diff --git a/cmd/metacache-walk.go b/cmd/metacache-walk.go
index 9af4814cf..c8d5d3f0a 100644
--- a/cmd/metacache-walk.go
+++ b/cmd/metacache-walk.go
@@ -154,11 +154,24 @@ func (s *xlStorage) WalkDir(ctx context.Context, opts WalkDirOptions, wr io.Writ
 			// If root was an object return it as such.
 			if HasSuffix(entry, xlStorageFormatFile) {
 				var meta metaCacheEntry
-				meta.metadata, err = xioutil.ReadFile(pathJoin(volumeDir, current, entry))
+				f, err := os.OpenFile(pathJoin(volumeDir, current, entry), readMode, 0)
 				if err != nil {
 					logger.LogIf(ctx, err)
 					continue
 				}
+				stat, err := f.Stat()
+				if err != nil {
+					logger.LogIf(ctx, err)
+					f.Close()
+					continue
+				}
+				meta.metadata, err = readXLMetaNoData(f, stat.Size())
+				if err != nil {
+					logger.LogIf(ctx, err)
+					f.Close()
+					continue
+				}
+				f.Close()
 				meta.metadata = xlMetaV2TrimData(meta.metadata)
 				meta.name = strings.TrimSuffix(entry, xlStorageFormatFile)
 				meta.name = strings.TrimSuffix(meta.name, SlashSeparator)
diff --git a/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go b/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go
index 1fbce1fd1..cf18ba1a7 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -1368,3 +1369,141 @@ func (z xlMetaV2) ToFileInfo(volume, path, versionID string) (fi FileInfo, err e
 
 	return FileInfo{}, errFileVersionNotFound
 }
+
+// readXLMetaNoData will load the metadata, but skip data segments.
+// This should only be used when data is never interesting.
+// If data is not xlv2, it is returned in full.
+func readXLMetaNoData(r io.Reader, size int64) ([]byte, error) {
+	// Read at most this much on initial read.
+	const readDefault = 4 << 10
+	initial := size
+	hasFull := true
+	if initial > readDefault {
+		initial = readDefault
+		hasFull = false
+	}
+
+	buf := make([]byte, initial)
+	_, err := io.ReadFull(r, buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("readXLMetaNoData.ReadFull: %w", err)
+	}
+	readMore := func(n int64) error {
+		has := int64(len(buf))
+		if has >= n {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if hasFull || n > size {
+			return io.ErrUnexpectedEOF
+		}
+		extra := n - has
+		buf = append(buf, make([]byte, extra)...)
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(r, buf[has:])
+		if err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				// Returned if we read nothing.
+				return io.ErrUnexpectedEOF
+			}
+			return fmt.Errorf("readXLMetaNoData.readMore: %w", err)
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	tmp, major, minor, err := checkXL2V1(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		err = readMore(size)
+		return buf, err
+	}
+	switch major {
+	case 1:
+		switch minor {
+		case 0:
+			err = readMore(size)
+			return buf, err
+		case 1, 2:
+			sz, tmp, err := ReadBytesHeader(tmp)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			want := int64(sz) + int64(len(buf)-len(tmp))
+
+			// v1.1 does not have CRC.
+			if minor < 2 {
+				if err := readMore(want); err != nil {
+					return nil, err
+				}
+				return buf[:want], nil
+			}
+
+			// CRC is variable length, so we need to truncate exactly that.
+			wantMax := want + msgp.Uint32Size
+			if wantMax > size {
+				wantMax = size
+			}
+			if err := readMore(wantMax); err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+
+			tmp = buf[want:]
+			_, after, err := msgp.ReadUint32Bytes(tmp)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			want += int64(len(tmp) - len(after))
+
+			return buf[:want], err
+
+		default:
+			return nil, errors.New("unknown minor metadata version")
+		}
+	default:
+		return nil, errors.New("unknown major metadata version")
+	}
+}
+
+// ReadBytesHeader reads the 'bin' header size
+// off of 'b' and returns the size and remaining bytes.
+// Possible errors:
+// - ErrShortBytes (too few bytes)
+// - TypeError{} (not a bin object)
+// TODO: Replace when https://github.com/tinylib/msgp/pull/289 is merged.
+func ReadBytesHeader(b []byte) (sz uint32, o []byte, err error) {
+	if len(b) < 1 {
+		return 0, nil, msgp.ErrShortBytes
+	}
+	var big = binary.BigEndian
+
+	const (
+		mbin8  uint8 = 0xc4
+		mbin16 uint8 = 0xc5
+		mbin32 uint8 = 0xc6
+	)
+	switch b[0] {
+	case mbin8:
+		if len(b) < 2 {
+			err = msgp.ErrShortBytes
+			return
+		}
+		sz = uint32(b[1])
+		o = b[2:]
+		return
+	case mbin16:
+		if len(b) < 3 {
+			err = msgp.ErrShortBytes
+			return
+		}
+		sz = uint32(big.Uint16(b[1:]))
+		o = b[3:]
+		return
+	case mbin32:
+		if len(b) < 5 {
+			err = msgp.ErrShortBytes
+			return
+		}
+		sz = big.Uint32(b[1:])
+		o = b[5:]
+		return
+	default:
+		err = msgp.TypeError{Method: msgp.BinType, Encoded: msgp.NextType(b)}
+		return
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/xl-storage.go b/cmd/xl-storage.go
index 4f8e5dfa0..f23ece729 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-storage.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-storage.go
@@ -421,13 +421,29 @@ func (s *xlStorage) NSScanner(ctx context.Context, cache dataUsageCache, updates
 			return sizeSummary{}, errSkipFile
 		}
 
-		buf, err := xioutil.ReadFile(item.Path)
+		f, err := os.OpenFile(item.Path, readMode, 0)
 		if err != nil {
 			if intDataUpdateTracker.debug {
 				console.Debugf(color.Green("scannerBucket:")+" object path missing: %v: %w\n", item.Path, err)
 			}
 			return sizeSummary{}, errSkipFile
 		}
+		defer f.Close()
+		stat, err := f.Stat()
+		if err != nil {
+			if intDataUpdateTracker.debug {
+				console.Debugf(color.Green("scannerBucket:")+" stat failed: %v: %w\n", item.Path, err)
+			}
+			return sizeSummary{}, errSkipFile
+		}
+
+		buf, err := readXLMetaNoData(f, stat.Size())
+		if err != nil {
+			if intDataUpdateTracker.debug {
+				console.Debugf(color.Green("scannerBucket:")+" readXLMetaNoData: %v: %w\n", item.Path, err)
+			}
+			return sizeSummary{}, errSkipFile
+		}
 
 		// Remove filename which is the meta file.
 		item.transformMetaDir()