diff --git a/src/network/compat/removed_api.cpp b/src/network/compat/removed_api.cpp
index ceda1175385..f24cb308bd3 100644
--- a/src/network/compat/removed_api.cpp
+++ b/src/network/compat/removed_api.cpp
@@ -63,6 +63,17 @@ QList<QNetworkCookie> QNetworkCookie::parseCookies(const QByteArray &cookieStrin
 #endif
 #include "qnetworkrequest.h" // inlined API
 
+#include "qsslerror.h"
+
+#ifndef QT_NO_DEBUG_STREAM
+#if QT_CONFIG(ssl)
+QDebug operator<<(QDebug debug, const QSslError::SslError &error)
+{
+    return print(std::move(debug), error);
+}
+#endif
+#endif
+
 // #include "qotherheader.h"
 // // implement removed functions from qotherheader.h
 // order sections alphabetically
diff --git a/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.cpp b/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.cpp
index 97faa8993c9..94666fd25d7 100644
--- a/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.cpp
+++ b/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.cpp
@@ -348,7 +348,8 @@ QDebug operator<<(QDebug debug, const QSslError &error)
     debug << error.errorString();
     return debug;
 }
-QDebug operator<<(QDebug debug, const QSslError::SslError &error)
+
+QDebug print(QDebug debug, QSslError::SslError error)
 {
     debug << QSslError(error).errorString();
     return debug;
diff --git a/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.h b/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.h
index d82b086d392..1f461bf26d7 100644
--- a/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.h
+++ b/src/network/ssl/qsslerror.h
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
 #ifndef QT_NO_SSL
 
+#ifndef QT_NO_DEBUG_STREAM
+class QDebug;
+#endif
+
 class QSslErrorPrivate;
 class Q_NETWORK_EXPORT QSslError
 {
@@ -88,16 +92,23 @@ public:
 private:
     // ### Qt 7: make QSslError implicitly shared
     std::unique_ptr<QSslErrorPrivate> d;
+#ifndef QT_NO_DEBUG_STREAM
+    Q_NETWORK_EXPORT friend QDebug print(QDebug debug, QSslError::SslError error);
+    friend QDebug operator<<(QDebug debug, SslError error)
+    { return print(std::move(debug), error); }
+#endif
 };
 Q_DECLARE_SHARED(QSslError)
 
 Q_NETWORK_EXPORT size_t qHash(const QSslError &key, size_t seed = 0) noexcept;
 
 #ifndef QT_NO_DEBUG_STREAM
-class QDebug;
+
 Q_NETWORK_EXPORT QDebug operator<<(QDebug debug, const QSslError &error);
+#if QT_NETWORK_REMOVED_SINCE(6, 8)
 Q_NETWORK_EXPORT QDebug operator<<(QDebug debug, const QSslError::SslError &error);
 #endif
+#endif
 #else
 class Q_NETWORK_EXPORT QSslError {}; // dummy class so that moc has a complete type
 #endif // QT_NO_SSL