diff --git a/internal/backend/local/local.go b/internal/backend/local/local.go
index fd43332a8..e83d53d39 100644
--- a/internal/backend/local/local.go
+++ b/internal/backend/local/local.go
@@ -149,13 +149,7 @@ func (b *Local) Save(ctx context.Context, h restic.Handle, rd io.Reader) (err er
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "Close")
 	}
 
-	// set mode to read-only
-	fi, err := fs.Stat(filename)
-	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Wrap(err, "Stat")
-	}
-
-	return setNewFileMode(filename, fi)
+	return setNewFileMode(filename, backend.Modes.File)
 }
 
 // Load returns a reader that yields the contents of the file at h at the
diff --git a/internal/backend/local/local_unix.go b/internal/backend/local/local_unix.go
index 5705960a2..74fb47bf4 100644
--- a/internal/backend/local/local_unix.go
+++ b/internal/backend/local/local_unix.go
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ import (
 )
 
 // set file to readonly
-func setNewFileMode(f string, fi os.FileInfo) error {
-	return fs.Chmod(f, fi.Mode()&os.FileMode(^uint32(0222)))
+func setNewFileMode(f string, mode os.FileMode) error {
+	return fs.Chmod(f, mode)
 }
diff --git a/internal/backend/local/local_windows.go b/internal/backend/local/local_windows.go
index 73633fa3e..be8f62d96 100644
--- a/internal/backend/local/local_windows.go
+++ b/internal/backend/local/local_windows.go
@@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ import (
 // We don't modify read-only on windows,
 // since it will make us unable to delete the file,
 // and this isn't common practice on this platform.
-func setNewFileMode(f string, fi os.FileInfo) error {
+func setNewFileMode(f string, mode os.FileMode) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/backend/sftp/sftp.go b/internal/backend/sftp/sftp.go
index 9961ac65c..0014f7549 100644
--- a/internal/backend/sftp/sftp.go
+++ b/internal/backend/sftp/sftp.go
@@ -348,14 +348,7 @@ func (r *SFTP) Save(ctx context.Context, h restic.Handle, rd io.Reader) (err err
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "Close")
 	}
 
-	// set mode to read-only
-	fi, err := r.c.Lstat(filename)
-	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Wrap(err, "Lstat")
-	}
-
-	err = r.c.Chmod(filename, fi.Mode()&os.FileMode(^uint32(0222)))
-	return errors.Wrap(err, "Chmod")
+	return errors.Wrap(r.c.Chmod(filename, backend.Modes.File), "Chmod")
 }
 
 // Load returns a reader that yields the contents of the file at h at the