diff --git a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c
index 691950af7b..aa2b5268b4 100644
--- a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c
@@ -1023,3 +1023,20 @@ cleanup:
     }
     return ret;
 }
+
+
+bool
+virDomainSnapshotIsExternal(virDomainSnapshotObjPtr snap)
+{
+    int i;
+
+    if (snap->def->memory == VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_LOCATION_EXTERNAL)
+        return true;
+
+    for (i = 0; i < snap->def->ndisks; i++) {
+        if (snap->def->disks[i].snapshot == VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_LOCATION_EXTERNAL)
+            return true;
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
diff --git a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h
index 00775ae71a..b5c6e25915 100644
--- a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h
@@ -155,6 +155,8 @@ int virDomainListSnapshots(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots,
                            virDomainSnapshotPtr **snaps,
                            unsigned int flags);
 
+bool virDomainSnapshotIsExternal(virDomainSnapshotObjPtr snap);
+
 VIR_ENUM_DECL(virDomainSnapshotLocation)
 VIR_ENUM_DECL(virDomainSnapshotState)
 
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index e94b47802a..5a0713981d 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1083,6 +1083,7 @@ virDomainSnapshotFindByName;
 virDomainSnapshotForEach;
 virDomainSnapshotForEachChild;
 virDomainSnapshotForEachDescendant;
+virDomainSnapshotIsExternal;
 virDomainSnapshotLocationTypeFromString;
 virDomainSnapshotLocationTypeToString;
 virDomainSnapshotObjListGetNames;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 5556f1e595..01d8cb3cb5 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -2025,7 +2025,7 @@ cleanup:
 }
 
 
-/* Count how many snapshots in a set have external disk snapshots.  */
+/* Count how many snapshots in a set are external snapshots or checkpoints.  */
 static void
 qemuDomainSnapshotCountExternal(void *payload,
                                 const void *name ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
@@ -2034,7 +2034,7 @@ qemuDomainSnapshotCountExternal(void *payload,
     virDomainSnapshotObjPtr snap = payload;
     int *count = data;
 
-    if (snap->def->state == VIR_DOMAIN_DISK_SNAPSHOT)
+    if (virDomainSnapshotIsExternal(snap))
         (*count)++;
 }
 
@@ -12512,7 +12512,7 @@ static int qemuDomainSnapshotDelete(virDomainSnapshotPtr snapshot,
 
     if (!(flags & VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_DELETE_METADATA_ONLY)) {
         if (!(flags & VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_DELETE_CHILDREN_ONLY) &&
-            snap->def->state == VIR_DOMAIN_DISK_SNAPSHOT)
+            virDomainSnapshotIsExternal(snap))
             external++;
         if (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_DELETE_CHILDREN)
             virDomainSnapshotForEachDescendant(snap,