diff --git a/mm/page_alloc.c b/mm/page_alloc.c
index c95a77cd581b71105df79802a3b9d035501076ee..c5fb017c9430d1e2b97553315b330589645f4705 100644
--- a/mm/page_alloc.c
+++ b/mm/page_alloc.c
@@ -1561,7 +1561,7 @@ __alloc_pages_may_oom(gfp_t gfp_mask, unsigned int order,
 		goto out;
 
 	/* The OOM killer will not help higher order allocs */
-	if (order > PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER)
+	if (order > PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER && !(gfp_mask & __GFP_NOFAIL))
 		goto out;
 
 	/* Exhausted what can be done so it's blamo time */
@@ -1781,11 +1781,13 @@ __alloc_pages_slowpath(gfp_t gfp_mask, unsigned int order,
 				goto got_pg;
 
 			/*
-			 * The OOM killer does not trigger for high-order allocations
-			 * but if no progress is being made, there are no other
-			 * options and retrying is unlikely to help
+			 * The OOM killer does not trigger for high-order
+			 * ~__GFP_NOFAIL allocations so if no progress is being
+			 * made, there are no other options and retrying is
+			 * unlikely to help.
 			 */
-			if (order > PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER)
+			if (order > PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER &&
+						!(gfp_mask & __GFP_NOFAIL))
 				goto nopage;
 
 			goto restart;