diff --git a/compiler/rustc_session/src/session.rs b/compiler/rustc_session/src/session.rs
index 27879d817b208..20ba542fe063b 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_session/src/session.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_session/src/session.rs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ use rustc_span::source_map::{FilePathMapping, SourceMap};
 use rustc_span::{FileNameDisplayPreference, RealFileName, Span, Symbol};
 use rustc_target::asm::InlineAsmArch;
 use rustc_target::spec::{
-    CodeModel, DebuginfoKind, PanicStrategy, RelocModel, RelroLevel, SanitizerSet,
+    CodeModel, DebuginfoKind, LinkerFeatures, PanicStrategy, RelocModel, RelroLevel, SanitizerSet,
     SmallDataThresholdSupport, SplitDebuginfo, StackProtector, SymbolVisibility, Target,
     TargetTriple, TlsModel,
 };
@@ -622,11 +622,20 @@ impl Session {
 
     /// Returns the default symbol visibility.
     pub fn default_visibility(&self) -> SymbolVisibility {
+        // For now, we default to using protected only if the LLD linker features is enabled. This
+        // is to avoid link errors that are likely if using protected visibility with GNU ld < 2.40.
+        let fallback =
+            if self.opts.unstable_opts.linker_features.enabled.contains(LinkerFeatures::LLD) {
+                SymbolVisibility::Protected
+            } else {
+                SymbolVisibility::Interposable
+            };
+
         self.opts
             .unstable_opts
             .default_visibility
             .or(self.target.options.default_visibility)
-            .unwrap_or(SymbolVisibility::Interposable)
+            .unwrap_or(fallback)
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs
index 2519ace92b9e0..e86fb9506e963 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/utils/helpers.rs
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ pub fn linker_flags(
 ) -> Vec<String> {
     let mut args = vec![];
     if !builder.is_lld_direct_linker(target) && builder.config.lld_mode.is_used() {
-        args.push(String::from("-Clink-arg=-fuse-ld=lld"));
+        args.push(String::from("-Zlinker-features=+lld"));
 
         if matches!(lld_threads, LldThreads::No) {
             args.push(format!(
diff --git a/src/doc/unstable-book/src/compiler-flags/default-visibility.md b/src/doc/unstable-book/src/compiler-flags/default-visibility.md
index ad9e5d84bba80..d72a3c33dc2ad 100644
--- a/src/doc/unstable-book/src/compiler-flags/default-visibility.md
+++ b/src/doc/unstable-book/src/compiler-flags/default-visibility.md
@@ -10,12 +10,15 @@ setting.
 
 This option only affects building of shared objects and should have no effect on executables.
 
-Visibility an be set to one of three options:
+Visibility can be set to one of three options:
 
 * protected
 * hidden
 * interposable
 
+The default value for this flag is `interposable` unless `-Zlinker-features=+lld` is specified, in
+which case the default is `protected`.
+
 ## Hidden visibility
 
 Using `-Zdefault-visibility=hidden` is roughly equivalent to Clang's
diff --git a/tests/codegen/default-visibility.rs b/tests/codegen/default-visibility.rs
index 88ff9fee25447..a0352da53b5fd 100644
--- a/tests/codegen/default-visibility.rs
+++ b/tests/codegen/default-visibility.rs
@@ -3,10 +3,12 @@
 // also https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/73295 and
 // https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/37530.
 
-//@ revisions:DEFAULT HIDDEN PROTECTED INTERPOSABLE
+//@ revisions:NO_LLD LLD HIDDEN PROTECTED INTERPOSABLE
 //@[HIDDEN] compile-flags: -Zdefault-visibility=hidden
 //@[PROTECTED] compile-flags: -Zdefault-visibility=protected
 //@[INTERPOSABLE] compile-flags: -Zdefault-visibility=interposable
+//@[NO_LLD] compile-flags: -Zlinker-features=-lld
+//@[LLD] compile-flags: -Zlinker-features=+lld
 
 // The test scenario is specifically about visibility of symbols exported out of dynamically linked
 // libraries.
@@ -30,7 +32,8 @@ pub static tested_symbol: [u8; 6] = *b"foobar";
 // HIDDEN:       @{{.*}}default_visibility{{.*}}tested_symbol{{.*}} = hidden constant
 // PROTECTED:    @{{.*}}default_visibility{{.*}}tested_symbol{{.*}} = protected constant
 // INTERPOSABLE: @{{.*}}default_visibility{{.*}}tested_symbol{{.*}} = constant
-// DEFAULT:      @{{.*}}default_visibility{{.*}}tested_symbol{{.*}} = constant
+// NO_LLD:       @{{.*}}default_visibility{{.*}}tested_symbol{{.*}} = constant
+// LLD:          @{{.*}}default_visibility{{.*}}tested_symbol{{.*}} = protected constant
 
 pub fn do_memcmp(left: &[u8], right: &[u8]) -> i32 {
     left.cmp(right) as i32
@@ -46,4 +49,5 @@ pub fn do_memcmp(left: &[u8], right: &[u8]) -> i32 {
 // HIDDEN:       declare i32 @memcmp
 // PROTECTED:    declare i32 @memcmp
 // INTERPOSABLE: declare i32 @memcmp
-// DEFAULT:      declare i32 @memcmp
+// NO_LLD:       declare i32 @memcmp
+// LLD:          declare i32 @memcmp