diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8fbfdf058..1241a8d8f 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 LUADIR=luajit-2.0
 MUPDFDIR=mupdf
-MUPDFTARGET=build/debug
+MUPDFTARGET=build/release
 MUPDFLIBDIR=$(MUPDFDIR)/$(MUPDFTARGET)
 DJVUDIR=djvulibre
 KPVCRLIBDIR=kpvcrlib
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ clean:
 
 cleanthirdparty:
 	-make -C $(LUADIR) clean
-	-make -C $(MUPDFDIR) clean
+	-make -C $(MUPDFDIR) build="release" clean
 	-make -C $(CRENGINEDIR)/thirdparty/antiword clean
 	test -d $(CRENGINEDIR)/thirdparty/chmlib && make -C $(CRENGINEDIR)/thirdparty/chmlib clean || echo warn: chmlib folder not found
 	test -d $(CRENGINEDIR)/thirdparty/libpng && (make -C $(CRENGINEDIR)/thirdparty/libpng clean) || echo warn: libpng folder not found
@@ -173,18 +173,18 @@ cleanthirdparty:
 	-rm -f $(MUPDFDIR)/cmapdump.host
 
 $(MUPDFDIR)/fontdump.host:
-	make -C mupdf CC="$(HOSTCC)" $(MUPDFTARGET)/fontdump
+	make -C mupdf build="release" CC="$(HOSTCC)" $(MUPDFTARGET)/fontdump
 	cp -a $(MUPDFLIBDIR)/fontdump $(MUPDFDIR)/fontdump.host
 	make -C mupdf clean
 
 $(MUPDFDIR)/cmapdump.host:
-	make -C mupdf CC="$(HOSTCC)" $(MUPDFTARGET)/cmapdump
+	make -C mupdf build="release" CC="$(HOSTCC)" $(MUPDFTARGET)/cmapdump
 	cp -a $(MUPDFLIBDIR)/cmapdump $(MUPDFDIR)/cmapdump.host
 	make -C mupdf clean
 
 $(MUPDFLIBS) $(THIRDPARTYLIBS): $(MUPDFDIR)/cmapdump.host $(MUPDFDIR)/fontdump.host
 	# build only thirdparty libs, libfitz and pdf utils, which will care for libmupdf.a being built
-	CFLAGS="$(CFLAGS) -DNOBUILTINFONT" make -C mupdf CC="$(CC)" CMAPDUMP=cmapdump.host FONTDUMP=fontdump.host MUPDF= MU_APPS= BUSY_APP= XPS_APPS= verbose=1
+	CFLAGS="$(CFLAGS) -DNOBUILTINFONT" make -C mupdf build="release" CC="$(CC)" CMAPDUMP=cmapdump.host FONTDUMP=fontdump.host MUPDF= MU_APPS= BUSY_APP= XPS_APPS= verbose=1
 
 $(DJVULIBS):
 	-mkdir $(DJVUDIR)/build