diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 48785d1ddfe94b67aa08c5812a4b14d76ae6c298..8c50ea2e78e88a173d35468c743af5a9bb8f9157 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1727,9 +1727,7 @@ virNetDevGetVirtualFunctions;
 virNetDevGetVLanID;
 virNetDevIsVirtualFunction;
 virNetDevLinkDump;
-virNetDevReplaceMacAddress;
 virNetDevReplaceNetConfig;
-virNetDevRestoreMacAddress;
 virNetDevRestoreNetConfig;
 virNetDevRxFilterFree;
 virNetDevRxFilterModeTypeFromString;
diff --git a/src/util/virnetdev.c b/src/util/virnetdev.c
index 21fa9d02e91dd24592da7f834f2d4aa4427ecfa1..b7ea52452253fa16095f6614900a6de8a6259898 100644
--- a/src/util/virnetdev.c
+++ b/src/util/virnetdev.c
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ int virNetDevGetMAC(const char *ifname,
  * Returns 0 on success, -1 on failure
  *
  */
-int
+static int
 virNetDevReplaceMacAddress(const char *linkdev,
                            const virMacAddr *macaddress,
                            const char *stateDir)
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ virNetDevReplaceMacAddress(const char *linkdev,
  * Returns 0 on success, -errno on failure.
  *
  */
-int
+static int
 virNetDevRestoreMacAddress(const char *linkdev,
                            const char *stateDir)
 {
@@ -2286,7 +2286,8 @@ virNetDevReplaceVfConfig(const char *pflinkdev, int vf,
 }
 
 static int
-virNetDevRestoreVfConfig(const char *pflinkdev, int vf,
+virNetDevRestoreVfConfig(const char *pflinkdev,
+                         int vf, const char *vflinkdev,
                          const char *stateDir)
 {
     int rc = -1;
@@ -2301,6 +2302,17 @@ virNetDevRestoreVfConfig(const char *pflinkdev, int vf,
                     stateDir, pflinkdev, vf) < 0)
         return rc;
 
+    if (vflinkdev && !virFileExists(path)) {
+        /* this VF's config may have been stored with
+         * virNetDevReplaceMacAddress while running an older version
+         * of libvirt. If so, the ${pf}_vf${id} file won't exist. In
+         * that case, try to restore using the older method with the
+         * VF's name directly.
+         */
+        rc = virNetDevRestoreMacAddress(vflinkdev, stateDir);
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
     if (virFileReadAll(path, 128, &fileData) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -2354,11 +2366,31 @@ virNetDevReplaceNetConfig(const char *linkdev, int vf,
                           const virMacAddr *macaddress, int vlanid,
                           const char *stateDir)
 {
+    int ret = -1;
+    char *pfdevname = NULL;
+
+    if (vf == -1 && virNetDevIsVirtualFunction(linkdev)) {
+        /* If this really *is* a VF and the caller just didn't know
+         * it, we should set the MAC address via PF+vf# instead of
+         * setting directly via VF, because the latter will be
+         * rejected any time after the former has been done.
+         */
+        if (virNetDevGetPhysicalFunction(linkdev, &pfdevname) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+        if (virNetDevGetVirtualFunctionIndex(pfdevname, linkdev, &vf) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+        linkdev = pfdevname;
+    }
+
     if (vf == -1)
-        return virNetDevReplaceMacAddress(linkdev, macaddress, stateDir);
+        ret = virNetDevReplaceMacAddress(linkdev, macaddress, stateDir);
     else
-        return virNetDevReplaceVfConfig(linkdev, vf, macaddress, vlanid,
-                                        stateDir);
+        ret = virNetDevReplaceVfConfig(linkdev, vf, macaddress, vlanid,
+                                       stateDir);
+
+ cleanup:
+    VIR_FREE(pfdevname);
+    return ret;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -2373,10 +2405,32 @@ virNetDevReplaceNetConfig(const char *linkdev, int vf,
 int
 virNetDevRestoreNetConfig(const char *linkdev, int vf, const char *stateDir)
 {
+    int ret = -1;
+    char *pfdevname = NULL;
+    const char *vfdevname = NULL;
+
+    if (vf == -1 && virNetDevIsVirtualFunction(linkdev)) {
+        /* If this really *is* a VF and the caller just didn't know
+         * it, we should set the MAC address via PF+vf# instead of
+         * setting directly via VF, because the latter will be
+         * rejected any time after the former has been done.
+         */
+        if (virNetDevGetPhysicalFunction(linkdev, &pfdevname) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+        if (virNetDevGetVirtualFunctionIndex(pfdevname, linkdev, &vf) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+        vfdevname = linkdev;
+        linkdev = pfdevname;
+    }
+
     if (vf == -1)
-        return virNetDevRestoreMacAddress(linkdev, stateDir);
+        ret = virNetDevRestoreMacAddress(linkdev, stateDir);
     else
-        return virNetDevRestoreVfConfig(linkdev, vf, stateDir);
+        ret = virNetDevRestoreVfConfig(linkdev, vf, vfdevname, stateDir);
+
+ cleanup:
+    VIR_FREE(pfdevname);
+    return ret;
 }
 
 #else /* defined(__linux__) && defined(HAVE_LIBNL) */
diff --git a/src/util/virnetdev.h b/src/util/virnetdev.h
index 72acda5ce47725eb0f6e0caeea14725edaa0d595..190b70e9547f07b717f2b9d4377eefc27e087245 100644
--- a/src/util/virnetdev.h
+++ b/src/util/virnetdev.h
@@ -114,17 +114,6 @@ int virNetDevGetMAC(const char *ifname,
                     virMacAddrPtr macaddr)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2) ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
 
-int virNetDevReplaceMacAddress(const char *linkdev,
-                               const virMacAddr *macaddress,
-                               const char *stateDir)
-    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(3)
-    ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
-
-int virNetDevRestoreMacAddress(const char *linkdev,
-                               const char *stateDir)
-    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2) ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
-
-
 int virNetDevSetMTU(const char *ifname,
                     int mtu)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
diff --git a/src/util/virnetdevmacvlan.c b/src/util/virnetdevmacvlan.c
index 57b03d08b5473e9d14da62e065bc89c8a3aee05e..213b8eb637e511b6c42560f87bbd00573f424192 100644
--- a/src/util/virnetdevmacvlan.c
+++ b/src/util/virnetdevmacvlan.c
@@ -779,7 +779,7 @@ int virNetDevMacVLanCreateWithVPortProfile(const char *tgifname,
      * emulate their switch in firmware.
      */
     if (mode == VIR_NETDEV_MACVLAN_MODE_PASSTHRU) {
-        if (virNetDevReplaceMacAddress(linkdev, macaddress, stateDir) < 0)
+        if (virNetDevReplaceNetConfig(linkdev, -1, macaddress, -1, stateDir) < 0)
             return -1;
     }
 
@@ -914,7 +914,7 @@ int virNetDevMacVLanDeleteWithVPortProfile(const char *ifname,
     int vf = -1;
 
     if (mode == VIR_NETDEV_MACVLAN_MODE_PASSTHRU)
-        ignore_value(virNetDevRestoreMacAddress(linkdev, stateDir));
+        ignore_value(virNetDevRestoreNetConfig(linkdev, vf, stateDir));
 
     if (ifname) {
         if (virNetDevVPortProfileDisassociate(ifname,