diff --git a/block/qcow2-refcount.c b/block/qcow2-refcount.c
index 64cb9f40be..94ade3d1e1 100644
--- a/block/qcow2-refcount.c
+++ b/block/qcow2-refcount.c
@@ -1169,18 +1169,22 @@ int qcow2_update_snapshot_refcount(BlockDriverState *bs,
     int64_t l1_table_offset, int l1_size, int addend)
 {
     BDRVQcow2State *s = bs->opaque;
-    uint64_t *l1_table, *l2_table, l2_offset, entry, l1_size2, refcount;
+    uint64_t *l1_table, *l2_slice, l2_offset, entry, l1_size2, refcount;
     bool l1_allocated = false;
     int64_t old_entry, old_l2_offset;
+    unsigned slice, slice_size, n_slices;
     int i, j, l1_modified = 0, nb_csectors;
     int ret;
 
     assert(addend >= -1 && addend <= 1);
 
-    l2_table = NULL;
+    l2_slice = NULL;
     l1_table = NULL;
     l1_size2 = l1_size * sizeof(uint64_t);
 
+    slice_size = s->l2_slice_size * sizeof(uint64_t);
+    n_slices = s->cluster_size / slice_size;
+
     s->cache_discards = true;
 
     /* WARNING: qcow2_snapshot_goto relies on this function not using the
@@ -1222,91 +1226,97 @@ int qcow2_update_snapshot_refcount(BlockDriverState *bs,
                 goto fail;
             }
 
-            ret = qcow2_cache_get(bs, s->l2_table_cache, l2_offset,
-                (void**) &l2_table);
-            if (ret < 0) {
-                goto fail;
-            }
+            for (slice = 0; slice < n_slices; slice++) {
+                ret = qcow2_cache_get(bs, s->l2_table_cache,
+                                      l2_offset + slice * slice_size,
+                                      (void **) &l2_slice);
+                if (ret < 0) {
+                    goto fail;
+                }
 
-            for (j = 0; j < s->l2_size; j++) {
-                uint64_t cluster_index;
-                uint64_t offset;
+                for (j = 0; j < s->l2_slice_size; j++) {
+                    uint64_t cluster_index;
+                    uint64_t offset;
 
-                entry = be64_to_cpu(l2_table[j]);
-                old_entry = entry;
-                entry &= ~QCOW_OFLAG_COPIED;
-                offset = entry & L2E_OFFSET_MASK;
+                    entry = be64_to_cpu(l2_slice[j]);
+                    old_entry = entry;
+                    entry &= ~QCOW_OFLAG_COPIED;
+                    offset = entry & L2E_OFFSET_MASK;
 
-                switch (qcow2_get_cluster_type(entry)) {
-                case QCOW2_CLUSTER_COMPRESSED:
-                    nb_csectors = ((entry >> s->csize_shift) &
-                                   s->csize_mask) + 1;
-                    if (addend != 0) {
-                        ret = update_refcount(bs,
-                                (entry & s->cluster_offset_mask) & ~511,
+                    switch (qcow2_get_cluster_type(entry)) {
+                    case QCOW2_CLUSTER_COMPRESSED:
+                        nb_csectors = ((entry >> s->csize_shift) &
+                                       s->csize_mask) + 1;
+                        if (addend != 0) {
+                            ret = update_refcount(
+                                bs, (entry & s->cluster_offset_mask) & ~511,
                                 nb_csectors * 512, abs(addend), addend < 0,
                                 QCOW2_DISCARD_SNAPSHOT);
-                        if (ret < 0) {
+                            if (ret < 0) {
+                                goto fail;
+                            }
+                        }
+                        /* compressed clusters are never modified */
+                        refcount = 2;
+                        break;
+
+                    case QCOW2_CLUSTER_NORMAL:
+                    case QCOW2_CLUSTER_ZERO_ALLOC:
+                        if (offset_into_cluster(s, offset)) {
+                            int l2_index = slice * s->l2_slice_size + j;
+                            qcow2_signal_corruption(
+                                bs, true, -1, -1, "Cluster "
+                                "allocation offset %#" PRIx64
+                                " unaligned (L2 offset: %#"
+                                PRIx64 ", L2 index: %#x)",
+                                offset, l2_offset, l2_index);
+                            ret = -EIO;
                             goto fail;
                         }
-                    }
-                    /* compressed clusters are never modified */
-                    refcount = 2;
-                    break;
 
-                case QCOW2_CLUSTER_NORMAL:
-                case QCOW2_CLUSTER_ZERO_ALLOC:
-                    if (offset_into_cluster(s, offset)) {
-                        qcow2_signal_corruption(bs, true, -1, -1, "Cluster "
-                                                "allocation offset %#" PRIx64
-                                                " unaligned (L2 offset: %#"
-                                                PRIx64 ", L2 index: %#x)",
-                                                offset, l2_offset, j);
-                        ret = -EIO;
-                        goto fail;
-                    }
+                        cluster_index = offset >> s->cluster_bits;
+                        assert(cluster_index);
+                        if (addend != 0) {
+                            ret = qcow2_update_cluster_refcount(
+                                bs, cluster_index, abs(addend), addend < 0,
+                                QCOW2_DISCARD_SNAPSHOT);
+                            if (ret < 0) {
+                                goto fail;
+                            }
+                        }
 
-                    cluster_index = offset >> s->cluster_bits;
-                    assert(cluster_index);
-                    if (addend != 0) {
-                        ret = qcow2_update_cluster_refcount(bs,
-                                    cluster_index, abs(addend), addend < 0,
-                                    QCOW2_DISCARD_SNAPSHOT);
+                        ret = qcow2_get_refcount(bs, cluster_index, &refcount);
                         if (ret < 0) {
                             goto fail;
                         }
-                    }
+                        break;
 
-                    ret = qcow2_get_refcount(bs, cluster_index, &refcount);
-                    if (ret < 0) {
-                        goto fail;
-                    }
-                    break;
+                    case QCOW2_CLUSTER_ZERO_PLAIN:
+                    case QCOW2_CLUSTER_UNALLOCATED:
+                        refcount = 0;
+                        break;
 
-                case QCOW2_CLUSTER_ZERO_PLAIN:
-                case QCOW2_CLUSTER_UNALLOCATED:
-                    refcount = 0;
-                    break;
-
-                default:
-                    abort();
-                }
+                    default:
+                        abort();
+                    }
 
-                if (refcount == 1) {
-                    entry |= QCOW_OFLAG_COPIED;
-                }
-                if (entry != old_entry) {
-                    if (addend > 0) {
-                        qcow2_cache_set_dependency(bs, s->l2_table_cache,
-                            s->refcount_block_cache);
+                    if (refcount == 1) {
+                        entry |= QCOW_OFLAG_COPIED;
+                    }
+                    if (entry != old_entry) {
+                        if (addend > 0) {
+                            qcow2_cache_set_dependency(bs, s->l2_table_cache,
+                                                       s->refcount_block_cache);
+                        }
+                        l2_slice[j] = cpu_to_be64(entry);
+                        qcow2_cache_entry_mark_dirty(s->l2_table_cache,
+                                                     l2_slice);
                     }
-                    l2_table[j] = cpu_to_be64(entry);
-                    qcow2_cache_entry_mark_dirty(s->l2_table_cache, l2_table);
                 }
+
+                qcow2_cache_put(s->l2_table_cache, (void **) &l2_slice);
             }
 
-            qcow2_cache_put(s->l2_table_cache, (void **) &l2_table);
-
             if (addend != 0) {
                 ret = qcow2_update_cluster_refcount(bs, l2_offset >>
                                                         s->cluster_bits,
@@ -1332,8 +1342,8 @@ int qcow2_update_snapshot_refcount(BlockDriverState *bs,
 
     ret = bdrv_flush(bs);
 fail:
-    if (l2_table) {
-        qcow2_cache_put(s->l2_table_cache, (void **) &l2_table);
+    if (l2_slice) {
+        qcow2_cache_put(s->l2_table_cache, (void **) &l2_slice);
     }
 
     s->cache_discards = false;
