diff --git a/library/core/src/cell.rs b/library/core/src/cell.rs
index e56b631dbaf8d..d7394fcb50536 100644
--- a/library/core/src/cell.rs
+++ b/library/core/src/cell.rs
@@ -435,8 +435,15 @@ impl<T: Copy> Cell<T> {
         // but `Cell` is `!Sync` so this won't happen.
         unsafe { *self.value.get() }
     }
+}
 
-    /// Updates the contained value using a function and returns the new value.
+impl<T> Cell<T> {
+    /// Updates the contained value using a function.
+    ///
+    /// If `T` implements [`Copy`], the function is called on a copy of the
+    /// contained value. Otherwise, if `T` implements [`Default`], the value
+    /// contained in the cell is temporarily replaced by [`Default::default()`]
+    /// while the function runs.
     ///
     /// # Examples
     ///
@@ -445,22 +452,78 @@ impl<T: Copy> Cell<T> {
     ///
     /// use std::cell::Cell;
     ///
-    /// let c = Cell::new(5);
-    /// let new = c.update(|x| x + 1);
+    /// let a = Cell::new(5);
+    /// a.update(|x| x + 1);
     ///
-    /// assert_eq!(new, 6);
-    /// assert_eq!(c.get(), 6);
+    /// let b = Cell::new("Hello".to_string());
+    /// b.update(|x| x + " World!");
+    ///
+    /// assert_eq!(a.get(), 6);
+    /// assert_eq!(b.take(), "Hello World!");
     /// ```
     #[inline]
     #[unstable(feature = "cell_update", issue = "50186")]
-    pub fn update<F>(&self, f: F) -> T
+    pub fn update<F>(&self, f: F)
     where
         F: FnOnce(T) -> T,
+        T: get_or_take::CopyOrDefault,
     {
-        let old = self.get();
+        let old = <T as get_or_take::CopySpec>::get_or_take(self);
         let new = f(old);
         self.set(new);
-        new
+    }
+}
+
+#[unstable(feature = "cell_update_specializations", issue = "none")]
+mod get_or_take {
+    use super::Cell;
+
+    #[rustc_on_unimplemented(
+        label = "`{Self}` implements neither Copy nor Default",
+        message = "`Cell<{Self}>::update()` requires either `{Self}: Copy` or `{Self}: Default`"
+    )]
+    #[marker]
+    pub trait CopyOrDefault: Sized {}
+
+    impl<T: Copy> CopyOrDefault for T {}
+    impl<T: Default> CopyOrDefault for T {}
+
+    #[rustc_unsafe_specialization_marker]
+    trait IsDefault: Default {}
+    impl<T: Default> IsDefault for T {}
+
+    pub(super) trait CopySpec {
+        fn get_or_take(cell: &Cell<Self>) -> Self;
+    }
+
+    trait DefaultSpec {
+        fn get_or_take(cell: &Cell<Self>) -> Self;
+    }
+
+    impl<T> CopySpec for T {
+        default fn get_or_take(cell: &Cell<Self>) -> Self {
+            <T as DefaultSpec>::get_or_take(cell)
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<T: Copy> CopySpec for T {
+        fn get_or_take(cell: &Cell<Self>) -> Self {
+            cell.get()
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<T> DefaultSpec for T {
+        default fn get_or_take(_: &Cell<Self>) -> Self {
+            // This is unreachable because we'd only get here for types that
+            // implement CopyOrDefault, but not Copy or Default, which isn't possible.
+            unreachable!()
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<T: IsDefault> DefaultSpec for T {
+        fn get_or_take(cell: &Cell<Self>) -> Self {
+            cell.take()
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/library/core/src/lib.rs b/library/core/src/lib.rs
index 265ba9f1bb91b..b4303902d2b69 100644
--- a/library/core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/library/core/src/lib.rs
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@
 #![feature(lang_items)]
 #![feature(link_llvm_intrinsics)]
 #![feature(llvm_asm)]
+#![feature(marker_trait_attr)]
 #![feature(min_specialization)]
 #![feature(negative_impls)]
 #![feature(never_type)]
diff --git a/library/core/tests/cell.rs b/library/core/tests/cell.rs
index 85a006c5d5bef..311d8f5e5286f 100644
--- a/library/core/tests/cell.rs
+++ b/library/core/tests/cell.rs
@@ -52,11 +52,16 @@ fn smoketest_cell() {
 fn cell_update() {
     let x = Cell::new(10);
 
-    assert_eq!(x.update(|x| x + 5), 15);
+    x.update(|x| x + 5);
     assert_eq!(x.get(), 15);
 
-    assert_eq!(x.update(|x| x / 3), 5);
+    x.update(|x| x / 3);
     assert_eq!(x.get(), 5);
+
+    let x = Cell::new("abc".to_string());
+
+    x.update(|x| x + "123");
+    assert_eq!(x.take(), "abc123");
 }
 
 #[test]