diff --git a/lld/ELF/Symbols.h b/lld/ELF/Symbols.h
--- a/lld/ELF/Symbols.h
+++ b/lld/ELF/Symbols.h
@@ -258,6 +258,9 @@
   uint8_t isPreemptible : 1;
 
   // True if an undefined or shared symbol is used from a live section.
+  //
+  // NOTE: In Writer.cpp the field is used to mark local defined symbols
+  // which are referenced by relocations when -r or --emit-relocs is given.
   uint8_t used : 1;
 
   // True if a call to this symbol needs to be followed by a restore of the
diff --git a/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp b/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp
--- a/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp
+++ b/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp
@@ -637,13 +637,48 @@
     error("failed to write to the output file: " + toString(std::move(e)));
 }
 
+template <class ELFT, class RelTy>
+static void markUsedLocalSymbolsImpl(ObjFile<ELFT> *file,
+                                     llvm::ArrayRef<RelTy> rels) {
+  for (const RelTy &rel : rels) {
+    Symbol &sym = file->getRelocTargetSym(rel);
+    if (sym.isLocal())
+      sym.used = true;
+  }
+}
+
+// The function ensures that the "used" field of local symbols reflects the fact
+// that the symbol is used in a relocation from a live section.
+template <class ELFT> static void markUsedLocalSymbols() {
+  // With --gc-sections, the field is already filled.
+  // See MarkLive<ELFT>::resolveReloc().
+  if (config->gcSections)
+    return;
+  // Without --gc-sections, the field is initialized with "true".
+  // Drop the flag first and then rise for symbols referenced in relocations.
+  for (InputFile *file : objectFiles) {
+    ObjFile<ELFT> *f = cast<ObjFile<ELFT>>(file);
+    for (Symbol *b : f->getLocalSymbols())
+      b->used = false;
+    for (InputSectionBase *s : f->getSections()) {
+      InputSection *isec = dyn_cast_or_null<InputSection>(s);
+      if (!isec)
+        continue;
+      if (isec->type == SHT_REL)
+        markUsedLocalSymbolsImpl(f, isec->getDataAs<typename ELFT::Rel>());
+      else if (isec->type == SHT_RELA)
+        markUsedLocalSymbolsImpl(f, isec->getDataAs<typename ELFT::Rela>());
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 static bool shouldKeepInSymtab(const Defined &sym) {
   if (sym.isSection())
     return false;
 
-  // If --emit-reloc or -r is given, all symbols including local ones need to be
-  // copied because they may be referenced by relocations.
-  if (config->copyRelocs)
+  // If --emit-reloc or -r is given, preserve symbols referenced by relocations
+  // from live sections.
+  if (config->copyRelocs && sym.used)
     return true;
 
   if (config->discard == DiscardPolicy::None)
@@ -696,6 +731,8 @@
 template <class ELFT> void Writer<ELFT>::copyLocalSymbols() {
   if (!in.symTab)
     return;
+  if (config->copyRelocs && config->discard != DiscardPolicy::None)
+    markUsedLocalSymbols<ELFT>();
   for (InputFile *file : objectFiles) {
     ObjFile<ELFT> *f = cast<ObjFile<ELFT>>(file);
     for (Symbol *b : f->getLocalSymbols()) {
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/emit-relocs-discard-locals.s b/lld/test/ELF/emit-relocs-discard-locals.s
--- a/lld/test/ELF/emit-relocs-discard-locals.s
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/emit-relocs-discard-locals.s
@@ -1,31 +1,50 @@
 # REQUIRES: x86
-## Test that --emit-relocs keeps local symbols and overrides --discard-{locals,all}.
+## Test that --emit-relocs keeps local symbols which are used in relocations
+## even when --discard-{locals,all} is given.
+
+## There are two separate code paths that mark used local symbols when
+## --gc-sections is specified and when is not. The test checks both.
 
 # RUN: llvm-mc -filetype=obj -triple=x86_64 -save-temp-labels %s -o %t.o
 
 # RUN: ld.lld --emit-relocs --discard-locals %t.o -o %tlocal
-# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tlocal | FileCheck --check-prefixes=SYM,SYM-NOGC %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tlocal | FileCheck --check-prefixes=DISCARD-LOCALS,DISCARD-LOCALS-NOGC %s
 # RUN: llvm-readobj -r %tlocal | FileCheck --check-prefix=REL %s
+
 ## --gc-sections can discard symbols relative to GCed sections (including STT_SECTION).
 # RUN: ld.lld --emit-relocs --discard-locals --gc-sections %t.o -o %tlocal.gc
-# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tlocal.gc | FileCheck --check-prefix=SYM %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tlocal.gc | FileCheck --check-prefix=DISCARD-LOCALS %s
 # RUN: llvm-readobj -r %tlocal | FileCheck --check-prefix=REL %s
 
 # RUN: ld.lld --emit-relocs --discard-all %t.o -o %tall
-# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tall | FileCheck --check-prefixes=SYM,SYM-NOGC %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tall | FileCheck --check-prefixes=DISCARD-ALL,DISCARD-ALL-NOGC %s
 # RUN: llvm-readobj -r %tall | FileCheck --check-prefix=REL %s
 
-# SYM:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lunused
-# SYM-NOGC-NEXT: NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lunused_gc
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lused
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused
-# SYM-NOGC-NEXT: NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused_gc
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} used
-# SYM-NEXT:      SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .text
-# SYM-NEXT:      SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} text
-# SYM-NOGC-NEXT: SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} gc
-# SYM-NEXT:      SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .comment
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  GLOBAL DEFAULT {{.*}} _start
+# RUN: ld.lld --emit-relocs --discard-all --gc-sections %t.o -o %tall.gc
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tall.gc | FileCheck --check-prefix=DISCARD-ALL %s
+# RUN: llvm-readobj -r %tall.gc | FileCheck --check-prefix=REL %s
+
+## --discard-locals removes unused local symbols which start with ".L"
+# DISCARD-LOCALS:    0: {{0+}} 0 NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT UND
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lused
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NOGC-NEXT:      NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused_gc
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} used
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .text
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} text
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NOGC-NEXT:      SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} gc
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .comment
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  GLOBAL DEFAULT {{.*}} _start
+
+## --discard-all removes all unused regular local symbols.
+# DISCARD-ALL:       0: {{0+}} 0 NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT UND
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:              NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lused
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:              NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} used
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:              SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .text
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:              SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} text
+# DISCARD-ALL-NOGC-NEXT:         SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} gc
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:              SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .comment
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:              NOTYPE  GLOBAL DEFAULT {{.*}} _start
 
 # REL:      .rela.text {
 # REL-NEXT:   R_X86_64_PLT32 text 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFC
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-discard-locals.s b/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-discard-locals.s
--- a/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-discard-locals.s
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-discard-locals.s
@@ -1,27 +1,36 @@
 # REQUIRES: x86
-## Test that -r keeps local symbols and overrides --discard-{locals,all}.
-## Also see emit-relocs-discard-locals.s
+## Test that -r keeps local symbols which are used in relocations even when
+## --discard-{locals,all} is given.
 
 # RUN: llvm-mc -filetype=obj -triple=x86_64 -save-temp-labels %s -o %t.o
 
 # RUN: ld.lld -r --discard-locals %t.o -o %tlocal.ro
-# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tlocal.ro | FileCheck --check-prefixes=SYM,SYM-NOGC %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tlocal.ro | FileCheck --check-prefix=DISCARD-LOCALS %s
 # RUN: llvm-readobj -r %tlocal.ro | FileCheck --check-prefix=REL %s
 
 # RUN: ld.lld -r --discard-all %t.o -o %tall.ro
-# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tall.ro | FileCheck --check-prefixes=SYM,SYM-NOGC %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -s %tall.ro | FileCheck --check-prefix=DISCARD-ALL %s
 # RUN: llvm-readobj -r %tall.ro | FileCheck --check-prefix=REL %s
 
-# SYM:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lunused
-# SYM-NOGC-NEXT: NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lunused_gc
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lused
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused
-# SYM-NOGC-NEXT: NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused_gc
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} used
-# SYM-NEXT:      SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .text
-# SYM-NEXT:      SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} text
-# SYM-NOGC-NEXT: SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} gc
-# SYM-NEXT:      NOTYPE  GLOBAL DEFAULT {{.*}} _start
+## --discard-locals removes unused local symbols which start with ".L"
+# DISCARD-LOCALS:    0: {{0+}} 0 NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT UND
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lused
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} unused_gc
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} used
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .text
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} text
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} gc
+# DISCARD-LOCALS-NEXT:           NOTYPE  GLOBAL DEFAULT {{.*}} _start
+
+## --discard-all removes all unused regular local symbols.
+# DISCARD-ALL:    0: {{0+}} 0 NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT UND
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .Lused
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:           NOTYPE  LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} used
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} .text
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} text
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:           SECTION LOCAL  DEFAULT {{.*}} gc
+# DISCARD-ALL-NEXT:           NOTYPE  GLOBAL DEFAULT {{.*}} _start
 
 # REL:      .rela.text {
 # REL-NEXT:   R_X86_64_PLT32 text 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFC