diff --git a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/back/link.rs b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/back/link.rs
index 8cbf3647f5630..b9e3ba4ab9ada 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/back/link.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/back/link.rs
@@ -1073,27 +1073,43 @@ fn report_linker_output(
         escape_string(output.trim().as_bytes())
     }
 
+    fn has_lnk_code(line: &str) -> bool {
+        // link.exe diagnostics are structured as `LINK : warning LNK####:` or
+        // `LINK : fatal error LNK####:`. The code is always followed by a `:`
+        // that is the second colon in the line, so matching that structure
+        // instead of scanning for `LNK####` anywhere avoids false positives on
+        // file names.
+        let Some((code_colon, _)) = line.match_indices(':').nth(1) else {
+            return false;
+        };
+        let Some(code) = code_colon.checked_sub(7) else {
+            return false;
+        };
+        let code = &line.as_bytes()[code..code_colon];
+        code.starts_with(b"LNK") && code[3..].iter().all(u8::is_ascii_digit)
+    }
+
     if is_msvc_link_exe(sess) {
         info!("inferred MSVC link.exe");
 
         escaped_stdout = for_each(&stdout, |line, output| {
-            // Hide some progress messages from link.exe that we don't care about.
-            // See https://github.com/chromium/chromium/blob/bfa41e41145ffc85f041384280caf2949bb7bd72/build/toolchain/win/tool_wrapper.py#L144-L146
-            // When incremental linking is enabled and an .ilk exists, but its associated .exe is
-            // missing, link.exe prints the path of the missing .exe followed by:
+            // Hide progress messages from link.exe that we don't care about.
+            // These include localized variants of the English messages (e.g.
+            // "Creating library ..."), which rustc cannot recognize by text
+            // without the English language pack.
+            // See https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/159133
+            // When incremental linking is enabled and an .ilk exists, but its
+            // associated .exe is missing, link.exe prints the path of the
+            // missing .exe followed by:
             let ilk_but_no_exe =
                 "not found or not built by the last incremental link; performing full link";
-            let trimmed = line.trim_start();
-            if trimmed.starts_with("Creating library")
-                || trimmed.starts_with("Generating code")
-                || trimmed.starts_with("Finished generating code")
-                || trimmed.ends_with(ilk_but_no_exe)
-            {
-                linker_info += line;
-                linker_info += "\r\n";
-            } else {
+            // LNK6004 is the one code-bearing line that is still informational.
+            if has_lnk_code(line) && !line.ends_with(ilk_but_no_exe) {
                 *output += line;
                 *output += "\r\n"
+            } else {
+                linker_info += line;
+                linker_info += "\r\n";
             }
         });
     } else if is_macos_linker(sess) {
diff --git a/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/fake-linker.rs b/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/fake-linker.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..2cbb68c4518bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/fake-linker.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+fn main() {
+    // Simulate a localized (e.g. Japanese) `link.exe`, as printed when the
+    // English language pack is not installed and `VSLANG=1033` has no effect.
+    // This is "Creating library foo.dll.lib and object foo.dll.exp" in Japanese.
+    println!("ライブラリ foo.dll.lib とオブジェクト foo.dll.exp を作成中");
+    // A file name containing an `LNK####`-looking fragment must not be
+    // mistaken for a diagnostic, which is why the matcher requires the
+    // structured `LINK : warning LNK####:` form.
+    println!("LNK2001.lib: progress message, not a diagnostic");
+    for arg in std::env::args() {
+        if arg == "run_make_lnk" {
+            // Real diagnostics are structured as `LINK : warning LNK####:`.
+            println!("LINK : warning LNK2001: unresolved external symbol foo");
+            // The one code-bearing informational line has no `LINK : ` prefix
+            // and keeps the exception that classifies it as `linker_info`.
+            println!(
+                "LNK6004: 'foo.exe' not found or not built by the last incremental link; \
+                 performing full link"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/main.rs b/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/main.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..f328e4d9d04c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/main.rs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+fn main() {}
diff --git a/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/rmake.rs b/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/rmake.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..3d0e4c0d7b61d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run-make/msvc-localized-linker-output/rmake.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+//@ only-msvc
+//@ ignore-cross-compile (need to run the fake link.exe on the host)
+
+//! Tests that localized (non-English) MSVC `link.exe` progress messages are
+//! classified as `linker_info`, not `linker_messages`.
+//!
+//! `link.exe` is hardcoded by rustc to run with `VSLANG=1033`, which only works
+//! when an English language pack is installed. Without it, messages like
+//! "Creating library ..." are printed in another language, and the English
+//! string matching that used to detect them fails. Since all real diagnostics
+//! carry a locale-independent `LNK####` code, printed in the structured
+//! `LINK : warning LNK####:` form, any line without one is informational, no
+//! matter the language it was printed in.
+
+use run_make_support::{bare_rustc, rustc, target};
+
+fn main() {
+    // rustc prepends the sysroot's tools bin directory to the linker's `PATH`,
+    // which bare names like `link.exe` are resolved against. Put the fake
+    // `link.exe` there so it wins over the real linker; `-L` below keeps std
+    // available from the real sysroot.
+    let fake_sysroot = std::env::current_dir().unwrap().join("fake-sysroot");
+    let tools_bin = fake_sysroot.join(format!("lib/rustlib/{}/bin", target()));
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&tools_bin).unwrap();
+    rustc().arg("fake-linker.rs").output(tools_bin.join("link.exe")).run();
+
+    let real_libdir = rustc().print("target-libdir").run().stdout_utf8();
+    let real_libdir = real_libdir.trim();
+
+    let fake_link = |extra: &[&str]| {
+        let mut r = bare_rustc();
+        r.input("main.rs")
+            .output("main")
+            .arg(format!("--sysroot={}", fake_sysroot.display()))
+            .arg(format!("-L{real_libdir}"))
+            // Matched by name against the linker's `PATH`, so the fake in the
+            // tools bin directory is used instead of the real VS linker.
+            .arg("-Clinker=link.exe")
+            // Overrides `rust.lld=true` on CI.
+            .arg("-Clinker-flavor=msvc");
+        for a in extra {
+            r.arg(a);
+        }
+        r
+    };
+
+    // The localized progress line must not warn by default.
+    fake_link(&[])
+        .run()
+        .assert_stderr_not_contains("linker stdout")
+        .assert_stderr_not_contains("ライブラリ foo.dll.lib とオブジェクト foo.dll.exp を作成中");
+
+    // It is still visible through `linker_info`, and must not be misclassified
+    // as `linker_messages`.
+    fake_link(&["-Wlinker_info", "-Dlinker_messages"]) // Fail if the message is misclassified.
+        .run()
+        .assert_stderr_contains("ライブラリ foo.dll.lib とオブジェクト foo.dll.exp を作成中");
+
+    // Real diagnostics keep their `LNK####` code and still warn.
+    fake_link(&["-Clink-arg=run_make_lnk"])
+        .run()
+        .assert_stderr_contains(
+            "warning: linker stdout: LINK : warning LNK2001: unresolved external symbol foo",
+        )
+        // The informational LNK6004 line stays hidden.
+        .assert_stderr_not_contains("LNK6004");
+}