diff --git a/src/gui/image/qiconloader.cpp b/src/gui/image/qiconloader.cpp
index bacb30a1032..97735e4af63 100644
--- a/src/gui/image/qiconloader.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/image/qiconloader.cpp
@@ -137,6 +137,10 @@ void QIconLoader::invalidateKey()
     // recreating the actual engine the next time the icon is used.
     // We don't need to clear the QIcon cache itself.
     m_themeKey++;
+
+    // invalidating the factory results in us looking once for
+    // a plugin that provides icon for the new themeName()
+    m_factory = std::nullopt;
 }
 
 QString QIconLoader::themeName() const
@@ -650,7 +654,18 @@ QIconEngine *QIconLoader::iconEngine(const QString &iconName) const
     qCDebug(lcIconLoader) << "Resolving icon engine for icon" << iconName;
 
     std::unique_ptr<QIconEngine> iconEngine;
-    if (hasUserTheme())
+
+    if (!m_factory) {
+        qCDebug(lcIconLoader) << "Finding a plugin for theme" << themeName();
+        // try to find a plugin that supports the current theme
+        const int factoryIndex = qt_iconEngineFactoryLoader()->indexOf(themeName());
+        if (factoryIndex >= 0)
+            m_factory = qobject_cast<QIconEnginePlugin *>(qt_iconEngineFactoryLoader()->instance(factoryIndex));
+    }
+    if (m_factory && *m_factory)
+        iconEngine.reset(m_factory.value()->create(iconName));
+
+    if (hasUserTheme() && (!iconEngine || iconEngine->isNull()))
         iconEngine.reset(new QIconLoaderEngine(iconName));
     if (!iconEngine || iconEngine->isNull()) {
         qCDebug(lcIconLoader) << "Icon is not available from theme or fallback theme.";
diff --git a/src/gui/image/qiconloader_p.h b/src/gui/image/qiconloader_p.h
index 3cfa9381d1a..4a8079a3e98 100644
--- a/src/gui/image/qiconloader_p.h
+++ b/src/gui/image/qiconloader_p.h
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 #include <vector>
 #include <memory>
+#include <optional>
 
 QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
@@ -161,6 +162,8 @@ public:
     QList<QSharedPointer<QIconCacheGtkReader>> m_gtkCaches;
 };
 
+class QIconEnginePlugin;
+
 class Q_GUI_EXPORT QIconLoader
 {
 public:
@@ -195,6 +198,7 @@ private:
     QThemeIconInfo lookupFallbackIcon(const QString &iconName) const;
 
     uint m_themeKey;
+    mutable std::optional<QIconEnginePlugin *> m_factory;
     bool m_supportsSvg;
     bool m_initialized;
 
diff --git a/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/CMakeLists.txt
index c693c559cc3..93f75741c0e 100644
--- a/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -37,11 +37,14 @@ file(GLOB_RECURSE test_data_glob
     *.svgz)
 list(APPEND test_data ${test_data_glob})
 
+add_subdirectory(plugin)
+
 qt_internal_add_test(tst_qicon
     SOURCES
         tst_qicon.cpp
     LIBRARIES
         Qt::Gui
+        TestIconPlugin
     TESTDATA ${test_data}
 )
 
@@ -105,3 +108,5 @@ qt_internal_extend_target(tst_qicon CONDITION TARGET Qt::Widgets
     LIBRARIES
         Qt::Widgets
 )
+
+add_dependencies(tst_qicon TestIconPlugin)
diff --git a/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cae49b2df17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2024 The Qt Company Ltd.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+#####################################################################
+## TestIconEngine Plugin:
+#####################################################################
+
+qt_internal_add_plugin(TestIconPlugin
+    STATIC
+    OUTPUT_NAME qtesticonplugin
+    OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}"
+    SKIP_INSTALL
+    PLUGIN_TYPE iconengines
+    DEFAULT_IF TRUE
+    SOURCES
+        main.cpp
+    LIBRARIES
+        Qt::Core
+        Qt::Gui
+)
diff --git a/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/main.cpp b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/main.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..58d9807142c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/main.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2024 The Qt Company Ltd.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Qt-Commercial OR GPL-3.0-only
+
+#include <qiconengineplugin.h>
+#include <qiconengine.h>
+
+QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
+
+class TestIconPlugin : public QIconEnginePlugin
+{
+    Q_OBJECT
+    Q_PLUGIN_METADATA(IID "org.qt-project.Qt.QIconEngineFactoryInterface" FILE "plugin.json")
+
+public:
+    QIconEngine *create(const QString &icon) override;
+};
+
+class TestIconEngine : public QIconEngine
+{
+public:
+    TestIconEngine(const QString &icon)
+        : m_iconName(QIcon::themeName() + "/" + icon)
+    {
+    }
+
+    ~TestIconEngine()
+    {}
+
+    QIconEngine *clone() const override
+    {
+        return new TestIconEngine(m_iconName);
+    }
+
+    QString key() const override
+    {
+        return QStringLiteral("TestIconEngine");
+    }
+
+    QString iconName() override
+    {
+        return m_iconName;
+    }
+
+    bool isNull() override
+    {
+        return m_iconName.isNull();
+    }
+
+    QList<QSize> availableSizes(QIcon::Mode, QIcon::State) override
+    {
+        return {{16, 16}, {48, 48}, {64, 64}};
+    }
+
+    void paint(QPainter *painter, const QRect &rect, QIcon::Mode mode, QIcon::State state) override
+    {
+        Q_UNUSED(painter);
+        Q_UNUSED(rect);
+        Q_UNUSED(mode);
+        Q_UNUSED(state);
+    }
+
+private:
+    const QString m_iconName;
+};
+
+QIconEngine *TestIconPlugin::create(const QString &icon)
+{
+    return new TestIconEngine(icon);
+}
+
+QT_END_NAMESPACE
+
+#include "main.moc"
diff --git a/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/plugin.json b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/plugin.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..96b59aa79e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/plugin/plugin.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "Keys": [ "plugintheme", "SpecialTheme" ]
+}
diff --git a/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/tst_qicon.cpp b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/tst_qicon.cpp
index 99b4a0589ef..d95ee66fb68 100644
--- a/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/tst_qicon.cpp
+++ b/tests/auto/gui/image/qicon/tst_qicon.cpp
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ private slots:
 #endif
     void task223279_inconsistentAddFile();
 
+    void themeFromPlugin_data();
+    void themeFromPlugin();
+
 private:
     bool haveImageFormat(QByteArray const&);
 
@@ -872,6 +875,32 @@ void tst_QIcon::task223279_inconsistentAddFile()
     QCOMPARE(pm1.size(), pm2.size());
 }
 
+Q_IMPORT_PLUGIN(TestIconPlugin)
+
+void tst_QIcon::themeFromPlugin_data()
+{
+    QTest::addColumn<QString>("themeName");
+
+    QTest::addRow("plugintheme") << "plugintheme";
+    QTest::addRow("specialtheme") << "specialTheme"; // deliberately not matching case
+}
+
+void tst_QIcon::themeFromPlugin()
+{
+    QFETCH(const QString, themeName);
+    auto restoreTheme = qScopeGuard([oldTheme = QIcon::themeName()]{
+        QIcon::setThemeName(oldTheme);
+    });
+
+    QIcon icon = QIcon::fromTheme("icon1");
+    QVERIFY(icon.isNull());
+
+    QIcon::setThemeName(themeName);
+
+    icon = QIcon::fromTheme("icon1");
+    QVERIFY(!icon.isNull());
+    QCOMPARE(icon.name(), themeName + "/icon1");
+}
 
 QTEST_MAIN(tst_QIcon)
 #include "tst_qicon.moc"