diff --git a/autotests/jobtest.h b/autotests/jobtest.h
--- a/autotests/jobtest.h
+++ b/autotests/jobtest.h
@@ -97,6 +97,8 @@
     void moveDestAlreadyExistsAutoRename_data();
     void moveDestAlreadyExistsAutoRename();
 
+    void safeOverwrite();
+    void safeOverwrite_data();
     void moveAndOverwrite();
     void moveOverSymlinkToSelf();
     void createSymlink();
diff --git a/autotests/jobtest.cpp b/autotests/jobtest.cpp
--- a/autotests/jobtest.cpp
+++ b/autotests/jobtest.cpp
@@ -1721,6 +1721,53 @@
     }
 }
 
+void JobTest::safeOverwrite_data()
+{
+    QTest::addColumn<bool>("destFileExists");
+
+    QTest::newRow("dest file exists") << true;
+    QTest::newRow("dest file doesn't exist") << false;
+}
+
+void JobTest::safeOverwrite()
+{
+#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
+    QSKIP("Test skipped on Windows");
+#endif
+
+    QFETCH(bool, destFileExists);
+    const QString srcDir = homeTmpDir() + "overwrite";
+    const QString srcFile = srcDir + "/testfile";
+    const QString destDir = otherTmpDir() + "overwrite_other";
+    const QString destFile = destDir + "/testfile";
+    const QString destPartFile = destFile + ".part";
+
+    createTestDirectory(srcDir);
+    createTestDirectory(destDir);
+
+    QVERIFY(QFile::resize(srcFile, 1000000)); //~1MB
+    if (!destFileExists) {
+        QVERIFY(QFile::remove(destFile));
+    }
+
+    KIO::FileCopyJob *job = KIO::file_move(QUrl::fromLocalFile(srcFile), QUrl::fromLocalFile(destFile), -1, KIO::HideProgressInfo | KIO::Overwrite);
+    job->setUiDelegate(nullptr);
+    QSignalSpy spyTotalSize(job, &KIO::Job::totalSize);
+    connect(job, &KIO::Job::totalSize, this, [destFileExists, destPartFile](KJob *job, qulonglong totalSize) {
+        Q_UNUSED(job);
+        Q_UNUSED(totalSize);
+        QCOMPARE(destFileExists,  QFile::exists(destPartFile));
+    });
+    QVERIFY(job->exec());
+    QVERIFY(QFile::exists(destFile));
+    QVERIFY(!QFile::exists(srcFile));
+    QVERIFY(!QFile::exists(destPartFile));
+    QCOMPARE(spyTotalSize.count(), 1);
+
+    QDir(srcDir).removeRecursively();
+    QDir(destDir).removeRecursively();
+}
+
 void JobTest::moveAndOverwrite()
 {
     const QString sourceFile = homeTmpDir() + "fileFromHome";
diff --git a/src/ioslaves/file/file_unix.cpp b/src/ioslaves/file/file_unix.cpp
--- a/src/ioslaves/file/file_unix.cpp
+++ b/src/ioslaves/file/file_unix.cpp
@@ -141,9 +141,10 @@
     // qDebug() << "copy(): " << srcUrl << " -> " << destUrl << ", mode=" << _mode;
 
     const QString src = srcUrl.toLocalFile();
-    const QString dest = destUrl.toLocalFile();
+    QString dest = destUrl.toLocalFile();
     QByteArray _src(QFile::encodeName(src));
     QByteArray _dest(QFile::encodeName(dest));
+    QByteArray _dest_backup;
 
     QT_STATBUF buff_src;
 #if HAVE_POSIX_ACL
@@ -180,24 +181,28 @@
             return;
         }
 
-        if (!(_flags & KIO::Overwrite)) {
-            error(KIO::ERR_FILE_ALREADY_EXIST, dest);
-            return;
-        }
-
-        // If the destination is a symlink and overwrite is TRUE,
-        // remove the symlink first to prevent the scenario where
-        // the symlink actually points to current source!
-        if ((_flags & KIO::Overwrite) && ((buff_dest.st_mode & QT_STAT_MASK) == QT_STAT_LNK)) {
-            //qDebug() << "copy(): LINK DESTINATION";
-            if (!QFile::remove(dest)) {
-                if (auto err = execWithElevatedPrivilege(DEL, {_dest}, errno)) {
-                    if (!err.wasCanceled()) {
-                        error(KIO::ERR_CANNOT_DELETE_ORIGINAL, dest);
+        if (_flags & KIO::Overwrite) {
+            // If the destination is a symlink and overwrite is TRUE,
+            // remove the symlink first to prevent the scenario where
+            // the symlink actually points to current source!
+            if ((buff_dest.st_mode & QT_STAT_MASK) == QT_STAT_LNK) {
+                //qDebug() << "copy(): LINK DESTINATION";
+                if (!QFile::remove(dest)) {
+                    if (auto err = execWithElevatedPrivilege(DEL, {_dest}, errno)) {
+                        if (!err.wasCanceled()) {
+                            error(KIO::ERR_CANNOT_DELETE_ORIGINAL, dest);
+                        }
+                        return;
                     }
-                    return;
                 }
+            } else if ((buff_dest.st_mode & QT_STAT_MASK) == QT_STAT_REG) {
+                _dest_backup = _dest;
+                dest.append(QStringLiteral(".part"));
+                _dest = QFile::encodeName(dest);
             }
+        } else {
+            error(KIO::ERR_FILE_ALREADY_EXIST, dest);
+            return;
         }
     }
 
@@ -255,6 +260,7 @@
 #ifdef USE_SENDFILE
     bool use_sendfile = buff_src.st_size < 0x7FFFFFFF;
 #endif
+    bool existing_dest_delete_attempted = false;
     while (1) {
 #ifdef USE_SENDFILE
         if (use_sendfile) {
@@ -278,6 +284,11 @@
             if (use_sendfile) {
                 // qDebug() << "sendfile() error:" << strerror(errno);
                 if (errno == ENOSPC) { // disk full
+                    if (!_dest_backup.isEmpty() && !existing_dest_delete_attempted) {
+                        ::unlink(_dest_backup.constData());
+                        existing_dest_delete_attempted = true;
+                        continue;
+                    }
                     error(KIO::ERR_DISK_FULL, dest);
                 } else {
                     error(KIO::ERR_SLAVE_DEFINED,
@@ -307,6 +318,11 @@
 #endif
             if (dest_file.write(buffer, n) != n) {
                 if (dest_file.error() == QFileDevice::ResourceError) {  // disk full
+                    if (!_dest_backup.isEmpty() && !existing_dest_delete_attempted) {
+                        ::unlink(_dest_backup.constData());
+                        existing_dest_delete_attempted = true;
+                        continue;
+                    }
                     error(KIO::ERR_DISK_FULL, dest);
                 } else {
                     qCWarning(KIO_FILE) << "Couldn't write[2]. Error:" << dest_file.errorString();
@@ -393,6 +409,16 @@
         }
     }
 
+    if (!_dest_backup.isEmpty()) {
+        if (::unlink(_dest_backup.constData()) == -1) {
+            qCWarning(KIO_FILE) << "Couldn't remove original dest" <<  _dest_backup << "(" << strerror(errno) << ")";
+        }
+
+        if (::rename(_dest.constData(), _dest_backup.constData()) == -1) {
+            qCWarning(KIO_FILE) << "Couldn't rename" << _dest << "to" << _dest_backup << "(" << strerror(errno) << ")";
+        }
+    }
+
     processedSize(buff_src.st_size);
     finished();
 }