diff --git a/src/librustc/session/config.rs b/src/librustc/session/config.rs
index 49cd3eff21a6c..0aed1bf827dbd 100644
--- a/src/librustc/session/config.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/session/config.rs
@@ -1381,7 +1381,7 @@ options! {DebuggingOptions, DebuggingSetter, basic_debugging_options,
                      "insert profiling code"),
     pgo_gen: PgoGenerate = (PgoGenerate::Disabled, parse_pgo_generate, [TRACKED],
         "Generate PGO profile data, to a given file, or to the default location if it's empty."),
-    pgo_use: String = (String::new(), parse_string, [TRACKED],
+    pgo_use: Option<PathBuf> = (None, parse_opt_pathbuf, [TRACKED],
         "Use PGO profile data from the given profile file."),
     disable_instrumentation_preinliner: bool = (false, parse_bool, [TRACKED],
         "Disable the instrumentation pre-inliner, useful for profiling / PGO."),
@@ -2021,7 +2021,7 @@ pub fn build_session_options_and_crate_config(
         }
     }
 
-    if debugging_opts.pgo_gen.enabled() && !debugging_opts.pgo_use.is_empty() {
+    if debugging_opts.pgo_gen.enabled() && debugging_opts.pgo_use.is_some() {
         early_error(
             error_format,
             "options `-Z pgo-gen` and `-Z pgo-use` are exclusive",
diff --git a/src/librustc_codegen_llvm/back/write.rs b/src/librustc_codegen_llvm/back/write.rs
index 66ba95810a625..1eee9ab8c0b67 100644
--- a/src/librustc_codegen_llvm/back/write.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_codegen_llvm/back/write.rs
@@ -721,11 +721,9 @@ pub unsafe fn with_llvm_pmb(llmod: &llvm::Module,
         }
     };
 
-    let pgo_use_path = if config.pgo_use.is_empty() {
-        None
-    } else {
-        Some(CString::new(config.pgo_use.as_bytes()).unwrap())
-    };
+    let pgo_use_path = config.pgo_use.as_ref().map(|path_buf| {
+        CString::new(path_buf.to_string_lossy().as_bytes()).unwrap()
+    });
 
     llvm::LLVMRustConfigurePassManagerBuilder(
         builder,
diff --git a/src/librustc_codegen_ssa/back/write.rs b/src/librustc_codegen_ssa/back/write.rs
index 1c793996c83db..74c41969268e9 100644
--- a/src/librustc_codegen_ssa/back/write.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_codegen_ssa/back/write.rs
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ pub struct ModuleConfig {
     pub opt_size: Option<config::OptLevel>,
 
     pub pgo_gen: PgoGenerate,
-    pub pgo_use: String,
+    pub pgo_use: Option<PathBuf>,
 
     // Flags indicating which outputs to produce.
     pub emit_pre_lto_bc: bool,
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ impl ModuleConfig {
             opt_size: None,
 
             pgo_gen: PgoGenerate::Disabled,
-            pgo_use: String::new(),
+            pgo_use: None,
 
             emit_no_opt_bc: false,
             emit_pre_lto_bc: false,