diff --git a/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.cpp b/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.cpp
index bf562631134..276069cf83f 100644
--- a/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.cpp
@@ -174,18 +174,36 @@ QRhiWidget::QRhiWidget(QWidget *parent, Qt::WindowFlags f)
     : QWidget(*(new QRhiWidgetPrivate), parent, f)
 {
     Q_D(QRhiWidget);
+    d->init();
+}
+
+/*!
+ *  \internal
+ */
+QRhiWidget::QRhiWidget(QRhiWidgetPrivate &dd, QWidget *parent, Qt::WindowFlags f)
+    : QWidget(dd, parent, f)
+{
+    Q_D(QRhiWidget);
+    d->init();
+}
+
+/*!
+ *  \internal
+ */
+void QRhiWidgetPrivate::init()
+{
     if (Q_UNLIKELY(!QGuiApplicationPrivate::platformIntegration()->hasCapability(QPlatformIntegration::RhiBasedRendering)))
         qWarning("QRhiWidget: QRhi is not supported on this platform.");
     else
-        d->setRenderToTexture();
+        setRenderToTexture();
 
-    d->config.setEnabled(true);
+    config.setEnabled(true);
 #if defined(Q_OS_DARWIN)
-    d->config.setApi(QPlatformBackingStoreRhiConfig::Metal);
+    config.setApi(QPlatformBackingStoreRhiConfig::Metal);
 #elif defined(Q_OS_WIN)
-    d->config.setApi(QPlatformBackingStoreRhiConfig::D3D11);
+    config.setApi(QPlatformBackingStoreRhiConfig::D3D11);
 #else
-    d->config.setApi(QPlatformBackingStoreRhiConfig::OpenGL);
+    config.setApi(QPlatformBackingStoreRhiConfig::OpenGL);
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.h b/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.h
index 45fe7b7482a..09fc2b94538 100644
--- a/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.h
+++ b/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget.h
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ public:
     QImage grabFramebuffer() const;
 
 protected:
+    QRhiWidget(QRhiWidgetPrivate &dd, QWidget *parent = nullptr, Qt::WindowFlags f = {});
+
     bool isAutoRenderTargetEnabled() const;
     void setAutoRenderTarget(bool enabled);
 
diff --git a/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget_p.h b/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget_p.h
index b594b67ec82..06d08ff188f 100644
--- a/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget_p.h
+++ b/src/widgets/kernel/qrhiwidget_p.h
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
-class QRhiWidgetPrivate : public QWidgetPrivate
+class Q_WIDGETS_EXPORT QRhiWidgetPrivate : public QWidgetPrivate
 {
     Q_DECLARE_PUBLIC(QRhiWidget)
 public:
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ public:
     void endCompose() override;
     QImage grabFramebuffer() override;
 
+    void init();
     void ensureRhi();
     void ensureTexture(bool *changed);
     bool invokeInitialize(QRhiCommandBuffer *cb);