diff --git a/fs/f2fs/node.c b/fs/f2fs/node.c
index 4da0d8713df5..1db8cabf727e 100644
--- a/fs/f2fs/node.c
+++ b/fs/f2fs/node.c
@@ -2488,7 +2488,6 @@ void f2fs_alloc_nid_failed(struct f2fs_sb_info *sbi, nid_t nid)
 int f2fs_try_to_free_nids(struct f2fs_sb_info *sbi, int nr_shrink)
 {
 	struct f2fs_nm_info *nm_i = NM_I(sbi);
-	struct free_nid *i, *next;
 	int nr = nr_shrink;
 
 	if (nm_i->nid_cnt[FREE_NID] <= MAX_FREE_NIDS)
@@ -2497,17 +2496,23 @@ int f2fs_try_to_free_nids(struct f2fs_sb_info *sbi, int nr_shrink)
 	if (!mutex_trylock(&nm_i->build_lock))
 		return 0;
 
-	spin_lock(&nm_i->nid_list_lock);
-	list_for_each_entry_safe(i, next, &nm_i->free_nid_list, list) {
-		if (nr_shrink <= 0 ||
-				nm_i->nid_cnt[FREE_NID] <= MAX_FREE_NIDS)
-			break;
+	while (nr_shrink && nm_i->nid_cnt[FREE_NID] > MAX_FREE_NIDS) {
+		struct free_nid *i, *next;
+		unsigned int batch = SHRINK_NID_BATCH_SIZE;
 
-		__remove_free_nid(sbi, i, FREE_NID);
-		kmem_cache_free(free_nid_slab, i);
-		nr_shrink--;
+		spin_lock(&nm_i->nid_list_lock);
+		list_for_each_entry_safe(i, next, &nm_i->free_nid_list, list) {
+			if (!nr_shrink || !batch ||
+				nm_i->nid_cnt[FREE_NID] <= MAX_FREE_NIDS)
+				break;
+			__remove_free_nid(sbi, i, FREE_NID);
+			kmem_cache_free(free_nid_slab, i);
+			nr_shrink--;
+			batch--;
+		}
+		spin_unlock(&nm_i->nid_list_lock);
 	}
-	spin_unlock(&nm_i->nid_list_lock);
+
 	mutex_unlock(&nm_i->build_lock);
 
 	return nr - nr_shrink;
diff --git a/fs/f2fs/node.h b/fs/f2fs/node.h
index 6a2011deea23..69e5859e993c 100644
--- a/fs/f2fs/node.h
+++ b/fs/f2fs/node.h
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
 #define FREE_NID_PAGES	8
 #define MAX_FREE_NIDS	(NAT_ENTRY_PER_BLOCK * FREE_NID_PAGES)
 
+/* size of free nid batch when shrinking */
+#define SHRINK_NID_BATCH_SIZE	8
+
 #define DEF_RA_NID_PAGES	0	/* # of nid pages to be readaheaded */
 
 /* maximum readahead size for node during getting data blocks */