diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go
index 1767667759e..c954ab6bca7 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go
@@ -304,7 +304,34 @@ package main
 import "runtime"
 import "runtime/pprof"
 func main() {
-        _ = pprof.Profiles()
+	_ = pprof.Profiles()
+	println(runtime.MemProfileRate)
+}
+`,
+			"524288",
+		},
+		{
+			"with_memprofile_runtime_pprof_writeheap",
+			`
+package main
+import "io"
+import "runtime"
+import "runtime/pprof"
+func main() {
+	_ = pprof.WriteHeapProfile(io.Discard)
+	println(runtime.MemProfileRate)
+}
+`,
+			"524288",
+		},
+		{
+			"with_memprofile_runtime_pprof_lookupheap",
+			`
+package main
+import "runtime"
+import "runtime/pprof"
+func main() {
+	_ = pprof.Lookup("heap")
 	println(runtime.MemProfileRate)
 }
 `,
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go
index 4f1eebb9e36..d66027387b9 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go
@@ -892,9 +892,9 @@ func (ctxt *Link) linksetup() {
 		}
 
 		// Set runtime.disableMemoryProfiling bool if
-		// runtime.MemProfile is not retained in the binary after
+		// runtime.memProfileInternal is not retained in the binary after
 		// deadcode (and we're not dynamically linking).
-		memProfile := ctxt.loader.Lookup("runtime.MemProfile", abiInternalVer)
+		memProfile := ctxt.loader.Lookup("runtime.memProfileInternal", abiInternalVer)
 		if memProfile != 0 && !ctxt.loader.AttrReachable(memProfile) && !ctxt.DynlinkingGo() {
 			memProfSym := ctxt.loader.LookupOrCreateSym("runtime.disableMemoryProfiling", 0)
 			sb := ctxt.loader.MakeSymbolUpdater(memProfSym)
diff --git a/src/runtime/mprof.go b/src/runtime/mprof.go
index b51a1ad3ce3..b4fe0e5549c 100644
--- a/src/runtime/mprof.go
+++ b/src/runtime/mprof.go
@@ -892,9 +892,10 @@ func (r *StackRecord) Stack() []uintptr {
 // at the beginning of main).
 var MemProfileRate int = 512 * 1024
 
-// disableMemoryProfiling is set by the linker if runtime.MemProfile
+// disableMemoryProfiling is set by the linker if memory profiling
 // is not used and the link type guarantees nobody else could use it
 // elsewhere.
+// We check if the runtime.memProfileInternal symbol is present.
 var disableMemoryProfiling bool
 
 // A MemProfileRecord describes the live objects allocated
@@ -955,6 +956,13 @@ func MemProfile(p []MemProfileRecord, inuseZero bool) (n int, ok bool) {
 // memProfileInternal returns the number of records n in the profile. If there
 // are less than size records, copyFn is invoked for each record, and ok returns
 // true.
+//
+// The linker set disableMemoryProfiling to true to disable memory profiling
+// if this function is not reachable. Mark it noinline to ensure the symbol exists.
+// (This function is big and normally not inlined anyway.)
+// See also disableMemoryProfiling above and cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go:linksetup.
+//
+//go:noinline
 func memProfileInternal(size int, inuseZero bool, copyFn func(profilerecord.MemProfileRecord)) (n int, ok bool) {
 	cycle := mProfCycle.read()
 	// If we're between mProf_NextCycle and mProf_Flush, take care
diff --git a/src/runtime/pprof/pprof.go b/src/runtime/pprof/pprof.go
index be17e598754..d3af5bba914 100644
--- a/src/runtime/pprof/pprof.go
+++ b/src/runtime/pprof/pprof.go
@@ -586,7 +586,8 @@ func writeHeapInternal(w io.Writer, debug int, defaultSampleType string) error {
 		runtime.ReadMemStats(memStats)
 	}
 
-	// Find out how many records there are (MemProfile(nil, true)),
+	// Find out how many records there are (the call
+	// pprof_memProfileInternal(nil, true) below),
 	// allocate that many records, and get the data.
 	// There's a race—more records might be added between
 	// the two calls—so allocate a few extra records for safety