diff --git a/mm/shmem.c b/mm/shmem.c
index 28024ce8b8fd..f9cb20ebb990 100644
--- a/mm/shmem.c
+++ b/mm/shmem.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include <linux/init.h>
 #include <linux/vfs.h>
 #include <linux/mount.h>
+#include <linux/pagemap.h>
 #include <linux/file.h>
 #include <linux/mm.h>
 #include <linux/module.h>
@@ -43,7 +44,6 @@ static struct vfsmount *shm_mnt;
 #include <linux/exportfs.h>
 #include <linux/generic_acl.h>
 #include <linux/mman.h>
-#include <linux/pagemap.h>
 #include <linux/string.h>
 #include <linux/slab.h>
 #include <linux/backing-dev.h>
@@ -65,13 +65,28 @@ static struct vfsmount *shm_mnt;
 #include <asm/div64.h>
 #include <asm/pgtable.h>
 
+/*
+ * The maximum size of a shmem/tmpfs file is limited by the maximum size of
+ * its triple-indirect swap vector - see illustration at shmem_swp_entry().
+ *
+ * With 4kB page size, maximum file size is just over 2TB on a 32-bit kernel,
+ * but one eighth of that on a 64-bit kernel.  With 8kB page size, maximum
+ * file size is just over 4TB on a 64-bit kernel, but 16TB on a 32-bit kernel,
+ * MAX_LFS_FILESIZE being then more restrictive than swap vector layout.
+ *
+ * We use / and * instead of shifts in the definitions below, so that the swap
+ * vector can be tested with small even values (e.g. 20) for ENTRIES_PER_PAGE.
+ */
 #define ENTRIES_PER_PAGE (PAGE_CACHE_SIZE/sizeof(unsigned long))
 #define ENTRIES_PER_PAGEPAGE ((unsigned long long)ENTRIES_PER_PAGE*ENTRIES_PER_PAGE)
+
+#define SHMSWP_MAX_INDEX (SHMEM_NR_DIRECT + (ENTRIES_PER_PAGEPAGE/2) * (ENTRIES_PER_PAGE+1))
+#define SHMSWP_MAX_BYTES (SHMSWP_MAX_INDEX << PAGE_CACHE_SHIFT)
+
+#define SHMEM_MAX_BYTES  min_t(unsigned long long, SHMSWP_MAX_BYTES, MAX_LFS_FILESIZE)
+#define SHMEM_MAX_INDEX  ((unsigned long)((SHMEM_MAX_BYTES+1) >> PAGE_CACHE_SHIFT))
+
 #define BLOCKS_PER_PAGE  (PAGE_CACHE_SIZE/512)
-
-#define SHMEM_MAX_INDEX  (SHMEM_NR_DIRECT + (ENTRIES_PER_PAGEPAGE/2) * (ENTRIES_PER_PAGE+1))
-#define SHMEM_MAX_BYTES  ((unsigned long long)SHMEM_MAX_INDEX << PAGE_CACHE_SHIFT)
-
 #define VM_ACCT(size)    (PAGE_CACHE_ALIGN(size) >> PAGE_SHIFT)
 
 /* info->flags needs VM_flags to handle pagein/truncate races efficiently */
@@ -2581,7 +2596,7 @@ int shmem_unuse(swp_entry_t entry, struct page *page)
 #define shmem_get_inode(sb, mode, dev, flags)	ramfs_get_inode(sb, mode, dev)
 #define shmem_acct_size(flags, size)		0
 #define shmem_unacct_size(flags, size)		do {} while (0)
-#define SHMEM_MAX_BYTES				LLONG_MAX
+#define SHMEM_MAX_BYTES				MAX_LFS_FILESIZE
 
 #endif /* CONFIG_SHMEM */