diff --git a/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft.cpp b/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft.cpp
index 9a5d9d6f2e2..dd30a150308 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft.cpp
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@
 #include "qabstractfileengine.h"
 #include "qthreadstorage.h"
 #include <qmath.h>
-#include <private/qharfbuzz_p.h>
 
 #include "qfontengine_ft_p.h"
 #include <ft2build.h>
diff --git a/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft_p.h b/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft_p.h
index 4ee26582b48..bd8e24a3fe9 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft_p.h
+++ b/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft_p.h
@@ -70,11 +70,7 @@
 
 #include <qmutex.h>
 
-#if defined (QT_BUILD_GUI_LIB)
-#  include "private/qharfbuzz_p.h"
-#else
-#  include "private/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h"
-#endif
+#include "private/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h"
 
 QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
diff --git a/src/gui/text/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h b/src/gui/text/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h
index 07503240a2d..74b824ab351 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h
+++ b/src/gui/text/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@
   headers for font and text classes without having to pull in the full
   harfbuzz library under QTDIR/src/3rdparty/harfbuzz/src
 */
+#if defined(QT_BUILD_GUI_LIB) || defined(QT_COMPILES_IN_HARFBUZZ)
+#include <private/qharfbuzz_p.h>
+#else
 
 extern "C" {
 
@@ -98,4 +101,6 @@ typedef struct {
 
 }
 
+#endif // ifdef QT_BUILD_GUI_LIB
+
 #endif // QHARFBUZZ_COPY_P_H
diff --git a/src/gui/text/qtextengine_p.h b/src/gui/text/qtextengine_p.h
index 44e38e7343c..f4752288c2a 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qtextengine_p.h
+++ b/src/gui/text/qtextengine_p.h
@@ -71,11 +71,7 @@
 #include "private/qtextdocument_p.h"
 #endif
 
-#if defined (QT_BUILD_GUI_LIB)
-#  include "private/qharfbuzz_p.h"
-#else
-#  include "private/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h"
-#endif
+#include "private/qharfbuzz_copy_p.h"
 
 #include "private/qfixed_p.h"
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/platforms/fontdatabases/basicunix/basicunix.pri b/src/plugins/platforms/fontdatabases/basicunix/basicunix.pri
index da4698df0d1..c1fbf3e411b 100644
--- a/src/plugins/platforms/fontdatabases/basicunix/basicunix.pri
+++ b/src/plugins/platforms/fontdatabases/basicunix/basicunix.pri
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ SOURCES += \
         $$QT_SOURCE_TREE/src/plugins/platforms/fontdatabases/basicunix/qbasicunixfontdatabase.cpp \
         $$QT_SOURCE_TREE/src/gui/text/qfontengine_ft.cpp
 
+DEFINES += QT_COMPILES_IN_HARFBUZZ
+
 INCLUDEPATH += $$QT_SOURCE_TREE/src/3rdparty/harfbuzz/src
 
 INCLUDEPATH += $$QT_SOURCE_TREE/src/plugins/platforms/fontdatabases/basicunix