diff --git a/lisp/ChangeLog b/lisp/ChangeLog
index 9448e0514e6..712bd73dba8 100644
--- a/lisp/ChangeLog
+++ b/lisp/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2015-03-23  Martin Rudalics  <rudalics@gmx.at>
+
+	* emacs-lisp/debug.el (debug): Don't try using "previous" window
+	when its not live or on an invisible frame (Bug#17170).
+
 2015-03-23  Dmitry Gutov  <dgutov@yandex.ru>
 
 	* json.el (json-decode-char0): Delete this alias as well.
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/debug.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/debug.el
index 83213285d4e..ce5c7863c3c 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/debug.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/debug.el
@@ -192,8 +192,10 @@ first will be printed into the backtrace buffer."
 	       debugger-buffer
 	       `((display-buffer-reuse-window
 		  display-buffer-in-previous-window)
-		  . (,(when debugger-previous-window
-			`(previous-window . ,debugger-previous-window)))))
+		 . (,(when (and (window-live-p debugger-previous-window)
+				(frame-visible-p
+				 (window-frame debugger-previous-window)))
+		       `(previous-window . ,debugger-previous-window)))))
 	      (setq debugger-window (selected-window))
 	      (if (eq debugger-previous-window debugger-window)
 		  (when debugger-jumping-flag