diff --git a/docs/markdown/snippets/windows-resources-custom-targets.md b/docs/markdown/snippets/windows-resources-custom-targets.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2dce3ad1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/markdown/snippets/windows-resources-custom-targets.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+## Can use custom targets as Windows resource files
+
+The `compile_resources()` function of the `windows` module can now be used on custom targets as well as regular files.
diff --git a/mesonbuild/modules/windows.py b/mesonbuild/modules/windows.py
index c16d7a840..dc6e9d8bc 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/modules/windows.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/modules/windows.py
@@ -67,11 +67,42 @@ class WindowsModule(ExtensionModule):
             suffix = 'o'
         if not rescomp.found():
             raise MesonException('Could not find Windows resource compiler %s.' % ' '.join(rescomp.get_command()))
-        res_kwargs = {'output': '@BASENAME@.' + suffix,
-                      'arguments': res_args}
-        res_gen = build.Generator([rescomp], res_kwargs)
-        res_output = res_gen.process_files('Windows resource', args, state)
-        return ModuleReturnValue(res_output, [res_output])
+
+        res_targets = []
+
+        def add_target(src):
+            if isinstance(src, list):
+                for subsrc in src:
+                    add_target(subsrc)
+                return
+
+            if hasattr(src, 'held_object'):
+                src = src.held_object
+
+            res_kwargs = {
+                'output': '@BASENAME@.' + suffix,
+                'input': [src],
+                'command': [rescomp] + res_args,
+            }
+
+            if isinstance(src, (str, mesonlib.File)):
+                name = 'file {!r}'.format(str(src))
+            elif isinstance(src, build.CustomTarget):
+                if len(src.get_outputs()) > 1:
+                    raise MesonException('windows.compile_resources does not accept custom targets with more than 1 output.')
+
+                name = 'target {!r}'.format(src.get_id())
+            else:
+                raise MesonException('Unexpected source type {!r}. windows.compile_resources accepts only strings, files, custom targets, and lists thereof.'.format(src))
+
+            # Path separators are not allowed in target names
+            name = name.replace('/', '_').replace('\\', '_')
+
+            res_targets.append(build.CustomTarget('Windows resource for ' + name, state.subdir, state.subproject, res_kwargs))
+
+        add_target(args)
+
+        return ModuleReturnValue(res_targets, [res_targets])
 
 def initialize():
     return WindowsModule()
diff --git a/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/meson.build b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b1e2b091b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/meson.build	
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+project('winmain', 'c')
+
+# MinGW windres has a bug due to which it doesn't parse args with space properly:
+# https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/pull/1346
+# https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=4933
+if meson.get_compiler('c').get_id() == 'gcc' and host_machine.system() == 'windows'
+  # Construct build_to_src and skip this test if it has spaces
+  # because then the -I flag to windres will also have spaces
+  # and we know the test will fail
+  src_parts = meson.source_root().split('/')
+  build_parts = meson.build_root().split('/')
+
+  # Get the common path (which might just be '/' or 'C:/')
+  common = []
+  done = false
+  count = 0
+  if src_parts.length() > build_parts.length()
+    parts = build_parts
+    other = src_parts
+  else
+    parts = src_parts
+    other = build_parts
+  endif
+  foreach part : parts
+    if not done and part == other.get(count)
+      common += [part]
+    else
+      done = true
+    endif
+    count += 1
+  endforeach
+
+  # Create path components to go down from the build root to the common path
+  count = 0
+  rel = build_parts
+  foreach build : build_parts
+    if count < build_parts.length() - common.length()
+      rel += ['..']
+    endif
+    count += 1
+  endforeach
+
+  # Create path components to go up from the common path to the build root
+  count = 0
+  foreach src : src_parts
+    if count >= common.length()
+      rel += [src]
+    endif
+    count += 1
+  endforeach
+
+  build_to_src = '/'.join(rel)
+
+  if build_to_src.contains(' ')
+    message('build_to_src is: ' + build_to_src)
+    error('MESON_SKIP_TEST build_to_src has spaces')
+  endif
+  # Welcome to the end of this conditional.
+  # We hope you never have to implement something like this.
+endif
+
+subdir('res')
+
+foreach id : [0, 1, 2]
+  exe = executable('prog_@0@'.format(id), 'prog.c',
+    res[id],
+    gui_app : true)
+
+  test('winmain_@0@'.format(id), exe)
+endforeach
diff --git a/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/prog.c b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/prog.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2bef6a278
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/prog.c	
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#include<windows.h>
+
+#define MY_ICON 1
+
+int APIENTRY
+WinMain(
+    HINSTANCE hInstance,
+    HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,
+    LPSTR lpszCmdLine,
+    int nCmdShow) {
+    HICON hIcon;
+    hIcon = LoadIcon(GetModuleHandle(NULL), MAKEINTRESOURCE(MY_ICON));
+    return hIcon ? 0 : 1;
+}
diff --git a/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/gen-res.py b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/gen-res.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..2feb02f5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/gen-res.py	
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+import sys
+
+with open(sys.argv[1], 'r') as infile, open(sys.argv[2], 'w') as outfile:
+    outfile.write(infile.read().format(icon=sys.argv[3]))
diff --git a/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/meson.build b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c15bd92d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/meson.build	
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+win = import('windows')
+
+rc_writer = find_program('./gen-res.py')
+
+rc_sources = []
+
+foreach id : [1, 2]
+    rc_sources += custom_target('RC source file @0@'.format(id),
+        input : 'myres.rc.in',
+        output : 'myres_@0@.rc'.format(id),
+        command : [rc_writer, '@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@', files('sample.ico')],
+        install : false,
+        build_always : true)
+endforeach
+
+rc_sources += files('myres_static.rc')
+
+res = win.compile_resources(rc_sources)
diff --git a/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/myres.rc.in b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/myres.rc.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6899bc8f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/myres.rc.in	
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#include<windows.h>
+
+1 ICON "{icon}"
diff --git a/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/myres_static.rc b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/myres_static.rc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..12838aee2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/myres_static.rc	
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#include<windows.h>
+
+1 ICON "sample.ico"
diff --git a/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/sample.ico b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/sample.ico
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..24bd3d9e9
Binary files /dev/null and b/test cases/windows/13 resources with custom targets/res/sample.ico differ