diff --git a/source/blender/editors/include/ED_render.hh b/source/blender/editors/include/ED_render.hh
index b0c0d9d67b6..753321eebdc 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/include/ED_render.hh
+++ b/source/blender/editors/include/ED_render.hh
@@ -73,6 +73,12 @@ const char *ED_preview_collection_name(ePreviewType pr_type);
 void ED_preview_ensure_dbase(bool with_gpencil);
 void ED_preview_free_dbase();
 
+/**
+ * For preview icons loaded from disk (deferred loading), use the size of the source image, and
+ * only scale to the display size when drawing. Then we actually know the final display size
+ * (so we don't scale twice), and can scale on the GPU while drawing.
+ */
+bool ED_preview_use_image_size(const PreviewImage *preview, eIconSizes size);
 /**
  * Check if \a id is supported by the automatic preview render.
  */
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/interface/interface_icons.cc b/source/blender/editors/interface/interface_icons.cc
index 3dd0bf2b22c..2294b0f9b54 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/interface/interface_icons.cc
+++ b/source/blender/editors/interface/interface_icons.cc
@@ -1004,12 +1004,14 @@ static void icon_create_rect(PreviewImage *prv_img, enum eIconSizes size)
     }
   }
   else if (!prv_img->rect[size]) {
-    prv_img->w[size] = render_size;
-    prv_img->h[size] = render_size;
     prv_img->flag[size] |= PRV_CHANGED;
     prv_img->changed_timestamp[size] = 0;
-    prv_img->rect[size] = static_cast<uint *>(
-        MEM_callocN(render_size * render_size * sizeof(uint), "prv_rect"));
+    if (!ED_preview_use_image_size(prv_img, size)) {
+      prv_img->w[size] = render_size;
+      prv_img->h[size] = render_size;
+      prv_img->rect[size] = static_cast<uint *>(
+          MEM_callocN(render_size * render_size * sizeof(uint), "prv_rect"));
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/render/render_preview.cc b/source/blender/editors/render/render_preview.cc
index b9d6628b08c..6a7c6d4dcb2 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/render/render_preview.cc
+++ b/source/blender/editors/render/render_preview.cc
@@ -1834,13 +1834,21 @@ void PreviewLoadJob::run_fn(void *customdata, wmJobWorkerStatus *worker_status)
     IMB_thumb_path_unlock(filepath);
 
     if (thumb) {
-      /* PreviewImage assumes premultiplied alpha... */
+      /* PreviewImage assumes premultiplied alpha. */
       IMB_premultiply_alpha(thumb);
 
-      icon_copy_rect(thumb,
-                     preview->w[request->icon_size],
-                     preview->h[request->icon_size],
-                     preview->rect[request->icon_size]);
+      if (ED_preview_use_image_size(preview, request->icon_size)) {
+        preview->w[request->icon_size] = thumb->x;
+        preview->h[request->icon_size] = thumb->y;
+        BLI_assert(preview->rect[request->icon_size] == nullptr);
+        preview->rect[request->icon_size] = (uint *)MEM_dupallocN(thumb->byte_buffer.data);
+      }
+      else {
+        icon_copy_rect(thumb,
+                       preview->w[request->icon_size],
+                       preview->h[request->icon_size],
+                       preview->rect[request->icon_size]);
+      }
       IMB_freeImBuf(thumb);
     }
 
@@ -1915,6 +1923,11 @@ static void icon_preview_free(void *customdata)
   MEM_freeN(ip);
 }
 
+bool ED_preview_use_image_size(const PreviewImage *preview, eIconSizes size)
+{
+  return size == ICON_SIZE_PREVIEW && preview->runtime->deferred_loading_data;
+}
+
 bool ED_preview_id_is_supported(const ID *id, const char **r_disabled_hint)
 {
   if (id == nullptr) {