diff --git a/tests/src/unit-msgpack-cpp17.cpp b/tests/src/unit-msgpack-cpp17.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6ae4d6d56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/src/unit-msgpack-cpp17.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++ (supporting code)
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+// This file contains the C++17-only part of unit-msgpack.cpp (std::byte
+// input). It is kept in a separate translation unit so the (much larger)
+// unit-msgpack.cpp does not need to be compiled and run a second time just
+// for this one test case (#5418).
+
+#include "doctest_compatibility.h"
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+using nlohmann::json;
+
+#ifdef JSON_HAS_CPP_17
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <vector>
+
+// Test suite for verifying MessagePack handling with std::byte input
+TEST_CASE("MessagePack with std::byte")
+{
+
+    SECTION("std::byte compatibility")
+    {
+        SECTION("vector roundtrip")
+        {
+            json original =
+            {
+                {"name", "test"},
+                {"value", 42},
+                {"array", {1, 2, 3}}
+            };
+
+            std::vector<uint8_t> temp = json::to_msgpack(original);
+            // Convert the uint8_t vector to std::byte vector
+            std::vector<std::byte> msgpack_data(temp.size());
+            for (size_t i = 0; i < temp.size(); ++i)
+            {
+                msgpack_data[i] = std::byte(temp[i]);
+            }
+            // Deserialize from std::byte vector back to JSON
+            json from_bytes;
+            CHECK_NOTHROW(from_bytes = json::from_msgpack(msgpack_data));
+
+            CHECK(from_bytes == original);
+        }
+
+        SECTION("empty vector")
+        {
+            const std::vector<std::byte> empty_data;
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS([&]()
+            {
+                [[maybe_unused]] auto result = json::from_msgpack(empty_data);
+                return true;
+            }
+            (),
+            "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 1: syntax error while parsing MessagePack value: unexpected end of input",
+            json::parse_error&);
+        }
+
+        SECTION("comparison with workaround")
+        {
+            json original =
+            {
+                {"string", "hello"},
+                {"integer", 42},
+                {"float", 3.14},
+                {"boolean", true},
+                {"null", nullptr},
+                {"array", {1, 2, 3}},
+                {"object", {{"key", "value"}}}
+            };
+
+            std::vector<uint8_t> temp = json::to_msgpack(original);
+
+            std::vector<std::byte> msgpack_data(temp.size());
+            for (size_t i = 0; i < temp.size(); ++i)
+            {
+                msgpack_data[i] = std::byte(temp[i]);
+            }
+            // Attempt direct deserialization using std::byte input
+            const json direct_result = json::from_msgpack(msgpack_data);
+
+            // Test the workaround approach: reinterpret as unsigned char* and use iterator range
+            const auto* const char_start = reinterpret_cast<unsigned char const*>(msgpack_data.data());
+            const auto* const char_end = char_start + msgpack_data.size();
+            json workaround_result = json::from_msgpack(char_start, char_end);
+
+            // Verify that the final deserialized JSON matches the original JSON
+            CHECK(direct_result == workaround_result);
+            CHECK(direct_result == original);
+        }
+    }
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-msgpack.cpp b/tests/src/unit-msgpack.cpp
index de4255b4a..df3ba12fe 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-msgpack.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-msgpack.cpp
@@ -2085,85 +2085,6 @@ TEST_CASE("MessagePack roundtrips" * doctest::skip())
     }
 }
 
-#ifdef JSON_HAS_CPP_17
-// Test suite for verifying MessagePack handling with std::byte input
-TEST_CASE("MessagePack with std::byte")
-{
-
-    SECTION("std::byte compatibility")
-    {
-        SECTION("vector roundtrip")
-        {
-            json original =
-            {
-                {"name", "test"},
-                {"value", 42},
-                {"array", {1, 2, 3}}
-            };
-
-            std::vector<uint8_t> temp = json::to_msgpack(original);
-            // Convert the uint8_t vector to std::byte vector
-            std::vector<std::byte> msgpack_data(temp.size());
-            for (size_t i = 0; i < temp.size(); ++i)
-            {
-                msgpack_data[i] = std::byte(temp[i]);
-            }
-            // Deserialize from std::byte vector back to JSON
-            json from_bytes;
-            CHECK_NOTHROW(from_bytes = json::from_msgpack(msgpack_data));
-
-            CHECK(from_bytes == original);
-        }
-
-        SECTION("empty vector")
-        {
-            const std::vector<std::byte> empty_data;
-            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS([&]()
-            {
-                [[maybe_unused]] auto result = json::from_msgpack(empty_data);
-                return true;
-            }
-            (),
-            "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 1: syntax error while parsing MessagePack value: unexpected end of input",
-            json::parse_error&);
-        }
-
-        SECTION("comparison with workaround")
-        {
-            json original =
-            {
-                {"string", "hello"},
-                {"integer", 42},
-                {"float", 3.14},
-                {"boolean", true},
-                {"null", nullptr},
-                {"array", {1, 2, 3}},
-                {"object", {{"key", "value"}}}
-            };
-
-            std::vector<uint8_t> temp = json::to_msgpack(original);
-
-            std::vector<std::byte> msgpack_data(temp.size());
-            for (size_t i = 0; i < temp.size(); ++i)
-            {
-                msgpack_data[i] = std::byte(temp[i]);
-            }
-            // Attempt direct deserialization using std::byte input
-            const json direct_result = json::from_msgpack(msgpack_data);
-
-            // Test the workaround approach: reinterpret as unsigned char* and use iterator range
-            const auto* const char_start = reinterpret_cast<unsigned char const*>(msgpack_data.data());
-            const auto* const char_end = char_start + msgpack_data.size();
-            json workaround_result = json::from_msgpack(char_start, char_end);
-
-            // Verify that the final deserialized JSON matches the original JSON
-            CHECK(direct_result == workaround_result);
-            CHECK(direct_result == original);
-        }
-    }
-}
-#endif
-
 // the fake sizes below do not fit into a 32-bit std::size_t
 // with clang and libstdc++ 10, the std::filesystem::path conversion that
 // C++17 builds consider for every string type is ambiguous for a class