diff --git a/crates/optimize/src/links.rs b/crates/optimize/src/links.rs
index 744881df7..082d56e7d 100644
--- a/crates/optimize/src/links.rs
+++ b/crates/optimize/src/links.rs
@@ -150,11 +150,14 @@ fn referenced_names(doc: &Document) -> HashSet<Vec<u8>> {
         while let Some(o) = stack.pop() {
             match o {
                 Object::Dict(d) => {
-                    if let Some(n) = d.get(b"Dest").and_then(dest_name) {
+                    // Resolve first: /Dest and a GoTo's /D may be an indirect reference to the name
+                    // string, and an unresolved ref has no name, so the destination it uses would
+                    // look unreferenced and be removed.
+                    if let Some(n) = d.get(b"Dest").and_then(|x| dest_name(doc.resolve(x).as_ref())) {
                         out.insert(n);
                     }
                     if matches!(d.name(b"S"), Some(b"GoTo" | b"GoToR" | b"GoToE"))
-                        && let Some(n) = d.get(b"D").and_then(dest_name)
+                        && let Some(n) = d.get(b"D").and_then(|x| dest_name(doc.resolve(x).as_ref()))
                     {
                         out.insert(n);
                     }
diff --git a/crates/optimize/tests/optimize.rs b/crates/optimize/tests/optimize.rs
index 6cf53d4fc..6d9a9bb44 100644
--- a/crates/optimize/tests/optimize.rs
+++ b/crates/optimize/tests/optimize.rs
@@ -1097,3 +1097,45 @@ fn a_hostile_soft_mask_leaves_its_image_unchanged() {
     assert_eq!(stream(&doc, photo), before);
     assert_eq!(stream(&doc, mask), hostile);
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn indirectly_referenced_destination_is_kept() {
+    // A link's /Dest can be an indirect reference to the name string, not the string itself. Reduce
+    // File Size read the name only from a direct string, so it deleted a destination the link still
+    // used, silently breaking the link.
+    let mut doc = Document::new_empty();
+    let p = page(&mut doc, &[], "BT ET");
+    let s = |t: &str| Object::String(pdfcraft_cos::PdfString::literal(t.as_bytes().to_vec()));
+    // A link whose /Dest is `ref -> "target"`, and an unused destination for contrast.
+    let name_ref = Object::Ref(doc.add(s("target")));
+    let mut link = Dict::new();
+    link.set(b"Type".to_vec(), Object::name("Annot"));
+    link.set(b"Subtype".to_vec(), Object::name("Link"));
+    link.set(b"Rect".to_vec(), Object::Array(vec![0.into(), 0.into(), 10.into(), 10.into()]));
+    link.set(b"Dest".to_vec(), name_ref);
+    let link = Object::Ref(doc.add(Object::Dict(link)));
+    doc.update_dict(p, |d| d.set(b"Annots".to_vec(), Object::Array(vec![link]))).unwrap();
+    let fit = Object::Array(vec![Object::Ref(p), Object::name("Fit")]);
+    let mut tree = Dict::new();
+    tree.set(b"Names".to_vec(), Object::Array(vec![s("target"), fit.clone(), s("unused"), fit]));
+    let tree = doc.add(Object::Dict(tree));
+    let mut names = Dict::new();
+    names.set(b"Dests".to_vec(), Object::Ref(tree));
+    let root = doc.root().unwrap();
+    doc.update_dict(root, |c| c.set(b"Names".to_vec(), Object::Dict(names))).unwrap();
+    let report = optimize(&mut doc, &Settings::default()).unwrap();
+    // Only "unused" is removed; the indirectly-referenced "target" is kept.
+    assert_eq!(report.unreferenced_dests, 1);
+    let left = named_dest_keys(&doc);
+    assert!(left.contains(&b"target".to_vec()), "indirectly referenced destination was kept: {left:?}");
+    assert!(!left.contains(&b"unused".to_vec()));
+}
+
+/// The keys in the catalog's /Names /Dests name tree (one level, as the optimizer writes it).
+fn named_dest_keys(doc: &Document) -> Vec<Vec<u8>> {
+    let cat = doc.get(doc.root().unwrap()).as_dict().cloned().unwrap();
+    let names = doc.resolve(cat.get(b"Names").unwrap()).as_dict().cloned().unwrap();
+    let tree = doc.resolve(names.get(b"Dests").unwrap()).as_dict().cloned().unwrap();
+    let arr = doc.resolve(tree.get(b"Names").unwrap()).as_array().cloned().unwrap();
+    arr.chunks(2).filter_map(|c| doc.resolve(&c[0]).as_string().map(|s| s.bytes.clone())).collect()
+}