diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/pr/preload/0001-prevent-building-to-var-directories.patch b/pkgs/by-name/pr/preload/0001-prevent-building-to-var-directories.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 7538a387c944..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/by-name/pr/preload/0001-prevent-building-to-var-directories.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,54 +0,0 @@
-diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
-index e4072e4..4a6b069 100644
---- a/Makefile.in
-+++ b/Makefile.in
-@@ -327,23 +327,9 @@ installcheck-initdSCRIPTS: $(initd_SCRIPTS)
- 	    else echo "$$f does not support $$opt" 1>&2; bad=1; fi; \
- 	  done; \
- 	done; rm -f c$${pid}_.???; exit $$bad
--install-logDATA: $(log_DATA)
--	@$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
--	test -z "$(logdir)" || $(MKDIR_P) "$(DESTDIR)$(logdir)"
--	@list='$(log_DATA)'; for p in $$list; do \
--	  if test -f "$$p"; then d=; else d="$(srcdir)/"; fi; \
--	  f=$(am__strip_dir) \
--	  echo " $(logDATA_INSTALL) '$$d$$p' '$(DESTDIR)$(logdir)/$$f'"; \
--	  $(logDATA_INSTALL) "$$d$$p" "$(DESTDIR)$(logdir)/$$f"; \
--	done
-+install-logDATA: 
- 
- uninstall-logDATA:
--	@$(NORMAL_UNINSTALL)
--	@list='$(log_DATA)'; for p in $$list; do \
--	  f=$(am__strip_dir) \
--	  echo " rm -f '$(DESTDIR)$(logdir)/$$f'"; \
--	  rm -f "$(DESTDIR)$(logdir)/$$f"; \
--	done
- install-logrotateDATA: $(logrotate_DATA)
- 	@$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
- 	test -z "$(logrotatedir)" || $(MKDIR_P) "$(DESTDIR)$(logrotatedir)"
-@@ -361,23 +347,9 @@ uninstall-logrotateDATA:
- 	  echo " rm -f '$(DESTDIR)$(logrotatedir)/$$f'"; \
- 	  rm -f "$(DESTDIR)$(logrotatedir)/$$f"; \
- 	done
--install-pkglocalstateDATA: $(pkglocalstate_DATA)
--	@$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
--	test -z "$(pkglocalstatedir)" || $(MKDIR_P) "$(DESTDIR)$(pkglocalstatedir)"
--	@list='$(pkglocalstate_DATA)'; for p in $$list; do \
--	  if test -f "$$p"; then d=; else d="$(srcdir)/"; fi; \
--	  f=$(am__strip_dir) \
--	  echo " $(pkglocalstateDATA_INSTALL) '$$d$$p' '$(DESTDIR)$(pkglocalstatedir)/$$f'"; \
--	  $(pkglocalstateDATA_INSTALL) "$$d$$p" "$(DESTDIR)$(pkglocalstatedir)/$$f"; \
--	done
-+install-pkglocalstateDATA: 
- 
- uninstall-pkglocalstateDATA:
--	@$(NORMAL_UNINSTALL)
--	@list='$(pkglocalstate_DATA)'; for p in $$list; do \
--	  f=$(am__strip_dir) \
--	  echo " rm -f '$(DESTDIR)$(pkglocalstatedir)/$$f'"; \
--	  rm -f "$(DESTDIR)$(pkglocalstatedir)/$$f"; \
--	done
- install-sysconfigDATA: $(sysconfig_DATA)
- 	@$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
- 	test -z "$(sysconfigdir)" || $(MKDIR_P) "$(DESTDIR)$(sysconfigdir)"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/pr/preload/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/pr/preload/package.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 252d925cff66..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/by-name/pr/preload/package.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
-{
-  lib,
-  stdenv,
-  fetchzip,
-  autoconf,
-  automake,
-  pkg-config,
-  glib,
-}:
-
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
-  pname = "preload";
-  version = "0.6.4";
-
-  src = fetchzip {
-    url = "mirror://sourceforge/preload/preload-${version}.tar.gz";
-    hash = "sha256-vAIaSwvbUFyTl6DflFhuSaMuX9jPVBah+Nl6c/fUbAM=";
-  };
-
-  patches = [
-    # Prevents creation of /var directories on build
-    ./0001-prevent-building-to-var-directories.patch
-  ];
-
-  nativeBuildInputs = [
-    autoconf
-    automake
-    pkg-config
-  ];
-  buildInputs = [ glib ];
-
-  configureFlags = [ "--localstatedir=/var" ];
-
-  postInstall = ''
-    make sysconfigdir=$out/etc/conf.d install
-  '';
-
-  meta = with lib; {
-    description = "Makes applications run faster by prefetching binaries and shared objects";
-    homepage = "https://sourceforge.net/projects/preload";
-    license = licenses.gpl2Only;
-    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
-    mainProgram = "preload";
-    maintainers = with maintainers; [ ldprg ];
-  };
-}
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix b/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix
index 8ca7471de162..0735e9777071 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix
@@ -1298,6 +1298,7 @@ mapAliases {
   pot = throw "'pot' has been removed as it requires libsoup 2.4 which is EOL"; # Added 2025-10-09
   powerdns = throw "'powerdns' has been renamed to/replaced by 'pdns'"; # Converted to throw 2025-10-27
   prboom-plus = throw "'prboom-plus' has been removed since it is unmaintained upstream."; # Added 2025-09-14
+  preload = throw "'preload' has been removed due to lack of usage and being broken since its introduction into nixpkgs"; # Added 2025-11-29
   presage = throw "presage has been removed, as it has been unmaintained since 2018"; # Added 2025-06-19
   preserves-nim = throw "'preserves-nim' has been removed due to a hostile upstream moving tags and breaking src FODs"; # Added 2025-09-01
   private-gpt = throw "'private-gpt' has been removed from nixpkgs, as it was broken and unmaintained"; # Added 2025-07-28