diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/pe.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/pe.go
index 547200fbee..362d2fd0a5 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/pe.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/pe.go
@@ -1130,7 +1130,7 @@ func addimports(ctxt *Link, datsect *peSection) {
 		for m := d.ms; m != nil; m = m.next {
 			m.off = uint64(pefile.nextSectOffset) + uint64(ctxt.Out.Offset()) - uint64(startoff)
 			ctxt.Out.Write16(0) // hint
-			strput(ctxt.Out, ldr.SymExtname(m.s))
+			strput(ctxt.Out, ldr.Syms[m.s].Extname())
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go
index e3dec5feee..a6d9417c00 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go
@@ -2124,6 +2124,38 @@ func (l *Loader) LoadFull(arch *sys.Arch, syms *sym.Symbols, needReloc bool) {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+
+	// Free some memory.
+	// At this point we still need basic index mapping, and some fields of
+	// external symbol payloads, but not much else.
+	l.values = nil
+	l.symSects = nil
+	l.outdata = nil
+	l.itablink = nil
+	l.attrOnList = nil
+	l.attrLocal = nil
+	l.attrNotInSymbolTable = nil
+	l.attrVisibilityHidden = nil
+	l.attrDuplicateOK = nil
+	l.attrShared = nil
+	l.attrExternal = nil
+	l.attrReadOnly = nil
+	l.attrTopFrame = nil
+	l.attrSpecial = nil
+	l.attrCgoExportDynamic = nil
+	l.attrCgoExportStatic = nil
+	l.outer = nil
+	l.align = nil
+	l.dynimplib = nil
+	l.dynimpvers = nil
+	l.localentry = nil
+	l.extname = nil
+	l.elfType = nil
+	l.plt = nil
+	l.got = nil
+	l.dynid = nil
+	l.relocVariant = nil
+	l.extRelocs = nil
 }
 
 // ResolveABIAlias given a symbol returns the ABI alias target of that