diff --git a/mesonbuild/backend/backends.py b/mesonbuild/backend/backends.py
index 26052d314..593948893 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/backend/backends.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/backend/backends.py
@@ -115,12 +115,6 @@ class Backend:
             return os.path.join(self.get_target_dir(target), target.get_filename())
         raise AssertionError('BUG: Tried to link to something that\'s not a library')
 
-    def get_target_debug_filename(self, target):
-        fname = target.get_debug_filename()
-        if not fname:
-            raise AssertionError("BUG: Tried to generate debug filename when it doesn't exist")
-        return os.path.join(self.get_target_dir(target), fname)
-
     def get_target_dir(self, target):
         if self.environment.coredata.get_builtin_option('layout') == 'mirror':
             dirname = target.get_subdir()
diff --git a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
index d6960763b..4d54acb44 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
@@ -654,13 +654,6 @@ int dummy;
                 else:
                     # XXX: Add BuildTarget-specific install dir cases here
                     outdir = self.environment.get_libdir()
-                if isinstance(t, build.SharedLibrary) or isinstance(t, build.Executable):
-                    if t.get_debug_filename():
-                        # Install the debug symbols file in the same place as
-                        # the target itself. It has no aliases, should not be
-                        # stripped, and doesn't have an install_rpath
-                        i = [self.get_target_debug_filename(t), outdir, {}, False, '']
-                        d.targets.append(i)
                 if isinstance(t, build.BuildTarget):
                     i = [self.get_target_filename(t), outdir, t.get_aliases(),
                          should_strip, t.install_rpath]
diff --git a/mesonbuild/build.py b/mesonbuild/build.py
index bdb1dc38d..fd01f7714 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/build.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/build.py
@@ -300,8 +300,6 @@ class BuildTarget(Target):
         self.name_prefix_set = False
         self.name_suffix_set = False
         self.filename = 'no_name'
-        # The file with debugging symbols
-        self.debug_filename = None
         self.need_install = False
         self.pch = {}
         self.extra_args = {}
@@ -686,15 +684,6 @@ class BuildTarget(Target):
     def get_outputs(self):
         return [self.filename]
 
-    def get_debug_filename(self):
-        """
-        The name of the file that contains debugging symbols for this target
-
-        Returns None if there are no debugging symbols or if they are embedded
-        in the filename itself
-        """
-        return self.debug_filename
-
     def get_extra_args(self, language):
         return self.extra_args.get(language, [])
 
@@ -1006,10 +995,6 @@ class Executable(BuildTarget):
         self.filename = self.name
         if self.suffix:
             self.filename += '.' + self.suffix
-        # See determine_debug_filenames() in build.SharedLibrary
-        buildtype = environment.coredata.get_builtin_option('buildtype')
-        if self.get_using_msvc() and buildtype.startswith('debug'):
-            self.debug_filename = self.prefix + self.name + '.pdb'
 
     def type_suffix(self):
         return "@exe"
@@ -1037,10 +1022,6 @@ class StaticLibrary(BuildTarget):
             else:
                 self.suffix = 'a'
         self.filename = self.prefix + self.name + '.' + self.suffix
-        # See determine_debug_filenames() in build.SharedLibrary
-        buildtype = environment.coredata.get_builtin_option('buildtype')
-        if self.get_using_msvc() and buildtype.startswith('debug'):
-            self.debug_filename = self.prefix + self.name + '.pdb'
 
     def type_suffix(self):
         return "@sta"
@@ -1066,7 +1047,6 @@ class SharedLibrary(BuildTarget):
             self.suffix = None
         self.basic_filename_tpl = '{0.prefix}{0.name}.{0.suffix}'
         self.determine_filenames(is_cross, environment)
-        self.determine_debug_filenames(is_cross, environment)
 
     def determine_filenames(self, is_cross, env):
         """
@@ -1156,21 +1136,6 @@ class SharedLibrary(BuildTarget):
             self.suffix = suffix
         self.filename = self.filename_tpl.format(self)
 
-    def determine_debug_filenames(self, is_cross, env):
-        """
-        Determine the debug filename(s) using the prefix/name/etc detected in
-        determine_filenames() above.
-        """
-        buildtype = env.coredata.get_builtin_option('buildtype')
-        if self.get_using_msvc() and buildtype.startswith('debug'):
-            # Currently we only implement separate debug symbol files for MSVC
-            # since the toolchain does it for us. Other toolchains embed the
-            # debugging symbols in the file itself by default.
-            if self.soversion:
-                self.debug_filename = '{0.prefix}{0.name}-{0.soversion}.pdb'.format(self)
-            else:
-                self.debug_filename = '{0.prefix}{0.name}.pdb'.format(self)
-
     def process_kwargs(self, kwargs, environment):
         super().process_kwargs(kwargs, environment)
         # Shared library version
diff --git a/mesonbuild/scripts/meson_install.py b/mesonbuild/scripts/meson_install.py
index a025b0c67..8fb9e0403 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/scripts/meson_install.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/scripts/meson_install.py
@@ -247,6 +247,11 @@ def install_targets(d):
                     print('Stdout:\n%s\n' % stdo)
                     print('Stderr:\n%s\n' % stde)
                     sys.exit(1)
+            pdb_filename = os.path.splitext(fname)[0] + '.pdb'
+            if not should_strip and os.path.exists(pdb_filename):
+                pdb_outname = os.path.splitext(outname)[0] + '.pdb'
+                print('Installing pdb file %s to %s.' % (pdb_filename, pdb_outname))
+                do_copyfile(pdb_filename, pdb_outname)
         elif os.path.isdir(fname):
             fname = os.path.join(d.build_dir, fname.rstrip('/'))
             do_copydir(fname, os.path.dirname(fname), outdir)
diff --git a/run_project_tests.py b/run_project_tests.py
index f87a12185..145743229 100755
--- a/run_project_tests.py
+++ b/run_project_tests.py
@@ -181,6 +181,9 @@ def validate_install(srcdir, installdir):
     # Check if there are any unexpected files
     found = get_relative_files_list_from_dir(installdir)
     for fname in found:
+        # Windows-specific tests check for the existence of installed PDB
+        # files, but common tests do not, for obvious reasons. Ignore any
+        # extra PDB files found.
         if fname not in expected and not fname.endswith('.pdb'):
             ret_msg += 'Extra file {0} found.\n'.format(fname)
     return ret_msg
diff --git a/test cases/windows/1 basic/installed_files.txt b/test cases/windows/1 basic/installed_files.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8c8464a6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/windows/1 basic/installed_files.txt	
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+usr/bin/prog.exe
+usr/bin/prog.pdb
diff --git a/test cases/windows/1 basic/meson.build b/test cases/windows/1 basic/meson.build
index f736b666e..03d5436a1 100644
--- a/test cases/windows/1 basic/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/windows/1 basic/meson.build	
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 project('wintest', 'c')
 
-prog = executable('prog', 'prog.c')
+prog = executable('prog', 'prog.c', install : true)
 test('wintest', prog)
diff --git a/test cases/windows/8 msvc dll versioning/installed_files.txt b/test cases/windows/8 msvc dll versioning/installed_files.txt
index 5f6e26a1d..e3f72bca3 100644
--- a/test cases/windows/8 msvc dll versioning/installed_files.txt	
+++ b/test cases/windows/8 msvc dll versioning/installed_files.txt	
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 usr/bin/some-0.dll
+usr/bin/some-0.pdb
 usr/lib/some.lib
 usr/bin/noversion.dll
+usr/bin/noversion.pdb
 usr/lib/noversion.lib