diff --git a/src/corelib/tools/qringbuffer.cpp b/src/corelib/tools/qringbuffer.cpp
index c9ef3bc69a..d1a4ce79cb 100644
--- a/src/corelib/tools/qringbuffer.cpp
+++ b/src/corelib/tools/qringbuffer.cpp
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ void QRingBuffer::free(qint64 bytes)
             // keep a single block around if it does not exceed
             // the basic block size, to avoid repeated allocations
             // between uses of the buffer
-            if (bufferSize <= bytes) {
+            if (bufferSize == bytes) {
                 if (chunk.capacity() <= basicBlockSize && !chunk.isShared()) {
                     chunk.reset();
                     bufferSize = 0;