diff --git a/rtgui/CMakeLists.txt b/rtgui/CMakeLists.txt
index c317f8525..63bbb17b1 100644
--- a/rtgui/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/rtgui/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -179,7 +179,6 @@ if(WIN32)
         ${GTKMM_LIBRARY_DIRS}
         ${GTK_LIBRARY_DIRS}
         )
-    #set_target_properties(rth PROPERTIES LINK_FLAGS "-mwindows")
 else()
     include_directories(${EXTRA_INCDIR}
         ${CANBERRA-GTK_INCLUDE_DIRS}
@@ -225,7 +224,7 @@ add_dependencies(rth UpdateInfo)
 add_dependencies(rth-cli UpdateInfo)
 
 # Set executables targets properties, i.e. output filename and compile flags
-set_target_properties(rth PROPERTIES COMPILE_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}" OUTPUT_NAME rawtherapee)
+set_target_properties(rth PROPERTIES COMPILE_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}" LINK_FLAGS "-mwindows" OUTPUT_NAME rawtherapee)
 set_target_properties(rth-cli PROPERTIES COMPILE_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}" OUTPUT_NAME rawtherapee-cli)
 
 # Add linked libraries dependencies to executables targets
diff --git a/win.cmake b/win.cmake
index 0a32ac956..3b330ebe0 100644
--- a/win.cmake
+++ b/win.cmake
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ set(PROC_TARGET_NUMBER 0 CACHE STRING "Target Processor")
 # CMAKE_C_FLAGS and CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS to select between 32/64bit build
 set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-mwin32 -m64 -mthreads -msse2" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C++ source files")
 set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "-O0 -g2" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C++ source files and Debug target")
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "-mwindows -Wno-aggressive-loop-optimizations -DNDEBUG -O3" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C++ source files and Release target")
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL "-mwindows -DNDEBUG -Os" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C++ source files and MinSizeRel target")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "-Wno-aggressive-loop-optimizations -DNDEBUG -O3" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C++ source files and Release target")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL "-DNDEBUG -Os" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C++ source files and MinSizeRel target")
 set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-O2 -g" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C++ source files and RelWithDebInfo target")
 
 # Uncomment the next line and set the right value to override the default value (special compiling flags for RTEngine)
@@ -39,12 +39,12 @@ set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-O2 -g" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C
 
 set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "-mwin32 -m64 -mthreads -msse2" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C source files")
 set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG "-O0 -g2" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C source files and Debug target")
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE "-mwindows -DNDEBUG -O2" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C source files and Release target")
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL "-mwindows -DNDEBUG -Os" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C source files and MinSizeRel target")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE "-DNDEBUG -O2" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C source files and Release target")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL "-DNDEBUG -Os" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C source files and MinSizeRel target")
 set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-O2 -g" CACHE STRING "Compiler options for C source files and RelWithDebInfo target")
 
 set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "-m64 -mthreads -static-libgcc" CACHE STRING "Linker options")
 set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_DEBUG "-O0" CACHE STRING "Linkage options for the Debug target")
-set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_RELEASE "-mwindows -s -O3" CACHE STRING "Linkage options for the Release target")
-set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL "-mwindows -s -Os" CACHE STRING "Linkage options for the MinSizeRel target")
+set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_RELEASE "-s -O3" CACHE STRING "Linkage options for the Release target")
+set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL "-s -Os" CACHE STRING "Linkage options for the MinSizeRel target")
 set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-s -O2" CACHE STRING "Linkage options for the RelWithDebInfo target")