diff --git a/kotlinx-coroutines-test/common/src/internal/TestMainDispatcher.kt b/kotlinx-coroutines-test/common/src/internal/TestMainDispatcher.kt
index b94e261f7b..f9ab265c8d 100644
--- a/kotlinx-coroutines-test/common/src/internal/TestMainDispatcher.kt
+++ b/kotlinx-coroutines-test/common/src/internal/TestMainDispatcher.kt
@@ -9,31 +9,36 @@ import kotlin.coroutines.*
  * The testable main dispatcher used by kotlinx-coroutines-test.
  * It is a [MainCoroutineDispatcher] that delegates all actions to a settable delegate.
  */
-internal class TestMainDispatcher(delegate: CoroutineDispatcher):
+internal class TestMainDispatcher(createInnerMain: () -> CoroutineDispatcher):
     MainCoroutineDispatcher(),
     Delay
 {
-    private val mainDispatcher = delegate
-    private var delegate = NonConcurrentlyModifiable(mainDispatcher, "Dispatchers.Main")
+    internal constructor(delegate: CoroutineDispatcher): this({ delegate })
+
+    private val mainDispatcher by lazy(createInnerMain)
+    private var delegate = NonConcurrentlyModifiable<CoroutineDispatcher?>(null, "Dispatchers.Main")
+
+    private val dispatcher
+        get() = delegate.value ?: mainDispatcher
 
     private val delay
-        get() = delegate.value as? Delay ?: defaultDelay
+        get() = dispatcher as? Delay ?: defaultDelay
 
     override val immediate: MainCoroutineDispatcher
-        get() = (delegate.value as? MainCoroutineDispatcher)?.immediate ?: this
+        get() = (dispatcher as? MainCoroutineDispatcher)?.immediate ?: this
 
-    override fun dispatch(context: CoroutineContext, block: Runnable) = delegate.value.dispatch(context, block)
+    override fun dispatch(context: CoroutineContext, block: Runnable) = dispatcher.dispatch(context, block)
 
-    override fun isDispatchNeeded(context: CoroutineContext): Boolean = delegate.value.isDispatchNeeded(context)
+    override fun isDispatchNeeded(context: CoroutineContext): Boolean = dispatcher.isDispatchNeeded(context)
 
-    override fun dispatchYield(context: CoroutineContext, block: Runnable) = delegate.value.dispatchYield(context, block)
+    override fun dispatchYield(context: CoroutineContext, block: Runnable) = dispatcher.dispatchYield(context, block)
 
     fun setDispatcher(dispatcher: CoroutineDispatcher) {
         delegate.value = dispatcher
     }
 
     fun resetDispatcher() {
-        delegate.value = mainDispatcher
+        delegate.value = null
     }
 
     override fun scheduleResumeAfterDelay(timeMillis: Long, continuation: CancellableContinuation<Unit>) =
diff --git a/kotlinx-coroutines-test/jvm/src/internal/TestMainDispatcherJvm.kt b/kotlinx-coroutines-test/jvm/src/internal/TestMainDispatcherJvm.kt
index 1b2d7533de..9626c7a87a 100644
--- a/kotlinx-coroutines-test/jvm/src/internal/TestMainDispatcherJvm.kt
+++ b/kotlinx-coroutines-test/jvm/src/internal/TestMainDispatcherJvm.kt
@@ -8,8 +8,23 @@ internal class TestMainDispatcherFactory : MainDispatcherFactory {
     override fun createDispatcher(allFactories: List<MainDispatcherFactory>): MainCoroutineDispatcher {
         val otherFactories = allFactories.filter { it !== this }
         val secondBestFactory = otherFactories.maxByOrNull { it.loadPriority } ?: MissingMainCoroutineDispatcherFactory
-        val dispatcher = secondBestFactory.tryCreateDispatcher(otherFactories)
-        return TestMainDispatcher(dispatcher)
+        /* Do not immediately create the alternative dispatcher, as with `SUPPORT_MISSING` set to `false`,
+        it will throw an exception. Instead, create it lazily. */
+        return TestMainDispatcher({
+            val dispatcher = try {
+                secondBestFactory.tryCreateDispatcher(otherFactories)
+            } catch (e: Throwable) {
+                reportMissingMainCoroutineDispatcher(e)
+            }
+            if (dispatcher.isMissing()) {
+                reportMissingMainCoroutineDispatcher(runCatching {
+                    // attempt to dispatch something to the missing dispatcher to trigger the exception.
+                    dispatcher.dispatch(dispatcher, Runnable { })
+                }.exceptionOrNull()) // can not be null, but it does not matter.
+            } else {
+                dispatcher
+            }
+        })
     }
 
     /**
@@ -24,4 +39,14 @@ internal actual fun Dispatchers.getTestMainDispatcher(): TestMainDispatcher {
     val mainDispatcher = Main
     require(mainDispatcher is TestMainDispatcher) { "TestMainDispatcher is not set as main dispatcher, have $mainDispatcher instead." }
     return mainDispatcher
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+private fun reportMissingMainCoroutineDispatcher(e: Throwable? = null): Nothing {
+    throw IllegalStateException(
+        "Dispatchers.Main was accessed when the platform dispatcher was absent " +
+            "and the test dispatcher was unset. Please make sure that Dispatchers.setMain() is called " +
+            "before accessing Dispatchers.Main and that Dispatchers.Main is not accessed after " +
+            "Dispatchers.resetMain().",
+        e
+    )
+}
diff --git a/ui/kotlinx-coroutines-android/android-unit-tests/test/ordered/tests/FirstMockedMainTest.kt b/ui/kotlinx-coroutines-android/android-unit-tests/test/ordered/tests/FirstMockedMainTest.kt
index 30f1796ef6..f56e4c4bdd 100644
--- a/ui/kotlinx-coroutines-android/android-unit-tests/test/ordered/tests/FirstMockedMainTest.kt
+++ b/ui/kotlinx-coroutines-android/android-unit-tests/test/ordered/tests/FirstMockedMainTest.kt
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ open class FirstMockedMainTest : TestBase() {
             component.launchSomething()
             throw component.caughtException
         } catch (e: IllegalStateException) {
-            assertTrue(e.message!!.contains("Dispatchers.setMain from kotlinx-coroutines-test"))
+            assertTrue(e.message!!.contains("Dispatchers.setMain"))
         }
     }
 }