diff --git a/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh b/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh
index 058c11f3..8f1858a1 100644
--- a/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh
+++ b/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh
@@ -1500,23 +1500,6 @@ class QPDFObjectHandle
     };
     friend class ObjAccessor;
 
-    // Provide access to specific classes for recursive
-    // releaseResolved().
-    class ReleaseResolver
-    {
-        friend class QPDF_Dictionary;
-        friend class QPDF_Stream;
-        friend class SparseOHArray;
-
-      private:
-        static void
-        releaseResolved(QPDFObjectHandle& o)
-        {
-            o.releaseResolved();
-        }
-    };
-    friend class ReleaseResolver;
-
     // Convenience routine: Throws if the assumption is violated. Your
     // code will be better if you call one of the isType methods and
     // handle the case of the type being wrong, but these can be
@@ -1614,8 +1597,6 @@ class QPDFObjectHandle
         bool first_level_only,
         bool stop_at_streams);
     void shallowCopyInternal(QPDFObjectHandle& oh, bool first_level_only);
-    void releaseResolved();
-
     void setParsedOffset(qpdf_offset_t offset);
     void parseContentStream_internal(
         std::string const& description, ParserCallbacks* callbacks);
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF.cc
index 49a33633..15636d34 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF.cc
@@ -249,17 +249,16 @@ QPDF::~QPDF()
     // std::shared_ptr objects will prevent the objects from being
     // deleted.  Walk through all objects in the object cache, which
     // is those objects that we read from the file, and break all
-    // resolved references.  At this point, obviously no one is still
+    // resolved indirect references by replacing them with direct
+    // null objects.  At this point, obviously no one is still
     // using the QPDF object, but we'll explicitly clear the xref
     // table anyway just to prevent any possibility of resolve()
     // succeeding.  Note that we can't break references like this at
-    // any time when the QPDF object is active.  If we do, the next
-    // reference will reread the object from the file, which would
-    // have the effect of undoing any modifications that may have been
-    // made to any of the objects.
+    // any time when the QPDF object is active.
     this->m->xref_table.clear();
+    auto null_obj = QPDF_Null::create();
     for (auto const& iter: this->m->obj_cache) {
-        iter.second.object->releaseResolved();
+        iter.second.object->assign(null_obj);
         iter.second.object->resetObjGen();
     }
 }
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc b/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc
index 83369b54..4b1ebe43 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc
@@ -236,22 +236,6 @@ LastChar::getLastChar()
     return this->last_char;
 }
 
-void
-QPDFObjectHandle::releaseResolved()
-{
-    // Recursively break any resolved references to indirect objects.
-    // Do not cross over indirect object boundaries to avoid an
-    // infinite loop.  This method may only be called during final
-    // destruction.  See comments in QPDF::~QPDF().
-    if (this->obj.get()) {
-        if (isIndirect()) {
-            this->obj = nullptr;
-        } else {
-            this->obj->releaseResolved();
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 qpdf_object_type_e
 QPDFObjectHandle::getTypeCode()
 {
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc
index 63fe98d4..7d42508c 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc
@@ -34,12 +34,6 @@ QPDF_Array::shallowCopy()
     return create(elements);
 }
 
-void
-QPDF_Array::releaseResolved()
-{
-    this->elements.releaseResolved();
-}
-
 std::string
 QPDF_Array::unparse()
 {
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.cc
index 845bcad8..be0104d0 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.cc
@@ -21,14 +21,6 @@ QPDF_Dictionary::shallowCopy()
     return create(items);
 }
 
-void
-QPDF_Dictionary::releaseResolved()
-{
-    for (auto& iter: this->items) {
-        QPDFObjectHandle::ReleaseResolver::releaseResolved(iter.second);
-    }
-}
-
 std::string
 QPDF_Dictionary::unparse()
 {
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc
index 9932c15d..4e5e2013 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc
@@ -167,13 +167,6 @@ QPDF_Stream::getFilterOnWrite() const
     return this->filter_on_write;
 }
 
-void
-QPDF_Stream::releaseResolved()
-{
-    this->stream_provider = nullptr;
-    QPDFObjectHandle::ReleaseResolver::releaseResolved(this->stream_dict);
-}
-
 void
 QPDF_Stream::setObjGen(QPDFObjGen const& og)
 {
diff --git a/libqpdf/SparseOHArray.cc b/libqpdf/SparseOHArray.cc
index 4a9be809..7aa553df 100644
--- a/libqpdf/SparseOHArray.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/SparseOHArray.cc
@@ -48,14 +48,6 @@ SparseOHArray::remove_last()
     this->elements.erase(this->n_elements);
 }
 
-void
-SparseOHArray::releaseResolved()
-{
-    for (auto& iter: this->elements) {
-        QPDFObjectHandle::ReleaseResolver::releaseResolved(iter.second);
-    }
-}
-
 void
 SparseOHArray::setAt(size_t idx, QPDFObjectHandle oh)
 {
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObject.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObject.hh
index 0ed0fd4e..9d3c1fec 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObject.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObject.hh
@@ -137,12 +137,6 @@ class QPDFObject
         return dynamic_cast<T*>(value.get());
     }
 
-    void
-    releaseResolved()
-    {
-        value->releaseResolved();
-    }
-
   private:
     QPDFObject(QPDFObject const&) = delete;
     QPDFObject& operator=(QPDFObject const&) = delete;
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh
index b7da1f21..abcd02fc 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh
@@ -86,10 +86,7 @@ class QPDFValue
         og(og)
     {
     }
-    virtual void
-    releaseResolved()
-    {
-    }
+
     static std::shared_ptr<QPDFObject> do_create(QPDFValue*);
 
   private:
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Array.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Array.hh
index 426efe36..672e87f6 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Array.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Array.hh
@@ -33,9 +33,6 @@ class QPDF_Array: public QPDFValue
     // API. Otherwise, these would be wrapped in accessor classes.
     void addExplicitElementsToList(std::list<QPDFObjectHandle>&) const;
 
-  protected:
-    virtual void releaseResolved();
-
   private:
     QPDF_Array(std::vector<QPDFObjectHandle> const& items);
     QPDF_Array(SparseOHArray const& items);
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.hh
index 19ab8d9b..00de85e9 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Dictionary.hh
@@ -32,9 +32,6 @@ class QPDF_Dictionary: public QPDFValue
     // Remove key, doing nothing if key does not exist
     void removeKey(std::string const& key);
 
-  protected:
-    virtual void releaseResolved();
-
   private:
     QPDF_Dictionary(std::map<std::string, QPDFObjectHandle> const& items);
     std::map<std::string, QPDFObjectHandle> items;
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Stream.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Stream.hh
index 3a16160e..6430ae58 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Stream.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDF_Stream.hh
@@ -77,9 +77,6 @@ class QPDF_Stream: public QPDFValue
     // when adding streams to files.
     void setObjGen(QPDFObjGen const& og);
 
-  protected:
-    virtual void releaseResolved();
-
   private:
     QPDF_Stream(
         QPDF*,
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/SparseOHArray.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/SparseOHArray.hh
index b9938b3b..21a0a9c9 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/SparseOHArray.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/SparseOHArray.hh
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ class SparseOHArray
     void append(QPDFObjectHandle oh);
     QPDFObjectHandle at(size_t idx) const;
     void remove_last();
-    void releaseResolved();
     void setAt(size_t idx, QPDFObjectHandle oh);
     void erase(size_t idx);
     void insert(size_t idx, QPDFObjectHandle oh);