diff --git a/deps/rabbit/src/rabbit_msg_store.erl b/deps/rabbit/src/rabbit_msg_store.erl
index f0d0dd9852..ddc53963be 100644
--- a/deps/rabbit/src/rabbit_msg_store.erl
+++ b/deps/rabbit/src/rabbit_msg_store.erl
@@ -1830,8 +1830,15 @@ compact_file(File, State = #gc_state { file_summary_ets = FileSummaryEts,
     %% Open the file.
     FileName = filenum_to_name(File),
     {ok, Fd} = file:open(form_filename(Dir, FileName), [read, write, binary, raw]),
-    %% Load the messages.
-    Messages = load_and_vacuum_message_file(File, State),
+    %% Load the messages. It's possible to get 0 messages here;
+    %% that's OK. That means we have little to do as the file is
+    %% about to be deleted.
+    {Messages, _} = scan_and_vacuum_message_file(File, State),
+    %% Blank holes. We must do this first otherwise the file is left
+    %% with data that may confuse the code (for example data that looks
+    %% like a message, isn't a message, but spans over a real message).
+    %% We blank more than is likely required but better safe than sorry.
+    blank_holes_in_file(Fd, Messages),
     %% Compact the file.
     {ok, TruncateSize, IndexUpdates} = do_compact_file(Fd, 0, Messages, lists:reverse(Messages), []),
     %% Sync and close the file.
@@ -1876,6 +1883,32 @@ compact_file(File, State = #gc_state { file_summary_ets = FileSummaryEts,
     garbage_collect(),
     ok.
 
+%% We must special case the blanking of the beginning of the file.
+blank_holes_in_file(Fd, [#msg_location{ offset = Offset }|Tail])
+        when Offset =/= 0 ->
+    Bytes = <<0:Offset/unit:8>>,
+    ok = file:pwrite(Fd, 0, Bytes),
+    blank_holes_in_file1(Fd, Tail);
+blank_holes_in_file(Fd, Messages) ->
+    blank_holes_in_file1(Fd, Messages).
+
+blank_holes_in_file1(Fd, [
+            #msg_location{ offset = OneOffset, total_size = OneSize },
+            #msg_location{ offset = TwoOffset } = Two
+        |Tail]) when OneOffset + OneSize < TwoOffset ->
+    Offset = OneOffset + OneSize,
+    Size = TwoOffset - Offset,
+    Bytes = <<0:Size/unit:8>>,
+    ok = file:pwrite(Fd, Offset, Bytes),
+    blank_holes_in_file1(Fd, [Two|Tail]);
+%% We either have only one message left, or contiguous messages.
+blank_holes_in_file1(Fd, [_|Tail]) ->
+    blank_holes_in_file1(Fd, Tail);
+%% No need to blank the hole past the last message as we will
+%% not write there (no confusion possible) and truncate afterwards.
+blank_holes_in_file1(_, []) ->
+    ok.
+
 %% If the message at the end fits into the hole we have found, we copy it there.
 %% We will do the ets:updates after the data is synced to disk.
 do_compact_file(Fd, Offset, Start = [#msg_location{ offset = StartMsgOffset }|_],
@@ -1962,27 +1995,7 @@ delete_file(File, State = #gc_state { file_summary_ets = FileSummaryEts,
             ok
     end.
 
-load_and_vacuum_message_file(File, State = #gc_state{ dir = Dir }) ->
-    %% Messages here will be end-of-file at start-of-list
-    {ok, Messages, _FileSize} =
-        scan_file_for_valid_messages(Dir, filenum_to_name(File)),
-    %% foldl will reverse so will end up with msgs in ascending offset order
-    lists:foldl(
-      fun ({MsgId, TotalSize, Offset}, Acc) ->
-              case index_lookup(MsgId, State) of
-                  #msg_location { file = File, total_size = TotalSize,
-                                  offset = Offset, ref_count = 0 } = Entry ->
-                      ok = index_delete_object(Entry, State),
-                      Acc;
-                  #msg_location { file = File, total_size = TotalSize,
-                                  offset = Offset } = Entry ->
-                      [ Entry | Acc ];
-                  _ ->
-                      Acc
-              end
-      end, [], Messages).
-
-scan_and_vacuum_message_file(File, State = #gc_state { dir = Dir }) ->
+scan_and_vacuum_message_file(File, State = #gc_state{ dir = Dir }) ->
     %% Messages here will be end-of-file at start-of-list
     {ok, Messages, _FileSize} =
         scan_file_for_valid_messages(Dir, filenum_to_name(File)),
@@ -1997,7 +2010,15 @@ scan_and_vacuum_message_file(File, State = #gc_state { dir = Dir }) ->
                   #msg_location { file = File, total_size = TotalSize,
                                   offset = Offset } = Entry ->
                       {[ Entry | List ], TotalSize + Size};
-                  _ ->
+                  %% Fan-out may remove the entry but also write a new
+                  %% entry in a different file when it needs to write
+                  %% a message and the existing reference is in a file
+                  %% that's about to be deleted. So we explicitly accept
+                  %% these cases and ignore this message.
+                  #msg_location { file = OtherFile, total_size = TotalSize }
+                          when File =/= OtherFile ->
+                      Acc;
+                  not_found ->
                       Acc
               end
       end, {[], 0}, Messages).
diff --git a/deps/rabbit/test/backing_queue_SUITE.erl b/deps/rabbit/test/backing_queue_SUITE.erl
index b6d4016ea7..d758adf45f 100644
--- a/deps/rabbit/test/backing_queue_SUITE.erl
+++ b/deps/rabbit/test/backing_queue_SUITE.erl
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
- % This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+%% This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
 %% License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 %% file, You can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 %%