diff --git a/lib/vfs/utilvfs.c b/lib/vfs/utilvfs.c
index 5a9fa453b..8f4e05cc9 100644
--- a/lib/vfs/utilvfs.c
+++ b/lib/vfs/utilvfs.c
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+#if !defined (HAVE_UTIMENSAT) && defined (HAVE_UTIME_H)
+#include <utime.h>
+#endif
+
 #include "lib/global.h"
 #include "lib/unixcompat.h"
 #include "lib/widget.h"         /* message() */
@@ -372,3 +376,15 @@ vfs_get_password (const char *msg)
 }
 
 /* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+int
+vfs_utime (const char *path, mc_timesbuf_t *times)
+{
+#ifdef HAVE_UTIMENSAT
+    return utimensat (AT_FDCWD, path, *times, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW);
+#else
+    return utime (path, times);
+#endif
+}
+
+/* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
diff --git a/lib/vfs/utilvfs.h b/lib/vfs/utilvfs.h
index 362bd55d1..a203b78dd 100644
--- a/lib/vfs/utilvfs.h
+++ b/lib/vfs/utilvfs.h
@@ -60,5 +60,8 @@ size_t vfs_parse_ls_lga_get_final_spaces (void);
 gboolean vfs_parse_month (const char *str, struct tm *tim);
 int vfs_parse_filedate (int idx, time_t * t);
 
+int vfs_utime (const char *path, mc_timesbuf_t *times);
+
 /*** inline functions ****************************************************************************/
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/vfs/local/local.c b/src/vfs/local/local.c
index 88450a568..337646508 100644
--- a/src/vfs/local/local.c
+++ b/src/vfs/local/local.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <config.h>
+
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
@@ -217,16 +218,7 @@ local_fsetflags (const vfs_path_t *vpath, unsigned long flags)
 static int
 local_utime (const vfs_path_t *vpath, mc_timesbuf_t *times)
 {
-    int ret;
-    const char *path;
-
-    path = vfs_path_get_last_path_str (vpath);
-#ifdef HAVE_UTIMENSAT
-    ret = utimensat (AT_FDCWD, path, *times, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW);
-#else
-    ret = utime (path, times);
-#endif
-    return ret;
+    return vfs_utime (vfs_path_get_last_path_str (vpath), times);
 }
 
 /* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
diff --git a/src/vfs/sfs/sfs.c b/src/vfs/sfs/sfs.c
index c7107f5d5..e3be15f35 100644
--- a/src/vfs/sfs/sfs.c
+++ b/src/vfs/sfs/sfs.c
@@ -349,11 +349,7 @@ sfs_chown (const vfs_path_t *vpath, uid_t owner, gid_t group)
 static int
 sfs_utime (const vfs_path_t *vpath, mc_timesbuf_t *times)
 {
-#ifdef HAVE_UTIMENSAT
-    return utimensat (AT_FDCWD, sfs_redirect (vpath), *times, 0);
-#else
-    return utime (sfs_redirect (vpath), times);
-#endif
+    return vfs_utime (sfs_redirect (vpath), times);
 }
 
 /* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */