diff --git a/winsup/cygwin/fhandler.h b/winsup/cygwin/fhandler.h
index 07aaf5779..58fd4a19e 100644
--- a/winsup/cygwin/fhandler.h
+++ b/winsup/cygwin/fhandler.h
@@ -2206,6 +2206,7 @@ class fhandler_pty_slave: public fhandler_pty_common
     return get_ttyp ()->ti.c_lflag & ICANON;
   }
   void setup_locale (void);
+  void set_freeconsole_on_close (bool val);
 };
 
 #define __ptsname(buf, unit) __small_sprintf ((buf), "/dev/pty%d", (unit))
diff --git a/winsup/cygwin/fhandler_tty.cc b/winsup/cygwin/fhandler_tty.cc
index 042ffd19c..983e058dc 100644
--- a/winsup/cygwin/fhandler_tty.cc
+++ b/winsup/cygwin/fhandler_tty.cc
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ struct pipe_reply {
 static int pcon_attached_to = -1;
 static bool isHybrid;
 static bool do_not_reset_switch_to_pcon;
+static bool freeconsole_on_close = true;
 
 #if USE_API_HOOK
 static void
@@ -725,7 +726,8 @@ fhandler_pty_slave::~fhandler_pty_slave ()
       if (used == 0)
 	{
 	  init_console_handler (false);
-	  FreeConsole ();
+	  if (freeconsole_on_close)
+	    FreeConsole ();
 	}
     }
 }
@@ -2660,6 +2662,12 @@ fhandler_pty_slave::setup_locale (void)
 	}
 }
 
+void
+fhandler_pty_slave::set_freeconsole_on_close (bool val)
+{
+  freeconsole_on_close = val;
+}
+
 void
 fhandler_pty_slave::fixup_after_attach (bool native_maybe, int fd_set)
 {
@@ -2783,7 +2791,8 @@ fhandler_pty_slave::fixup_after_exec ()
       if (used == 1 /* About to close this tty */)
 	{
 	  init_console_handler (false);
-	  FreeConsole ();
+	  if (freeconsole_on_close)
+	    FreeConsole ();
 	}
     }
 
diff --git a/winsup/cygwin/spawn.cc b/winsup/cygwin/spawn.cc
index 6a5034219..08d52bb28 100644
--- a/winsup/cygwin/spawn.cc
+++ b/winsup/cygwin/spawn.cc
@@ -607,6 +607,8 @@ child_info_spawn::worker (const char *prog_arg, const char *const *argv,
 			attach_to_console = true;
 		    }
 		  ptys->fixup_after_attach (!iscygwin (), fd);
+		  if (mode == _P_OVERLAY)
+		    ptys->set_freeconsole_on_close (iscygwin ());
 		}
 	    }
 	  else if (fh && fh->get_major () == DEV_CONS_MAJOR)
@@ -809,6 +811,8 @@ child_info_spawn::worker (const char *prog_arg, const char *const *argv,
 	  NtClose (old_winpid_hdl);
 	  real_path.get_wide_win32_path (myself->progname); // FIXME: race?
 	  sigproc_printf ("new process name %W", myself->progname);
+	  if (!iscygwin ())
+	    close_all_files ();
 	}
       else
 	{
@@ -907,8 +911,6 @@ child_info_spawn::worker (const char *prog_arg, const char *const *argv,
 		wait_for_myself ();
 	    }
 	  myself.exit (EXITCODE_NOSET);
-	  if (!iscygwin ())
-	    close_all_files ();
 	  break;
 	case _P_WAIT:
 	case _P_SYSTEM: