diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
index f18490813170..3fc86c51e260 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
@@ -880,7 +880,6 @@ static int ovl_do_remove(struct dentry *dentry, bool is_dir)
 {
 	int err;
 	const struct cred *old_cred;
-	struct dentry *upperdentry;
 	bool lower_positive = ovl_lower_positive(dentry);
 	LIST_HEAD(list);
 
@@ -923,9 +922,8 @@ static int ovl_do_remove(struct dentry *dentry, bool is_dir)
 	 * Note: we fail to update ctime if there was no copy-up, only a
 	 * whiteout
 	 */
-	upperdentry = ovl_dentry_upper(dentry);
-	if (upperdentry)
-		ovl_copyattr(d_inode(upperdentry), d_inode(dentry));
+	if (ovl_dentry_upper(dentry))
+		ovl_copyattr(d_inode(dentry));
 
 out_drop_write:
 	ovl_drop_write(dentry);
@@ -1272,9 +1270,9 @@ static int ovl_rename(struct user_namespace *mnt_userns, struct inode *olddir,
 			 (d_inode(new) && ovl_type_origin(new)));
 
 	/* copy ctime: */
-	ovl_copyattr(d_inode(olddentry), d_inode(old));
+	ovl_copyattr(d_inode(old));
 	if (d_inode(new) && ovl_dentry_upper(new))
-		ovl_copyattr(d_inode(newdentry), d_inode(new));
+		ovl_copyattr(d_inode(new));
 
 out_dput:
 	dput(newdentry);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/file.c b/fs/overlayfs/file.c
index 44fea16751f1..535da9eb4d8b 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/file.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/file.c
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ static void ovl_aio_cleanup_handler(struct ovl_aio_req *aio_req)
 		__sb_writers_acquired(file_inode(iocb->ki_filp)->i_sb,
 				      SB_FREEZE_WRITE);
 		file_end_write(iocb->ki_filp);
-		ovl_copyattr(ovl_inode_real(inode), inode);
+		ovl_copyattr(inode);
 	}
 
 	orig_iocb->ki_pos = iocb->ki_pos;
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ static ssize_t ovl_write_iter(struct kiocb *iocb, struct iov_iter *iter)
 
 	inode_lock(inode);
 	/* Update mode */
-	ovl_copyattr(ovl_inode_real(inode), inode);
+	ovl_copyattr(inode);
 	ret = file_remove_privs(file);
 	if (ret)
 		goto out_unlock;
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ static ssize_t ovl_write_iter(struct kiocb *iocb, struct iov_iter *iter)
 				     ovl_iocb_to_rwf(ifl));
 		file_end_write(real.file);
 		/* Update size */
-		ovl_copyattr(ovl_inode_real(inode), inode);
+		ovl_copyattr(inode);
 	} else {
 		struct ovl_aio_req *aio_req;
 
@@ -431,12 +431,11 @@ static ssize_t ovl_splice_write(struct pipe_inode_info *pipe, struct file *out,
 	struct fd real;
 	const struct cred *old_cred;
 	struct inode *inode = file_inode(out);
-	struct inode *realinode = ovl_inode_real(inode);
 	ssize_t ret;
 
 	inode_lock(inode);
 	/* Update mode */
-	ovl_copyattr(realinode, inode);
+	ovl_copyattr(inode);
 	ret = file_remove_privs(out);
 	if (ret)
 		goto out_unlock;
@@ -452,7 +451,7 @@ static ssize_t ovl_splice_write(struct pipe_inode_info *pipe, struct file *out,
 
 	file_end_write(real.file);
 	/* Update size */
-	ovl_copyattr(realinode, inode);
+	ovl_copyattr(inode);
 	revert_creds(old_cred);
 	fdput(real);
 
@@ -526,7 +525,7 @@ static long ovl_fallocate(struct file *file, int mode, loff_t offset, loff_t len
 	revert_creds(old_cred);
 
 	/* Update size */
-	ovl_copyattr(ovl_inode_real(inode), inode);
+	ovl_copyattr(inode);
 
 	fdput(real);
 
@@ -598,7 +597,7 @@ static loff_t ovl_copyfile(struct file *file_in, loff_t pos_in,
 	revert_creds(old_cred);
 
 	/* Update size */
-	ovl_copyattr(ovl_inode_real(inode_out), inode_out);
+	ovl_copyattr(inode_out);
 
 	fdput(real_in);
 	fdput(real_out);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
index 06479bc88b7e..d41f0c8e0e2a 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ int ovl_setattr(struct user_namespace *mnt_userns, struct dentry *dentry,
 		err = notify_change(&init_user_ns, upperdentry, attr, NULL);
 		revert_creds(old_cred);
 		if (!err)
-			ovl_copyattr(upperdentry->d_inode, dentry->d_inode);
+			ovl_copyattr(dentry->d_inode);
 		inode_unlock(upperdentry->d_inode);
 
 		if (winode)
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ int ovl_xattr_set(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode, const char *name,
 	revert_creds(old_cred);
 
 	/* copy c/mtime */
-	ovl_copyattr(d_inode(realdentry), inode);
+	ovl_copyattr(inode);
 
 out_drop_write:
 	ovl_drop_write(dentry);
@@ -579,7 +579,7 @@ int ovl_fileattr_set(struct user_namespace *mnt_userns,
 		inode_set_flags(inode, flags, OVL_COPY_I_FLAGS_MASK);
 
 		/* Update ctime */
-		ovl_copyattr(ovl_inode_real(inode), inode);
+		ovl_copyattr(inode);
 	}
 	ovl_drop_write(dentry);
 out:
@@ -789,7 +789,7 @@ void ovl_inode_init(struct inode *inode, struct ovl_inode_params *oip,
 		oi->lowerdata = igrab(d_inode(oip->lowerdata));
 
 	realinode = ovl_inode_real(inode);
-	ovl_copyattr(realinode, inode);
+	ovl_copyattr(inode);
 	ovl_copyflags(realinode, inode);
 	ovl_map_ino(inode, ino, fsid);
 }
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index 27f221962665..2df3e74cdf0f 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -522,16 +522,7 @@ bool ovl_lookup_trap_inode(struct super_block *sb, struct dentry *dir);
 struct inode *ovl_get_trap_inode(struct super_block *sb, struct dentry *dir);
 struct inode *ovl_get_inode(struct super_block *sb,
 			    struct ovl_inode_params *oip);
-static inline void ovl_copyattr(struct inode *from, struct inode *to)
-{
-	to->i_uid = from->i_uid;
-	to->i_gid = from->i_gid;
-	to->i_mode = from->i_mode;
-	to->i_atime = from->i_atime;
-	to->i_mtime = from->i_mtime;
-	to->i_ctime = from->i_ctime;
-	i_size_write(to, i_size_read(from));
-}
+void ovl_copyattr(struct inode *to);
 
 /* vfs inode flags copied from real to ovl inode */
 #define OVL_COPY_I_FLAGS_MASK	(S_SYNC | S_NOATIME | S_APPEND | S_IMMUTABLE)
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/util.c b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
index 2567918dc684..9d33ce385bef 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/util.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ static void ovl_dir_version_inc(struct dentry *dentry, bool impurity)
 void ovl_dir_modified(struct dentry *dentry, bool impurity)
 {
 	/* Copy mtime/ctime */
-	ovl_copyattr(d_inode(ovl_dentry_upper(dentry)), d_inode(dentry));
+	ovl_copyattr(d_inode(dentry));
 
 	ovl_dir_version_inc(dentry, impurity);
 }
@@ -1073,3 +1073,33 @@ int ovl_sync_status(struct ovl_fs *ofs)
 
 	return errseq_check(&mnt->mnt_sb->s_wb_err, ofs->errseq);
 }
+
+/*
+ * ovl_copyattr() - copy inode attributes from layer to ovl inode
+ *
+ * When overlay copies inode information from an upper or lower layer to the
+ * relevant overlay inode it will apply the idmapping of the upper or lower
+ * layer when doing so ensuring that the ovl inode ownership will correctly
+ * reflect the ownership of the idmapped upper or lower layer. For example, an
+ * idmapped upper or lower layer mapping id 1001 to id 1000 will take care to
+ * map any lower or upper inode owned by id 1001 to id 1000. These mapping
+ * helpers are nops when the relevant layer isn't idmapped.
+ */
+void ovl_copyattr(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	struct path realpath;
+	struct inode *realinode;
+	struct user_namespace *real_mnt_userns;
+
+	ovl_i_path_real(inode, &realpath);
+	realinode = d_inode(realpath.dentry);
+	real_mnt_userns = mnt_user_ns(realpath.mnt);
+
+	inode->i_uid = i_uid_into_mnt(real_mnt_userns, realinode);
+	inode->i_gid = i_gid_into_mnt(real_mnt_userns, realinode);
+	inode->i_mode = realinode->i_mode;
+	inode->i_atime = realinode->i_atime;
+	inode->i_mtime = realinode->i_mtime;
+	inode->i_ctime = realinode->i_ctime;
+	i_size_write(inode, i_size_read(realinode));
+}