDR] = addr;
-    env->ctrl[CR_EXCEPTION] = FIELD_DP32(0, CR_EXCEPTION, CAUSE, EXCP_UNALIGN);
-    helper_raise_exception(env, EXCP_UNALIGN);
+    cs->exception_index = EXCP_UNALIGN;
+    cpu_loop_exit_restore(cs, retaddr);
 }
 
 bool nios2_cpu_tlb_fill(CPUState *cs, vaddr address, int size,