diff --git a/cmake/QtCreatorAPI.cmake b/cmake/QtCreatorAPI.cmake
index 18f9120ded8..88242484371 100644
--- a/cmake/QtCreatorAPI.cmake
+++ b/cmake/QtCreatorAPI.cmake
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ set(_THIS_MODULE_BASE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}")
 option(BUILD_PLUGINS_BY_DEFAULT "Build plugins by default. This can be used to build all plugins by default, or none." ON)
 option(BUILD_EXECUTABLES_BY_DEFAULT "Build executables by default. This can be used to build all executables by default, or none." ON)
 option(BUILD_LIBRARIES_BY_DEFAULT "Build libraries by default. This can be used to build all libraries by default, or none." ON)
+option(BUILD_TESTS_BY_DEFAULT "Build tests by default. This can be used to build all tests by default, or none." ON)
 option(QTC_SEPARATE_DEBUG_INFO "Extract debug information from binary files." OFF)
 option(WITH_SCCACHE_SUPPORT "Enables support for building with SCCACHE and separate debug info with MSVC, which SCCACHE normally doesn't support." OFF)
 
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ function(qtc_check_default_values_for_list list_type)
   set(PLUGINS_single plugin)
   set(EXECUTABLES_single executable)
   set(LIBRARIES_single library)
+  set(TESTS_single test)
 
   if (NOT DEFINED BUILD_${list_type})
       return()
@@ -67,6 +69,7 @@ endfunction()
 qtc_check_default_values_for_list(PLUGINS)
 qtc_check_default_values_for_list(EXECUTABLES)
 qtc_check_default_values_for_list(LIBRARIES)
+qtc_check_default_values_for_list(TESTS)
 
 function(qtc_plugin_enabled varName name)
   if (NOT (name IN_LIST __QTC_PLUGINS))
@@ -790,6 +793,17 @@ function(add_qtc_test name)
 
   update_cached_list(__QTC_TESTS "${name}")
 
+  string(TOUPPER "BUILD_TEST_${name}" _build_test_var)
+  set(_build_test_default ${BUILD_TESTS_BY_DEFAULT})
+  if (DEFINED ENV{QTC_${_build_test_var}})
+    set(_build_test_default "$ENV{QTC_${_build_test_var}}")
+  endif()
+  set(${_build_test_var} "${_build_test_default}" CACHE BOOL "Build test ${name}.")
+
+  if (NOT ${_build_test_var})
+    return()
+  endif()
+
   foreach(dependency ${_arg_DEPENDS})
     if (NOT TARGET ${dependency} AND NOT _arg_GTEST)
       if (WITH_DEBUG_CMAKE)
diff --git a/tests/unit/unittest/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/unit/unittest/CMakeLists.txt
index 14b1263563a..c600016cf60 100644
--- a/tests/unit/unittest/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/unit/unittest/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -194,6 +194,10 @@ add_qtc_test(unittest GTEST
     mockimagecachestorage.h
 )
 
+if (NOT TARGET unittest)
+    return()
+endif()
+
 function(extend_qtc_test_with_target_sources target)
   cmake_parse_arguments(_arg "" "" "DEFINES;INCLUDES" ${ARGN})