diff --git a/util/qemu-thread-win32.c b/util/qemu-thread-win32.c
index 9595a5b090..255c88571f 100644
--- a/util/qemu-thread-win32.c
+++ b/util/qemu-thread-win32.c
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ typedef HRESULT (WINAPI *pSetThreadDescription) (HANDLE hThread,
 static pSetThreadDescription SetThreadDescriptionFunc;
 static HMODULE kernel32_module;
 
+static void set_thread_description(const char *name);
+
 static bool load_set_thread_description(void)
 {
     static gsize _init_once = 0;
@@ -225,6 +227,7 @@ struct QemuThreadData {
     void             *arg;
     short             mode;
     NotifierList      exit;
+    char             *name; /* Freed in win32_start_routine */
 
     /* Only used for joinable threads. */
     bool              exited;
@@ -266,6 +269,10 @@ static unsigned __stdcall win32_start_routine(void *arg)
     void *(*start_routine)(void *) = data->start_routine;
     void *thread_arg = data->arg;
 
+    if (data->name) {
+        set_thread_description(data->name);
+        g_clear_pointer(&data->name, g_free);
+    }
     qemu_thread_data = data;
     qemu_thread_exit(start_routine(thread_arg));
     abort();
@@ -316,7 +323,7 @@ void *qemu_thread_join(QemuThread *thread)
     return ret;
 }
 
-static void set_thread_description(HANDLE h, const char *name)
+static void set_thread_description(const char *name)
 {
     g_autofree wchar_t *namew = NULL;
 
@@ -329,7 +336,7 @@ static void set_thread_description(HANDLE h, const char *name)
         return;
     }
 
-    SetThreadDescriptionFunc(h, namew);
+    SetThreadDescriptionFunc(GetCurrentThread(), namew);
 }
 
 void qemu_thread_create(QemuThread *thread, const char *name,
@@ -344,6 +351,7 @@ void qemu_thread_create(QemuThread *thread, const char *name,
     data->arg = arg;
     data->mode = mode;
     data->exited = false;
+    data->name = g_strdup(name);
     notifier_list_init(&data->exit);
 
     if (data->mode != QEMU_THREAD_DETACHED) {
@@ -355,9 +363,6 @@ void qemu_thread_create(QemuThread *thread, const char *name,
     if (!hThread) {
         error_exit(GetLastError(), __func__);
     }
-    if (name) {
-        set_thread_description(hThread, name);
-    }
     CloseHandle(hThread);
 
     thread->data = data;