diff --git a/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.c b/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.c
index 705383d184..f491ed7f5c 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.c
+++ b/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.c
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@
 static int	dstfd = -1;
 static char dstpath[MAXPGPATH] = "";
 
-static void remove_target_file(const char *path);
 static void create_target_dir(const char *path);
 static void remove_target_dir(const char *path);
 static void create_target_symlink(const char *path, const char *link);
@@ -134,7 +133,7 @@ remove_target(file_entry_t *entry)
 			break;
 
 		case FILE_TYPE_REGULAR:
-			remove_target_file(entry->path);
+			remove_target_file(entry->path, false);
 			break;
 
 		case FILE_TYPE_SYMLINK:
@@ -165,8 +164,12 @@ create_target(file_entry_t *entry)
 	}
 }
 
-static void
-remove_target_file(const char *path)
+/*
+ * Remove a file from target data directory.  If missing_ok is true, it
+ * is fine for the target file to not exist.
+ */
+void
+remove_target_file(const char *path, bool missing_ok)
 {
 	char		dstpath[MAXPGPATH];
 
@@ -175,8 +178,13 @@ remove_target_file(const char *path)
 
 	snprintf(dstpath, sizeof(dstpath), "%s/%s", datadir_target, path);
 	if (unlink(dstpath) != 0)
+	{
+		if (errno == ENOENT && missing_ok)
+			return;
+
 		pg_fatal("could not remove file \"%s\": %s\n",
 				 dstpath, strerror(errno));
+	}
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.h b/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.h
index be580ee4db..9d26cf4f77 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.h
+++ b/src/bin/pg_rewind/file_ops.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 extern void open_target_file(const char *path, bool trunc);
 extern void write_target_range(char *buf, off_t begin, size_t size);
 extern void close_target_file(void);
+extern void remove_target_file(const char *path, bool missing_ok);
 extern void truncate_target_file(const char *path, off_t newsize);
 extern void create_target(file_entry_t *t);
 extern void remove_target(file_entry_t *t);
diff --git a/src/bin/pg_rewind/libpq_fetch.c b/src/bin/pg_rewind/libpq_fetch.c
index 8f8d504455..5914b15017 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_rewind/libpq_fetch.c
+++ b/src/bin/pg_rewind/libpq_fetch.c
@@ -311,15 +311,19 @@ receiveFileChunks(const char *sql)
 		chunk = PQgetvalue(res, 0, 2);
 
 		/*
-		 * It's possible that the file was deleted on remote side after we
-		 * created the file map. In this case simply ignore it, as if it was
-		 * not there in the first place, and move on.
+		 * If a file has been deleted on the source, remove it on the target
+		 * as well.  Note that multiple unlink() calls may happen on the same
+		 * file if multiple data chunks are associated with it, hence ignore
+		 * unconditionally anything missing.  If this file is not a relation
+		 * data file, then it has been already truncated when creating the
+		 * file chunk list at the previous execution of the filemap.
 		 */
 		if (PQgetisnull(res, 0, 2))
 		{
 			pg_log(PG_DEBUG,
 				   "received null value for chunk for file \"%s\", file has been deleted\n",
 				   filename);
+			remove_target_file(filename, true);
 			pg_free(filename);
 			PQclear(res);
 			continue;