diff --git a/runtime/doc/lua.txt b/runtime/doc/lua.txt
index b9bc73e0b8..e02ed20644 100644
--- a/runtime/doc/lua.txt
+++ b/runtime/doc/lua.txt
@@ -2954,13 +2954,14 @@ vim.fs.joinpath({...})                                     *vim.fs.joinpath()*
 
 vim.fs.normalize({path}, {opts})                          *vim.fs.normalize()*
     Normalize a path to a standard format. A tilde (~) character at the
-    beginning of the path is expanded to the user's home directory and any
-    backslash (\) characters are converted to forward slashes (/). Environment
-    variables are also expanded.
+    beginning of the path is expanded to the user's home directory and
+    environment variables are also expanded.
+
+    On Windows, backslash (\) characters are converted to forward slashes (/).
 
     Examples: >lua
         vim.fs.normalize('C:\\\\Users\\\\jdoe')
-        -- 'C:/Users/jdoe'
+        -- On Windows: 'C:/Users/jdoe'
 
         vim.fs.normalize('~/src/neovim')
         -- '/home/jdoe/src/neovim'
diff --git a/runtime/lua/vim/fs.lua b/runtime/lua/vim/fs.lua
index f9fe122f01..b7718ac87a 100644
--- a/runtime/lua/vim/fs.lua
+++ b/runtime/lua/vim/fs.lua
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 local M = {}
 
 local iswin = vim.uv.os_uname().sysname == 'Windows_NT'
+local os_sep = iswin and '\\' or '/'
 
 --- Iterate over all the parents of the given path.
 ---
@@ -47,19 +48,23 @@ function M.dirname(file)
     return nil
   end
   vim.validate({ file = { file, 's' } })
-  if iswin and file:match('^%w:[\\/]?$') then
-    return (file:gsub('\\', '/'))
-  elseif not file:match('[\\/]') then
+  if iswin then
+    file = file:gsub(os_sep, '/') --[[@as string]]
+    if file:match('^%w:/?$') then
+      return file
+    end
+  end
+  if not file:match('/') then
     return '.'
   elseif file == '/' or file:match('^/[^/]+$') then
     return '/'
   end
   ---@type string
-  local dir = file:match('[/\\]$') and file:sub(1, #file - 1) or file:match('^([/\\]?.+)[/\\]')
+  local dir = file:match('/$') and file:sub(1, #file - 1) or file:match('^(/?.+)/')
   if iswin and dir:match('^%w:$') then
     return dir .. '/'
   end
-  return (dir:gsub('\\', '/'))
+  return dir
 end
 
 --- Return the basename of the given path
@@ -72,10 +77,13 @@ function M.basename(file)
     return nil
   end
   vim.validate({ file = { file, 's' } })
-  if iswin and file:match('^%w:[\\/]?$') then
-    return ''
+  if iswin then
+    file = file:gsub(os_sep, '/') --[[@as string]]
+    if file:match('^%w:/?$') then
+      return ''
+    end
   end
-  return file:match('[/\\]$') and '' or (file:match('[^\\/]*$'):gsub('\\', '/'))
+  return file:match('/$') and '' or (file:match('[^/]*$'))
 end
 
 --- Concatenate directories and/or file paths into a single path with normalization
@@ -334,15 +342,16 @@ end
 --- @field expand_env boolean
 
 --- Normalize a path to a standard format. A tilde (~) character at the
---- beginning of the path is expanded to the user's home directory and any
---- backslash (\) characters are converted to forward slashes (/). Environment
---- variables are also expanded.
+--- beginning of the path is expanded to the user's home directory and
+--- environment variables are also expanded.
+---
+--- On Windows, backslash (\) characters are converted to forward slashes (/).
 ---
 --- Examples:
 ---
 --- ```lua
 --- vim.fs.normalize('C:\\\\Users\\\\jdoe')
---- -- 'C:/Users/jdoe'
+--- -- On Windows: 'C:/Users/jdoe'
 ---
 --- vim.fs.normalize('~/src/neovim')
 --- -- '/home/jdoe/src/neovim'
@@ -364,7 +373,7 @@ function M.normalize(path, opts)
 
   if path:sub(1, 1) == '~' then
     local home = vim.uv.os_homedir() or '~'
-    if home:sub(-1) == '\\' or home:sub(-1) == '/' then
+    if home:sub(-1) == os_sep then
       home = home:sub(1, -2)
     end
     path = home .. path:sub(2)
@@ -374,7 +383,7 @@ function M.normalize(path, opts)
     path = path:gsub('%$([%w_]+)', vim.uv.os_getenv)
   end
 
-  path = path:gsub('\\', '/'):gsub('/+', '/')
+  path = path:gsub(os_sep, '/'):gsub('/+', '/')
   if iswin and path:match('^%w:/$') then
     return path
   end
diff --git a/test/functional/lua/fs_spec.lua b/test/functional/lua/fs_spec.lua
index a5cdfdc225..d43f32726d 100644
--- a/test/functional/lua/fs_spec.lua
+++ b/test/functional/lua/fs_spec.lua
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ local test_basename_dirname_eq = {
   'c:/users/foo',
   'c:/users/foo/bar.lua',
   'c:/users/foo/bar/../',
+  '~/foo/bar\\baz',
 }
 
 local tests_windows_paths = {
@@ -70,26 +71,26 @@ describe('vim.fs', function()
     it('works', function()
       eq(test_build_dir, vim.fs.dirname(nvim_dir))
 
-      --- @param paths string[]
-      local function test_paths(paths)
+      ---@param paths string[]
+      ---@param is_win? boolean
+      local function test_paths(paths, is_win)
+        local gsub = is_win and [[:gsub('\\', '/')]] or ''
+        local code = string.format(
+          [[
+          local path = ...
+          return vim.fn.fnamemodify(path,':h')%s
+        ]],
+          gsub
+        )
+
         for _, path in ipairs(paths) do
-          eq(
-            exec_lua(
-              [[
-              local path = ...
-              return vim.fn.fnamemodify(path,':h'):gsub('\\', '/')
-            ]],
-              path
-            ),
-            vim.fs.dirname(path),
-            path
-          )
+          eq(exec_lua(code, path), vim.fs.dirname(path), path)
         end
       end
 
       test_paths(test_basename_dirname_eq)
       if is_os('win') then
-        test_paths(tests_windows_paths)
+        test_paths(tests_windows_paths, true)
       end
     end)
   end)
@@ -98,26 +99,26 @@ describe('vim.fs', function()
     it('works', function()
       eq(nvim_prog_basename, vim.fs.basename(nvim_prog))
 
-      --- @param paths string[]
-      local function test_paths(paths)
+      ---@param paths string[]
+      ---@param is_win? boolean
+      local function test_paths(paths, is_win)
+        local gsub = is_win and [[:gsub('\\', '/')]] or ''
+        local code = string.format(
+          [[
+          local path = ...
+          return vim.fn.fnamemodify(path,':t')%s
+        ]],
+          gsub
+        )
+
         for _, path in ipairs(paths) do
-          eq(
-            exec_lua(
-              [[
-              local path = ...
-              return vim.fn.fnamemodify(path,':t'):gsub('\\', '/')
-            ]],
-              path
-            ),
-            vim.fs.basename(path),
-            path
-          )
+          eq(exec_lua(code, path), vim.fs.basename(path), path)
         end
       end
 
       test_paths(test_basename_dirname_eq)
       if is_os('win') then
-        test_paths(tests_windows_paths)
+        test_paths(tests_windows_paths, true)
       end
     end)
   end)
@@ -284,9 +285,6 @@ describe('vim.fs', function()
   end)
 
   describe('normalize()', function()
-    it('works with backward slashes', function()
-      eq('C:/Users/jdoe', vim.fs.normalize('C:\\Users\\jdoe'))
-    end)
     it('removes trailing /', function()
       eq('/home/user', vim.fs.normalize('/home/user/'))
     end)
@@ -309,10 +307,18 @@ describe('vim.fs', function()
         )
       )
     end)
+
     if is_os('win') then
       it('Last slash is not truncated from root drive', function()
         eq('C:/', vim.fs.normalize('C:/'))
       end)
+      it('converts backward slashes', function()
+        eq('C:/Users/jdoe', vim.fs.normalize('C:\\Users\\jdoe'))
+      end)
+    else
+      it('allows backslashes on unix-based os', function()
+        eq('/home/user/hello\\world', vim.fs.normalize('/home/user/hello\\world'))
+      end)
     end
   end)
 end)