diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b2985a7d..a74ba6db 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -187,7 +187,8 @@ endfunction()
 
 # Define the fmt library, its includes and the needed defines.
 add_headers(FMT_HEADERS args.h chrono.h color.h compile.h core.h format.h
-                        format-inl.h locale.h os.h ostream.h printf.h ranges.h)
+                        format-inl.h locale.h os.h ostream.h printf.h ranges.h
+                        wchar.h)
 if (FMT_OS)
   set(FMT_SOURCES src/format.cc src/os.cc)
 else()
diff --git a/include/fmt/core.h b/include/fmt/core.h
index 8cb07584..60d1e764 100644
--- a/include/fmt/core.h
+++ b/include/fmt/core.h
@@ -392,8 +392,8 @@ FMT_CONSTEXPR typename std::make_unsigned<Int>::type to_unsigned(Int value) {
 
 FMT_MSC_WARNING(suppress : 4566) constexpr unsigned char micro[] = "\u00B5";
 
-template <typename Char> constexpr bool is_unicode() {
-  return FMT_UNICODE || sizeof(Char) != 1 ||
+constexpr bool is_utf8() {
+  return FMT_UNICODE ||
          (sizeof(micro) == 3 && micro[0] == 0xC2 && micro[1] == 0xB5);
 }
 FMT_END_DETAIL_NAMESPACE
@@ -2895,12 +2895,12 @@ FMT_INLINE auto vformat(
   return detail::vformat(to_string_view(format_str), args);
 }
 
-#if FMT_COMPILE_TIME_CHECKS
 template <typename Char, typename... Args> class basic_format_string {
  private:
   basic_string_view<Char> str;
 
  public:
+#if FMT_COMPILE_TIME_CHECKS
   template <size_t N>
   consteval basic_format_string(const char (&s)[N]) : str(s) {
     if constexpr (detail::count_named_args<Args...>() == 0) {
@@ -2909,21 +2909,29 @@ template <typename Char, typename... Args> class basic_format_string {
       detail::parse_format_string<true>(string_view(s, N), checker(s, {}));
     }
   }
+#endif
 
   template <typename T,
-            FMT_ENABLE_IF(std::is_constructible_v<string_view, const T&>)>
-  basic_format_string(const T& s) : str(s) {}
+            FMT_ENABLE_IF(std::is_constructible<basic_string_view<Char>,
+                                                const T&>::value)>
+  basic_format_string(const T& s) : str(s) {
+    static_assert(
+        detail::count<
+            (std::is_base_of<detail::view, remove_reference_t<Args>>::value &&
+             std::is_reference<Args>::value)...>() == 0,
+        "passing views as lvalues is disallowed");
+    detail::check_format_string<Args...>(s);
+  }
 
-  operator basic_string_view<Char>() const { return str; }
+  FMT_INLINE operator basic_string_view<Char>() const { return str; }
 };
 
+#if FMT_GCC_VERSION && FMT_GCC_VERSION < 409
+// Workaround broken conversion on older gcc.
+template <typename... Args> using format_string = string_view;
+#else
 template <typename... Args>
-using format_string = basic_format_string<char, std::type_identity_t<Args>...>;
-
-template <typename... T>
-FMT_INLINE auto format(format_string<T...> str, T&&... args) -> std::string {
-  return detail::vformat(str, make_format_args(args...));
-}
+using format_string = basic_format_string<char, type_identity_t<Args>...>;
 #endif
 
 /**
@@ -2936,15 +2944,9 @@ FMT_INLINE auto format(format_string<T...> str, T&&... args) -> std::string {
     std::string message = fmt::format("The answer is {}", 42);
   \endrst
 */
-// Pass char_t as a default template parameter instead of using
-// std::basic_string<char_t<S>> to reduce the symbol size.
-template <typename S, typename... Args, typename Char = char_t<S>,
-          FMT_ENABLE_IF(!FMT_COMPILE_TIME_CHECKS ||
-                        !std::is_same<Char, char>::value)>
-FMT_INLINE auto format(const S& format_str, Args&&... args)
-    -> std::basic_string<Char> {
-  const auto& vargs = fmt::make_args_checked<Args...>(format_str, args...);
-  return detail::vformat(to_string_view(format_str), vargs);
+template <typename... T>
+FMT_INLINE auto format(format_string<T...> str, T&&... args) -> std::string {
+  return detail::vformat(str, make_format_args(args...));
 }
 
 FMT_API void vprint(string_view, format_args);
@@ -2952,8 +2954,8 @@ FMT_API void vprint(std::FILE*, string_view, format_args);
 
 /**
   \rst
-  Formats ``args`` according to specifications in ``format_str`` and writes the
-  output to the file ``f``. Strings are assumed to be Unicode-encoded unless the
+  Formats ``args`` according to specifications in ``str`` and writes the
+  output to the file ``f``. Strings are assumed to be in UTF-8 unless the
   ``FMT_UNICODE`` macro is set to 0.
 
   **Example**::
@@ -2961,32 +2963,29 @@ FMT_API void vprint(std::FILE*, string_view, format_args);
     fmt::print(stderr, "Don't {}!", "panic");
   \endrst
  */
-template <typename S, typename... Args, typename Char = char_t<S>>
-inline void print(std::FILE* f, const S& format_str, Args&&... args) {
-  const auto& vargs = fmt::make_args_checked<Args...>(format_str, args...);
-  return detail::is_unicode<Char>()
-             ? vprint(f, to_string_view(format_str), vargs)
-             : detail::vprint_mojibake(f, to_string_view(format_str), vargs);
+template <typename... T>
+inline void print(std::FILE* f, format_string<T...> str, T&&... args) {
+  const auto& vargs = make_format_args(args...);
+  return detail::is_utf8() ? vprint(f, str, vargs)
+                           : detail::vprint_mojibake(f, str, vargs);
 }
 
 /**
   \rst
-  Formats ``args`` according to specifications in ``format_str`` and writes
-  the output to ``stdout``. Strings are assumed to be Unicode-encoded unless
-  the ``FMT_UNICODE`` macro is set to 0.
+  Formats ``args`` according to specifications in ``str`` and writes the output
+  to ``stdout``. Strings are assumed to be in UTF-8 unless the ``FMT_UNICODE``
+  macro is set to 0.
 
   **Example**::
 
     fmt::print("Elapsed time: {0:.2f} seconds", 1.23);
   \endrst
  */
-template <typename S, typename... Args, typename Char = char_t<S>>
-inline void print(const S& format_str, Args&&... args) {
-  const auto& vargs = fmt::make_args_checked<Args...>(format_str, args...);
-  return detail::is_unicode<Char>()
-             ? vprint(to_string_view(format_str), vargs)
-             : detail::vprint_mojibake(stdout, to_string_view(format_str),
-                                       vargs);
+template <typename... T>
+inline void print(format_string<T...> str, T&&... args) {
+  const auto& vargs = make_format_args(args...);
+  return detail::is_utf8() ? vprint(str, vargs)
+                           : detail::vprint_mojibake(stdout, str, vargs);
 }
 
 FMT_MODULE_EXPORT_END
diff --git a/include/fmt/format.h b/include/fmt/format.h
index 7a61bd3c..44f90489 100644
--- a/include/fmt/format.h
+++ b/include/fmt/format.h
@@ -2658,6 +2658,16 @@ auto detail::vformat(
   return to_string(buffer);
 }
 
+// Pass char_t as a default template parameter instead of using
+// std::basic_string<char_t<S>> to reduce the symbol size.
+template <typename S, typename... Args, typename Char = char_t<S>,
+          FMT_ENABLE_IF(!std::is_same<Char, char>::value)>
+FMT_INLINE auto format(const S& format_str, Args&&... args)
+    -> std::basic_string<Char> {
+  const auto& vargs = fmt::make_args_checked<Args...>(format_str, args...);
+  return detail::vformat(to_string_view(format_str), vargs);
+}
+
 template <typename Char, FMT_ENABLE_IF(std::is_same<Char, wchar_t>::value)>
 void vprint(std::FILE* f, basic_string_view<Char> format_str,
             wformat_args args) {
diff --git a/include/fmt/wchar.h b/include/fmt/wchar.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b447ef7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/fmt/wchar.h
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// Formatting library for C++ - experimental wchar_t support
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2012 - present, Victor Zverovich
+// All rights reserved.
+//
+// For the license information refer to format.h.
+
+#ifndef FMT_WCHAR_H_
+#define FMT_WCHAR_H_
+
+#include "format.h"
+
+namespace fmt {
+
+#if FMT_GCC_VERSION && FMT_GCC_VERSION < 409
+// Workaround broken conversion on older gcc.
+template <typename... Args> using wformat_string = wstring_view;
+#else
+template <typename... Args>
+using wformat_string = basic_format_string<wchar_t, type_identity_t<Args>...>;
+#endif
+
+template <typename... Args>
+constexpr format_arg_store<wformat_context, Args...> make_wformat_args(
+    const Args&... args) {
+  return {args...};
+}
+
+template <typename... T>
+void print(std::FILE* f, wformat_string<T...> str, T&&... args) {
+  return vprint(f, wstring_view(str), make_wformat_args(args...));
+}
+
+template <typename... T> void print(wformat_string<T...> str, T&&... args) {
+  return vprint(wstring_view(str), make_wformat_args(args...));
+}
+}  // namespace fmt
+
+#endif  // FMT_WCHAR_H_
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index f1dcf16a..39a088cb 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ add_fmt_test(compile-test)
 add_fmt_test(printf-test)
 add_fmt_test(ranges-test)
 add_fmt_test(scan-test)
+add_fmt_test(wchar-test)
 
 if (NOT MSVC)
   # FMT_ENFORCE_COMPILE_STRING is not supported under MSVC due to compiler bugs.
diff --git a/test/core-test.cc b/test/core-test.cc
index 76b20a3e..7c861684 100644
--- a/test/core-test.cc
+++ b/test/core-test.cc
@@ -590,11 +590,6 @@ TEST(core_test, to_string_view_foreign_strings) {
   EXPECT_EQ(type, fmt::detail::type::string_type);
 }
 
-TEST(core_test, format_foreign_strings) {
-  using namespace test_ns;
-  EXPECT_EQ(fmt::format(test_string<char>("{}"), 42), "42");
-}
-
 struct implicitly_convertible_to_string {
   operator std::string() const { return "foo"; }
 };
diff --git a/test/format-test.cc b/test/format-test.cc
index 997b628f..e5f3d98c 100644
--- a/test/format-test.cc
+++ b/test/format-test.cc
@@ -1580,8 +1580,6 @@ TEST(format_test, print) {
   EXPECT_WRITE(stdout, fmt::print("Don't {}!", "panic"), "Don't panic!");
   EXPECT_WRITE(stderr, fmt::print(stderr, "Don't {}!", "panic"),
                "Don't panic!");
-  // Check that the wide print overload compiles.
-  if (fmt::detail::const_check(false)) fmt::print(L"test");
 }
 
 TEST(format_test, variadic) {
diff --git a/test/wchar-test.cc b/test/wchar-test.cc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aaac87cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/wchar-test.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// Formatting library for C++ - formatting library tests
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2012 - present, Victor Zverovich
+// All rights reserved.
+//
+// For the license information refer to format.h.
+
+#include "fmt/wchar.h"
+
+#include "gtest/gtest.h"
+
+TEST(wchar_test, print) {
+  // Check that the wide print overload compiles.
+  if (fmt::detail::const_check(false)) fmt::print(L"test");
+}