diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c b/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c
index 2e000c068cc5a377d87923bb302a383abafd3a33..add163c9f0e7d4db3fe01afe704a72c5a923597b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-probe.c
@@ -249,6 +249,11 @@ int cmd_probe(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __used)
 	     !params.show_lines))
 		usage_with_options(probe_usage, options);
 
+	/*
+	 * Only consider the user's kernel image path if given.
+	 */
+	symbol_conf.try_vmlinux_path = (symbol_conf.vmlinux_name == NULL);
+
 	if (params.list_events) {
 		if (params.mod_events) {
 			pr_err("  Error: Don't use --list with --add/--del.\n");
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
index 3b6a5297bf16cd5a318273bc0a9bf198734a0cfe..b71acd6423cbcc09a3e21f7fa9d473edae9c6cda 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
@@ -114,6 +114,8 @@ static struct symbol *__find_kernel_function_by_name(const char *name,
 const char *kernel_get_module_path(const char *module)
 {
 	struct dso *dso;
+	struct map *map;
+	const char *vmlinux_name;
 
 	if (module) {
 		list_for_each_entry(dso, &machine.kernel_dsos, node) {
@@ -123,10 +125,17 @@ const char *kernel_get_module_path(const char *module)
 		}
 		pr_debug("Failed to find module %s.\n", module);
 		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	map = machine.vmlinux_maps[MAP__FUNCTION];
+	dso = map->dso;
+
+	vmlinux_name = symbol_conf.vmlinux_name;
+	if (vmlinux_name) {
+		if (dso__load_vmlinux(dso, map, vmlinux_name, NULL) <= 0)
+			return NULL;
 	} else {
-		dso = machine.vmlinux_maps[MAP__FUNCTION]->dso;
-		if (dso__load_vmlinux_path(dso,
-			 machine.vmlinux_maps[MAP__FUNCTION], NULL) < 0) {
+		if (dso__load_vmlinux_path(dso, map, NULL) < 0) {
 			pr_debug("Failed to load kernel map.\n");
 			return NULL;
 		}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
index d628c8d1cf5ec11111ab3b750da0d14f6d8fff7f..439ab947daf4af9da352caac290d372ce23846ac 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
@@ -1780,8 +1780,8 @@ out_failure:
 	return -1;
 }
 
-static int dso__load_vmlinux(struct dso *self, struct map *map,
-			     const char *vmlinux, symbol_filter_t filter)
+int dso__load_vmlinux(struct dso *self, struct map *map,
+		      const char *vmlinux, symbol_filter_t filter)
 {
 	int err = -1, fd;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol.h b/tools/perf/util/symbol.h
index 038f2201ee09579ca3f460d9f59576770ea477d2..6c6eafdb932dacefd29c3ea21e5bef90a80cc9a9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/symbol.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol.h
@@ -166,6 +166,8 @@ void dso__sort_by_name(struct dso *self, enum map_type type);
 struct dso *__dsos__findnew(struct list_head *head, const char *name);
 
 int dso__load(struct dso *self, struct map *map, symbol_filter_t filter);
+int dso__load_vmlinux(struct dso *self, struct map *map,
+		      const char *vmlinux, symbol_filter_t filter);
 int dso__load_vmlinux_path(struct dso *self, struct map *map,
 			   symbol_filter_t filter);
 int dso__load_kallsyms(struct dso *self, const char *filename, struct map *map,