diff --git a/mm/memory.c b/mm/memory.c
index f6f93e5b6b02..747b7ea30f89 100644
--- a/mm/memory.c
+++ b/mm/memory.c
@@ -3619,8 +3619,21 @@ static vm_fault_t remove_device_exclusive_entry(struct vm_fault *vmf)
 	struct vm_area_struct *vma = vmf->vma;
 	struct mmu_notifier_range range;
 
-	if (!folio_lock_or_retry(folio, vma->vm_mm, vmf->flags))
+	/*
+	 * We need a reference to lock the folio because we don't hold
+	 * the PTL so a racing thread can remove the device-exclusive
+	 * entry and unmap it. If the folio is free the entry must
+	 * have been removed already. If it happens to have already
+	 * been re-allocated after being freed all we do is lock and
+	 * unlock it.
+	 */
+	if (!folio_try_get(folio))
+		return 0;
+
+	if (!folio_lock_or_retry(folio, vma->vm_mm, vmf->flags)) {
+		folio_put(folio);
 		return VM_FAULT_RETRY;
+	}
 	mmu_notifier_range_init_owner(&range, MMU_NOTIFY_EXCLUSIVE, 0, vma,
 				vma->vm_mm, vmf->address & PAGE_MASK,
 				(vmf->address & PAGE_MASK) + PAGE_SIZE, NULL);
@@ -3633,6 +3646,7 @@ static vm_fault_t remove_device_exclusive_entry(struct vm_fault *vmf)
 
 	pte_unmap_unlock(vmf->pte, vmf->ptl);
 	folio_unlock(folio);
+	folio_put(folio);
 
 	mmu_notifier_invalidate_range_end(&range);
 	return 0;