diff --git a/libs/gst/helpers/meson.build b/libs/gst/helpers/meson.build
index 34aa64012b..3a3a1b8be3 100644
--- a/libs/gst/helpers/meson.build
+++ b/libs/gst/helpers/meson.build
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ executable('gst-plugin-scanner',
   c_args : gst_c_args,
   include_directories : [configinc],
   dependencies : [gobject_dep, gmodule_dep, glib_dep, mathlib, gst_dep],
-  link_with : [printf_lib],
   install_dir : helpers_install_dir,
   install: true,
 )
@@ -124,7 +123,6 @@ if have_ptp
     c_args : gst_c_args,
     include_directories : [configinc, libsinc],
     dependencies : [gio_dep, gobject_dep, glib_dep, mathlib, gst_dep, cap_dep],
-    link_with : [printf_lib],
     install_dir : helpers_install_dir,
     install : true)
 
diff --git a/plugins/tracers/meson.build b/plugins/tracers/meson.build
index f51573615b..da3ced5713 100644
--- a/plugins/tracers/meson.build
+++ b/plugins/tracers/meson.build
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ gst_tracers = library('gstcoretracers',
   c_args : tracers_args,
   include_directories : [configinc],
   dependencies : [gst_dep],
-  link_with : printf_lib,
   install : true,
   install_dir : '@0@/gstreamer-1.0'.format(get_option('libdir')),
 )
diff --git a/tests/benchmarks/meson.build b/tests/benchmarks/meson.build
index 0ed4808e49..598f19c8d2 100644
--- a/tests/benchmarks/meson.build
+++ b/tests/benchmarks/meson.build
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ benchmarks = [
 foreach b : benchmarks
   executable(b, '@0@.c'.format(b),
     c_args : gst_c_args,
-    link_with : [printf_lib],
     dependencies : [gobject_dep, gmodule_dep, glib_dep, gst_dep, gst_controller_dep],
     )
 endforeach
diff --git a/tools/meson.build b/tools/meson.build
index 322312aa99..78ea0e03b8 100644
--- a/tools/meson.build
+++ b/tools/meson.build
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ foreach tool : tools
     install: true,
     include_directories : [configinc],
     dependencies : [glib_dep, gobject_dep, gmodule_dep, mathlib, gst_dep],
-    link_with: [printf_lib],
     c_args: gst_c_args,
   )