diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_lib.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_lib.c
index f8156fe4b1dc41..0ee943db3dc92b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_lib.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_lib.c
@@ -1035,9 +1035,6 @@ static void ixgbe_free_q_vector(struct ixgbe_adapter *adapter, int v_idx)
 	adapter->q_vector[v_idx] = NULL;
 	__netif_napi_del(&q_vector->napi);
 
-	if (static_key_enabled(&ixgbe_xdp_locking_key))
-		static_branch_dec(&ixgbe_xdp_locking_key);
-
 	/*
 	 * after a call to __netif_napi_del() napi may still be used and
 	 * ixgbe_get_stats64() might access the rings on this vector,
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
index faf3a094ac5403..9b8848daeb4303 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
@@ -6495,6 +6495,10 @@ static int ixgbe_sw_init(struct ixgbe_adapter *adapter,
 	set_bit(0, adapter->fwd_bitmask);
 	set_bit(__IXGBE_DOWN, &adapter->state);
 
+	/* enable locking for XDP_TX if we have more CPUs than queues */
+	if (nr_cpu_ids > IXGBE_MAX_XDP_QS)
+		static_branch_enable(&ixgbe_xdp_locking_key);
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -10288,8 +10292,6 @@ static int ixgbe_xdp_setup(struct net_device *dev, struct bpf_prog *prog)
 	 */
 	if (nr_cpu_ids > IXGBE_MAX_XDP_QS * 2)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	else if (nr_cpu_ids > IXGBE_MAX_XDP_QS)
-		static_branch_inc(&ixgbe_xdp_locking_key);
 
 	old_prog = xchg(&adapter->xdp_prog, prog);
 	need_reset = (!!prog != !!old_prog);