diff --git a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
index cb007d458..7c47ef4de 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
@@ -1669,6 +1669,7 @@ rule FORTRAN_DEP_HACK
                                                      linker)
         commands += linker.get_buildtype_linker_args(self.environment.coredata.get_builtin_option('buildtype'))
         commands += linker.get_option_link_args(self.environment.coredata.compiler_options)
+        commands += linker.get_link_debugfile_args(outname)
         if not(isinstance(target, build.StaticLibrary)):
             commands += self.environment.coredata.external_link_args[linker.get_language()]
         if isinstance(target, build.Executable):
diff --git a/mesonbuild/compilers.py b/mesonbuild/compilers.py
index 5a8f48a9f..744d75f8f 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/compilers.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/compilers.py
@@ -357,6 +357,9 @@ class Compiler():
     def get_compile_debugfile_args(self, rel_obj):
         return []
 
+    def get_link_debugfile_args(self, rel_obj):
+        return []
+
 class CCompiler(Compiler):
     def __init__(self, exelist, version, is_cross, exe_wrapper=None):
         super().__init__(exelist, version)
@@ -1608,6 +1611,10 @@ class VisualStudioCCompiler(CCompiler):
         pdbarr = rel_obj.split('.')[:-1] + ['pdb']
         return ['/Fd' + '.'.join(pdbarr)]
 
+    def get_link_debugfile_args(self, targetfile):
+        pdbarr = targetfile.split('.')[:-1] + ['pdb']
+        return ['/DEBUG', '/PDB:' + '.'.join(pdbarr)]
+
 class VisualStudioCPPCompiler(VisualStudioCCompiler):
     def __init__(self, exelist, version, is_cross, exe_wrap):
         VisualStudioCCompiler.__init__(self, exelist, version, is_cross, exe_wrap)
@@ -2284,6 +2291,10 @@ class VisualStudioLinker():
     def unix_compile_flags_to_native(self, args):
         return args[:]
 
+    def get_link_debugfile_args(self, targetfile):
+        pdbarr = targetfile.split('.')[:-1] + ['pdb']
+        return ['/DEBUG', '/PDB:' + '.'.join(pdbarr)]
+
 class ArLinker():
 
     def __init__(self, exelist):