diff --git a/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php b/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php
index c75f392c24..23f108dbd3 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php
@@ -592,29 +592,47 @@ class WP_User_Query {
 
 		$qv =& $this->query_vars;
 
-		$this->request = "SELECT $this->query_fields $this->query_from $this->query_where $this->query_orderby $this->query_limit";
+		/**
+		 * Filters the users array before the query takes place.
+		 *
+		 * Return a non-null value to bypass WordPress's default user queries.
+		 * Filtering functions that require pagination information are encouraged to set
+		 * the `total_users` property of the WP_User_Query object, passed to the filter
+		 * by reference. If WP_User_Query does not perform a database query, it will not
+		 * have enough information to generate these values itself.
+		 *
+		 * @since 5.0.3
+		 *
+		 * @param array|null $results Return an array of user data to short-circuit WP's user query or null to allow WP to run its normal queries.
+		 * @param WP_User_Query $this The WP_User_Query instance (passed by reference).
+		 */
+		$this->results = apply_filters_ref_array( 'users_pre_query', array( null, &$this ) );
 
-		if ( is_array( $qv['fields'] ) || 'all' == $qv['fields'] ) {
-			$this->results = $wpdb->get_results( $this->request );
-		} else {
-			$this->results = $wpdb->get_col( $this->request );
-		}
+		if ( null === $this->results ) {
+			$this->request = "SELECT $this->query_fields $this->query_from $this->query_where $this->query_orderby $this->query_limit";
 
-		if ( isset( $qv['count_total'] ) && $qv['count_total'] ) {
-			/**
-			 * Filters SELECT FOUND_ROWS() query for the current WP_User_Query instance.
-			 *
-			 * @since 3.2.0
-			 * @since 5.1.0 Added the `$this` parameter.
-			 *
-			 * @global wpdb $wpdb WordPress database abstraction object.
-			 *
-			 * @param string $sql         The SELECT FOUND_ROWS() query for the current WP_User_Query.
-			 * @param WP_User_Query $this The current WP_User_Query instance.
-			 */
-			$found_users_query = apply_filters( 'found_users_query', 'SELECT FOUND_ROWS()', $this );
+			if ( is_array( $qv['fields'] ) || 'all' == $qv['fields'] ) {
+				$this->results = $wpdb->get_results( $this->request );
+			} else {
+				$this->results = $wpdb->get_col( $this->request );
+			}
 
-			$this->total_users = (int) $wpdb->get_var( $found_users_query );
+			if ( isset( $qv['count_total'] ) && $qv['count_total'] ) {
+				/**
+				 * Filters SELECT FOUND_ROWS() query for the current WP_User_Query instance.
+				 *
+				 * @since 3.2.0
+				 * @since 5.0.3 Added the `$this` parameter.
+				 *
+				 * @global wpdb $wpdb WordPress database abstraction object.
+				 *
+				 * @param string $sql         The SELECT FOUND_ROWS() query for the current WP_User_Query.
+				 * @param WP_User_Query $this The current WP_User_Query instance.
+				 */
+				$found_users_query = apply_filters( 'found_users_query', 'SELECT FOUND_ROWS()', $this );
+
+				$this->total_users = (int) $wpdb->get_var( $found_users_query );
+			}
 		}
 
 		if ( ! $this->results ) {
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php
index 13d73343a4..1330d8b5c9 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php
@@ -1690,4 +1690,37 @@ class Tests_User_Query extends WP_UnitTestCase {
 		/* must not include user that has same string in other fields */
 		$this->assertEquals( array(), $ids );
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @ticket 44169
+	 */
+	public function test_users_pre_query_filter_should_bypass_database_query() {
+		global $wpdb;
+
+		add_filter( 'users_pre_query', array( __CLASS__, 'filter_users_pre_query' ), 10, 2 );
+
+		$num_queries = $wpdb->num_queries;
+		$q           = new WP_User_Query(
+			array(
+				'fields' => 'ID',
+			)
+		);
+
+		remove_filter( 'users_pre_query', array( __CLASS__, 'filter_users_pre_query' ), 10, 2 );
+
+		// Make sure no queries were executed.
+		$this->assertSame( $num_queries, $wpdb->num_queries );
+
+		// We manually inserted a non-existing user and overrode the results with it.
+		$this->assertSame( array( 555 ), $q->results );
+
+		// Make sure manually setting total_users doesn't get overwritten.
+		$this->assertEquals( 1, $q->total_users );
+	}
+
+	public static function filter_users_pre_query( $posts, $query ) {
+		$query->total_users = 1;
+
+		return array( 555 );
+	}
 }