diff --git a/src/shared/switch-root.c b/src/shared/switch-root.c
index 333118f75f..17078c0490 100644
--- a/src/shared/switch-root.c
+++ b/src/shared/switch-root.c
@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ int switch_root(const char *new_root,
          * all while making them invisible/inaccessible in the file system tree for later code. That makes
          * sync'ing them then difficult. Let's hence issue a manual sync() here, so that we at least can
          * guarantee all file systems are an a good state before entering this state. */
-        sync();
+        if (!FLAGS_SET(flags, SWITCH_ROOT_DONT_SYNC))
+                sync();
 
         /* Work-around for kernel design: the kernel refuses MS_MOVE if any file systems are mounted
          * MS_SHARED. Hence remount them MS_PRIVATE here as a work-around.
diff --git a/src/shared/switch-root.h b/src/shared/switch-root.h
index 059b4603ea..79e47c67f4 100644
--- a/src/shared/switch-root.h
+++ b/src/shared/switch-root.h
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 typedef enum SwitchRootFlags {
         SWITCH_ROOT_DESTROY_OLD_ROOT = 1 << 0, /* rm -rf old root when switching – under the condition that it is backed by non-persistent tmpfs/ramfs/… */
+        SWITCH_ROOT_DONT_SYNC        = 1 << 1, /* don't call sync() immediately before switching root */
 } SwitchRootFlags;
 
 int switch_root(const char *new_root, const char *old_root_after, SwitchRootFlags flags);
diff --git a/src/shutdown/shutdown.c b/src/shutdown/shutdown.c
index be4adb79d5..cdf828616e 100644
--- a/src/shutdown/shutdown.c
+++ b/src/shutdown/shutdown.c
@@ -165,11 +165,15 @@ static int switch_root_initramfs(void) {
         if (mount(NULL, "/run/initramfs", NULL, MS_PRIVATE, NULL) < 0)
                 return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to make /run/initramfs private mount: %m");
 
-        /* Do not detach the old root, because /run/initramfs/shutdown needs to access it. */
+        /* Do not detach the old root, because /run/initramfs/shutdown needs to access it.
+         *
+         * Disable sync() during switch-root, we after all sync'ed here plenty, and a dumb sync (as opposed
+         * to the "smart" sync() we did here that looks at progress parameters) would defeat much of our
+         * efforts here. */
         return switch_root(
                         /* new_root= */ "/run/initramfs",
                         /* old_root_after= */ "/oldroot",
-                        /* flags= */ 0);
+                        /* flags= */ SWITCH_ROOT_DONT_SYNC);
 }
 
 /* Read the following fields from /proc/meminfo: