diff --git a/docs/changelog.md b/docs/changelog.md
index b7a50f0c..54b3c45c 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/changelog.md
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ See the [Contributing Guide](contributing.md) for details.
 
 ### Fixed
 
+* Fix quadratic rendering time for many unclosed square brackets in links
+  and images.
 * Sanitize attribute names in the `fenced_code` and `legacy_attrs` extensions so an
   attribute name cannot break out of its tag and inject markup (#1663).
 * For backwards compatibility in some languages, revert the enforcement of CommonMark
diff --git a/markdown/inlinepatterns.py b/markdown/inlinepatterns.py
index 785585d0..9f4f2fa3 100644
--- a/markdown/inlinepatterns.py
+++ b/markdown/inlinepatterns.py
@@ -1157,19 +1157,38 @@ def getText(self, data: str, index: int) -> tuple[str, int, bool]:
         resolving nested square brackets.
 
         """
-        bracket_count = 1
-        text = []
-        for pos in range(index, len(data)):
-            c = data[pos]
-            if c == ']':
-                bracket_count -= 1
-            elif c == '[':
-                bracket_count += 1
-            index += 1
-            if bracket_count == 0:
-                break
-            text.append(c)
-        return ''.join(text), index, bracket_count == 0
+        # Scanning forward from every `[` is quadratic when the brackets do not
+        # close, so find the closing bracket for every index of `data` at once.
+        if getattr(self, '_bracket_data', None) is not data:
+            self._bracket_data = data
+            self._bracket_ends = self._findBracketEnds(data)
+        end = self._bracket_ends[index]
+        if end is None:
+            return data[index:], len(data), False
+        return data[index:end - 1], end, True
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _findBracketEnds(data: str) -> list[int | None]:
+        """
+        For each index of `data`, return the index just past the `]` which closes an
+        opening bracket before that index, or `None` if the bracket never closes.
+
+        """
+        ends: list[int | None] = [None] * (len(data) + 1)
+        depth = 0
+        # `stack` holds the indexes still waiting for a closing bracket. The bracket
+        # depth before each one is strictly increasing from bottom to top.
+        stack: list[tuple[int, int]] = []
+        for pos in range(len(data) + 1):
+            while stack and depth < stack[-1][1]:
+                ends[stack.pop()[0]] = pos
+            stack.append((pos, depth))
+            if pos < len(data):
+                if data[pos] == '[':
+                    depth += 1
+                elif data[pos] == ']':
+                    depth -= 1
+        return ends
 
 
 class ImageInlineProcessor(LinkInlineProcessor):
diff --git a/tests/test_syntax/inline/test_links.py b/tests/test_syntax/inline/test_links.py
index e57bd995..48464da6 100644
--- a/tests/test_syntax/inline/test_links.py
+++ b/tests/test_syntax/inline/test_links.py
@@ -164,6 +164,19 @@ def test_angles_and_nonsense_url(self):
             '<p><a href="?}]*+|&amp;)">test nonsense</a>.</p>'
         )
 
+    def test_unclosed_square_brackets(self):
+        self.assertMarkdownRenders(
+            '[[[Text](http://link.com) [more [text',
+            '<p>[[<a href="http://link.com">Text</a> [more [text</p>'
+        )
+
+    def test_many_unclosed_square_brackets(self):
+        # Each unclosed bracket used to rescan the rest of the text.
+        self.assertMarkdownRenders(
+            '[[' * 10000 + '[Text](http://link.com)',
+            '<p>' + '[[' * 10000 + '<a href="http://link.com">Text</a></p>'
+        )
+
 
 class TestReferenceLinks(TestCase):