diff --git a/README/ReleaseNotes/v638/index.md b/README/ReleaseNotes/v638/index.md
index 51654332851b8..346660b4d1593 100644
--- a/README/ReleaseNotes/v638/index.md
+++ b/README/ReleaseNotes/v638/index.md
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
 * The `ROOT::Math::TDataPointN` class that can be used with the `ROOT::Math::KDETree` was removed. Use the templated `TDataPoint<N>` instead.
 * The Parallel ROOT Facility, `PROOF`, has been removed from the repository.
 * After being deprecated for a long period, the `-r` option of `rootcling` has been removed.
+* The `rpath` build option is deprecated. It is now without effect.
+  Relative RPATHs to the main ROOT libraries are unconditionally appended to all ROOT executables and libraries if the operating system supports it.
+  If you want a ROOT build without RPATHs, use the canonical CMake variable `CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH=TRUE`.
 
 ## Core Libraries
 * Behavior change: when selecting a template instantiation for a dictionary, all the template arguments have to be fully defined - the forward declarations are not enough any more. The error prompted by the dictionary generator will be `Warning: Unused class rule: MyTemplate<MyFwdDeclaredClass>`.
diff --git a/bindings/pyroot/cppyy/CPyCppyy/CMakeLists.txt b/bindings/pyroot/cppyy/CPyCppyy/CMakeLists.txt
index d6a78bcac626b..aa87317464eb1 100644
--- a/bindings/pyroot/cppyy/CPyCppyy/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/bindings/pyroot/cppyy/CPyCppyy/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -112,29 +112,14 @@ target_include_directories(CPyCppyy
       $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include>
 )
 
+set_property(GLOBAL APPEND PROPERTY ROOT_EXPORTED_TARGETS CPyCppyy)
+set_property(GLOBAL APPEND PROPERTY ROOT_EXPORTED_TARGETS cppyy)
+
 if(NOT MSVC)
   # Make sure that relative RUNPATH to main ROOT libraries is always correct.
-
-  file(RELATIVE_PATH pymoduledir_to_libdir_build ${localruntimedir} "${localruntimedir}")
-  file(RELATIVE_PATH pymoduledir_to_libdir_install ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_PYTHONDIR} "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}")
-
-  if(APPLE)
-    set_target_properties(cppyy PROPERTIES
-        BUILD_RPATH "@loader_path/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_build}"
-        INSTALL_RPATH "@loader_path/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_install}"
-    )
-  else()
-    set_target_properties(cppyy PROPERTIES
-        BUILD_RPATH "$ORIGIN/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_build}"
-        INSTALL_RPATH "$ORIGIN/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_install}"
-    )
-  endif()
-
+  ROOT_APPEND_LIBDIR_TO_INSTALL_RPATH(cppyy ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PYTHONDIR})
 endif()
 
-set_property(GLOBAL APPEND PROPERTY ROOT_EXPORTED_TARGETS CPyCppyy)
-set_property(GLOBAL APPEND PROPERTY ROOT_EXPORTED_TARGETS cppyy)
-
 # Install library
 install(TARGETS CPyCppyy EXPORT ${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME}Exports
                             RUNTIME DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR} COMPONENT libraries
diff --git a/bindings/pyroot/pythonizations/CMakeLists.txt b/bindings/pyroot/pythonizations/CMakeLists.txt
index be4ab57f0d5ca..797c09e682e6f 100644
--- a/bindings/pyroot/pythonizations/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/bindings/pyroot/pythonizations/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -227,22 +227,7 @@ endif()
 
 if(NOT MSVC)
   # Make sure that relative RUNPATH to main ROOT libraries is always correct.
-
-  file(RELATIVE_PATH pymoduledir_to_libdir_build ${pymoduledir_build} "${localruntimedir}")
-  file(RELATIVE_PATH pymoduledir_to_libdir_install ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${pymoduledir_install} "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}")
-
-  if(APPLE)
-    set_target_properties(${libname} PROPERTIES
-        BUILD_RPATH "@loader_path/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_build}"
-        INSTALL_RPATH "@loader_path/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_install}"
-    )
-  else()
-    set_target_properties(${libname} PROPERTIES
-        BUILD_RPATH "$ORIGIN/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_build}"
-        INSTALL_RPATH "$ORIGIN/${pymoduledir_to_libdir_install}"
-    )
-  endif()
-
+  ROOT_APPEND_LIBDIR_TO_INSTALL_RPATH(${libname} ${pymoduledir_install})
 endif()
 
 # Install library
diff --git a/cmake/modules/RootBuildOptions.cmake b/cmake/modules/RootBuildOptions.cmake
index 42f8fbaa4f731..c6d2cb8788c0d 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/RootBuildOptions.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/RootBuildOptions.cmake
@@ -154,7 +154,6 @@ ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(r OFF "Enable support for R bindings (requires R, Rcpp, and RI
 ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(roofit ON "Build the advanced fitting package RooFit, and RooStats for statistical tests. If xml is available, also build HistFactory.")
 ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(roofit_multiprocess OFF "Build RooFit::MultiProcess and multi-process RooFit::TestStatistics classes (requires ZeroMQ >= 3.4.5 built with -DENABLE_DRAFTS and cppzmq).")
 ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(root7 ON "Build ROOT 7 components of ROOT")
-ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(rpath ON "Link libraries with built-in RPATH (run-time search path)")
 ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(runtime_cxxmodules ON "Enable runtime support for C++ modules")
 ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(shadowpw OFF "Enable support for shadow passwords")
 ROOT_BUILD_OPTION(shared ON "Use shared 3rd party libraries if possible")
@@ -307,7 +306,6 @@ if(WIN32)
   set(davix_defvalue OFF)
   set(roofit_multiprocess_defvalue OFF)
   set(roottest_defvalue OFF)
-  set(rpath_defvalue OFF)
   set(runtime_cxxmodules_defvalue OFF)
   set(testing_defvalue OFF)
   set(vdt_defvalue OFF)
@@ -406,6 +404,14 @@ foreach(opt )
   endif()
 endforeach()
 
+if(DEFINED rpath)
+  message(DEPRECATION ">>> Option 'rpath' is deprecated and without effect."
+      " See https://root.cern/doc/v638/release-notes.html"
+      " Relative RPATHs to the main ROOT libraries are unconditionally appended to all ROOT"
+      " executables and libraries."
+      "") # empty line at the end to make the deprecation message more visible
+endif()
+
 foreach(opt minuit2_mpi)
   if(${opt})
       message(WARNING "The option '${opt}' can only be used to minimise thread-safe functions in Minuit2. It cannot be used for Histogram/Graph fitting and for RooFit. If you want to use Minuit2 with MPI support, it is better to build Minuit2 as a standalone library.")
@@ -423,23 +429,6 @@ include(RootInstallDirs)
 # add to RPATH any directories outside the project that are in the linker search path
 set(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH_USE_LINK_PATH TRUE)
 
-if(rpath)
-  file(RELATIVE_PATH BINDIR_TO_LIBDIR "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_BINDIR}" "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}")
-
-  if(APPLE)
-    set(CMAKE_MACOSX_RPATH TRUE)
-    set(CMAKE_INSTALL_NAME_DIR "@rpath")
-
-    set(_rpath_values "@loader_path" "@loader_path/${BINDIR_TO_LIBDIR}")
-  else()
-    set(_rpath_values "$ORIGIN" "$ORIGIN/${BINDIR_TO_LIBDIR}")
-  endif()
-
-  set(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH "${CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH-CACHED};${_rpath_values}" CACHE STRING "Install RPATH" FORCE)
-
-  unset(BINDIR_TO_LIBDIR)
-endif()
-
 #---deal with the DCMAKE_IGNORE_PATH------------------------------------------------------------
 if(macos_native)
   if(APPLE)
diff --git a/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake b/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake
index 56d0c51d5997b..f15667413769a 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake
@@ -975,6 +975,9 @@ function(ROOT_LINKER_LIBRARY library)
 
   #----Installation details-------------------------------------------------------
   if(NOT ARG_TEST AND NOT ARG_NOINSTALL AND CMAKE_LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY)
+    if(NOT MSVC)
+      ROOT_APPEND_LIBDIR_TO_INSTALL_RPATH(${library} ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR})
+    endif()
     if(ARG_CMAKENOEXPORT)
       install(TARGETS ${library} RUNTIME DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR} COMPONENT libraries
                                  LIBRARY DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR} COMPONENT libraries
@@ -1437,6 +1440,9 @@ function(ROOT_EXECUTABLE executable)
   endif()
   #----Installation details------------------------------------------------------
   if(NOT ARG_NOINSTALL AND CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY)
+    if(NOT MSVC)
+      ROOT_APPEND_LIBDIR_TO_INSTALL_RPATH(${executable} ${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR})
+    endif()
     if(ARG_CMAKENOEXPORT)
       install(TARGETS ${executable} RUNTIME DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR} COMPONENT applications)
     else()
@@ -2073,6 +2079,32 @@ function(generateManual name input output)
   install(FILES ${output} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_MANDIR}/man1)
 endfunction()
 
+#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# --- ROOT_APPEND_LIBDIR_TO_INSTALL_RPATH(target install_dir)
+#
+# Sets the INSTALL_RPATH for a given target so that it can find the ROOT shared
+# libraries at runtime. The RPATH is set relative to the target's own location
+# using $ORIGIN (or @loader_path on macOS).
+#
+# Arguments:
+#   target       - The CMake target (e.g., a shared library or executable)
+#   install_dir  - The install subdirectory relative to CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX
+#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+function(ROOT_APPEND_LIBDIR_TO_INSTALL_RPATH target install_dir)
+  file(RELATIVE_PATH to_libdir "${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${install_dir}" "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}")
+
+  # New path
+  if(APPLE)
+    set(new_rpath "@loader_path/${to_libdir}")
+  else()
+    set(new_rpath "$ORIGIN/${to_libdir}")
+  endif()
+
+  # Append to existing RPATH
+  set_property(TARGET ${target} APPEND PROPERTY INSTALL_RPATH "${new_rpath}")
+endfunction()
+
+
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #
 #  Former RoottestMacros.cmake starts here
diff --git a/rootx/CMakeLists.txt b/rootx/CMakeLists.txt
index 39d1bf1461d45..1ec4ad445d4c5 100644
--- a/rootx/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/rootx/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -28,6 +28,6 @@ target_include_directories(root PRIVATE
   ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ginclude         # for RConfigure.h and rootCommandLineOptionsHelp.h
 )
 
-if(rpath)
+if(NOT MSVC AND NOT CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH)
   target_compile_definitions(root PRIVATE IS_RPATH_BUILD)
 endif()