Hello, Tramp seems to have recently stopped honoring `tramp-backup-directory-alist’. I have it configured to put all backup files in a single directory: (setq tramp-backup-directory-alist '(("." . "/Users/dmatz/.emacs.d/var/backup/“))) But I’ve started noticing backup files being created on the remote systems, in the same directory as the file I am visiting. I just tested this with emacs -Q as well, and got the same behavior. Thanks! Daniel In GNU Emacs 25.3.1 (x86_64-apple-darwin15.6.0, NS appkit-1404.47 Version 10.11.6 (Build 15G1611)) of 2017-09-13 built on JSSLA17030925 Windowing system distributor 'Apple', version 10.3.1404 Configured using: 'configure --disable-dependency-tracking --disable-silent-rules --enable-locallisppath=/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp --infodir=/usr/local/Cellar/emacs/25.3/share/info/emacs --prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/emacs/25.3 --without-x --with-xml2 --without-dbus --without-gnutls --with-imagemagick --with-ns --disable-ns-self-contained' Configured features: JPEG IMAGEMAGICK NOTIFY ACL LIBXML2 ZLIB TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS NS Important settings: value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8 locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix Major mode: Lisp Interaction Minor modes in effect: shell-dirtrack-mode: t tooltip-mode: t global-eldoc-mode: t electric-indent-mode: t mouse-wheel-mode: t tool-bar-mode: t menu-bar-mode: t file-name-shadow-mode: t global-font-lock-mode: t font-lock-mode: t blink-cursor-mode: t auto-composition-mode: t auto-encryption-mode: t auto-compression-mode: t line-number-mode: t transient-mark-mode: t Recent messages: Tramp: Decoding remote file ‘/scpx:ngc09:/home/dmatz/test_file’ using ‘base64 -d -i >%s’...done Wrote /scpx:ngc09:/home/dmatz/test_file Making completion list... Quit [2 times] Making completion list... [2 times] command-execute: Command attempted to use minibuffer while in minibuffer Quit [4 times] Undo! Quit [2 times] Type C-x 1 to delete the help window. Load-path shadows: None found. Features: (shadow sort mail-extr pp emacsbug message rfc822 mml mml-sec epg epg-config mm-decode mm-bodies mm-encode mail-parse rfc2231 mailabbrev gmm-utils mailheader sendmail rfc2047 rfc2045 ietf-drums mail-utils thingatpt misearch multi-isearch dired-aux tramp-cmds dired tramp-cache tramp-sh tramp tramp-compat auth-source cl-seq eieio byte-opt bytecomp byte-compile cl-extra cconv eieio-core cl-macs gv gnus-util mm-util help-fns help-mode easymenu cl-loaddefs pcase cl-lib mail-prsvr password-cache tramp-loaddefs trampver shell pcomplete comint ansi-color ring format-spec advice time-date mule-util tooltip eldoc electric uniquify ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type mwheel ns-win ucs-normalize term/common-win tool-bar dnd fontset image regexp-opt fringe tabulated-list newcomment elisp-mode lisp-mode prog-mode register page menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select scroll-bar mouse jit-lock font-lock syntax facemenu font-core frame cl-generic cham georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang vietnamese tibetan thai tai-viet lao korean japanese eucjp-ms cp51932 hebrew greek romanian slovak czech european ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese charscript case-table epa-hook jka-cmpr-hook help simple abbrev minibuffer cl-preloaded nadvice loaddefs button faces cus-face macroexp files text-properties overlay sha1 md5 base64 format env code-pages mule custom widget hashtable-print-readable backquote kqueue cocoa ns multi-tty make-network-process emacs) Memory information: ((conses 16 220937 14198) (symbols 48 22348 0) (miscs 40 70 316) (strings 32 24744 6349) (string-bytes 1 791176) (vectors 16 37242) (vector-slots 8 707102 8716) (floats 8 274 420) (intervals 56 924 7) (buffers 976 22)) -- Daniel Matz EG5 - Flight Mechanics and Trajectory Design NASA Johnson Space Center daniel.a.matz@nasa.gov (281) 244-0263