diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/asmb.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/asmb.go
index ca9a57741c..2088e13be1 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/asmb.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/asmb.go
@@ -195,10 +195,7 @@ func relocSectFn(ctxt *Link, relocSect func(*Link, *OutBuf, *sym.Section, []load
 		fn = func(ctxt *Link, sect *sym.Section, syms []loader.Sym) {
 			wg.Add(1)
 			sem <- 1
-			out, err := ctxt.Out.View(sect.Reloff)
-			if err != nil {
-				panic(err)
-			}
+			out := ctxt.Out.View(sect.Reloff)
 			go func() {
 				relocSect(ctxt, out, sect, syms)
 				wg.Done()
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
index 939de11876..42756e86bb 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
@@ -1063,7 +1063,8 @@ func writeBlocks(ctxt *Link, out *OutBuf, sem chan int, ldr *loader.Loader, syms
 		}
 
 		// Start the block output operator.
-		if o, err := out.View(uint64(out.Offset() + written)); err == nil {
+		if ctxt.Out.isMmapped() {
+			o := out.View(uint64(out.Offset() + written))
 			sem <- 1
 			wg.Add(1)
 			go func(o *OutBuf, ldr *loader.Loader, syms []loader.Sym, addr, size int64, pad []byte) {
@@ -1142,15 +1143,16 @@ type writeFn func(*Link, *OutBuf, int64, int64)
 
 // writeParallel handles scheduling parallel execution of data write functions.
 func writeParallel(wg *sync.WaitGroup, fn writeFn, ctxt *Link, seek, vaddr, length uint64) {
-	if out, err := ctxt.Out.View(seek); err != nil {
-		ctxt.Out.SeekSet(int64(seek))
-		fn(ctxt, ctxt.Out, int64(vaddr), int64(length))
-	} else {
+	if ctxt.Out.isMmapped() {
+		out := ctxt.Out.View(seek)
 		wg.Add(1)
 		go func() {
 			defer wg.Done()
 			fn(ctxt, out, int64(vaddr), int64(length))
 		}()
+	} else {
+		ctxt.Out.SeekSet(int64(seek))
+		fn(ctxt, ctxt.Out, int64(vaddr), int64(length))
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/outbuf.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/outbuf.go
index 54fafcaf99..8732fcc5fe 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/outbuf.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/outbuf.go
@@ -92,9 +92,7 @@ func NewOutBuf(arch *sys.Arch) *OutBuf {
 	}
 }
 
-var viewError = errors.New("output not mmapped")
-
-func (out *OutBuf) View(start uint64) (*OutBuf, error) {
+func (out *OutBuf) View(start uint64) *OutBuf {
 	return &OutBuf{
 		arch:   out.arch,
 		name:   out.name,
@@ -102,7 +100,7 @@ func (out *OutBuf) View(start uint64) (*OutBuf, error) {
 		heap:   out.heap,
 		off:    int64(start),
 		isView: true,
-	}, nil
+	}
 }
 
 var viewCloseError = errors.New("cannot Close OutBuf from View")