diff --git a/daemon/archive.go b/daemon/archive.go
index 8130a5040c..f7bb19f0f7 100644
--- a/daemon/archive.go
+++ b/daemon/archive.go
@@ -57,16 +57,16 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) ContainerArchivePath(name string, path string) (content io
 // ContainerExtractToDir extracts the given archive to the specified location
 // in the filesystem of the container identified by the given name. The given
 // path must be of a directory in the container. If it is not, the error will
-// be an errdefs.InvalidParameter. If noOverwriteDirNonDir is true then it will
-// be an error if unpacking the given content would cause an existing directory
-// to be replaced with a non-directory and vice versa.
-func (daemon *Daemon) ContainerExtractToDir(name, path string, copyUIDGID, noOverwriteDirNonDir bool, content io.Reader) error {
+// be an errdefs.InvalidParameter. It returns an error if unpacking the given
+// content would cause an existing directory to be replaced with a non-directory
+// or vice versa, unless allowOverwriteDirWithFile is set to true.
+func (daemon *Daemon) ContainerExtractToDir(name, path string, copyUIDGID, allowOverwriteDirWithFile bool, content io.Reader) error {
 	ctr, err := daemon.GetContainer(name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err = daemon.containerExtractToDir(ctr, path, copyUIDGID, noOverwriteDirNonDir, content)
+	err = daemon.containerExtractToDir(ctr, path, copyUIDGID, allowOverwriteDirWithFile, content)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return containerFileNotFound{path, name}
diff --git a/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions.go b/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions.go
index 4848cfbb40..03bd09fa69 100644
--- a/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions.go
+++ b/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions.go
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ import (
 
 // defaultTarCopyOptions is the setting that is used when unpacking an archive
 // for a copy API event.
-func (daemon *Daemon) defaultTarCopyOptions(noOverwriteDirNonDir bool) *archive.TarOptions {
+func (daemon *Daemon) defaultTarCopyOptions(allowOverwriteDirWithFile bool) *archive.TarOptions {
 	return &archive.TarOptions{
-		NoOverwriteDirNonDir: noOverwriteDirNonDir,
+		NoOverwriteDirNonDir: !allowOverwriteDirWithFile,
 		IDMap:                daemon.idMapping,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions_unix.go b/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions_unix.go
index 86b77a5e2a..64daa50803 100644
--- a/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions_unix.go
+++ b/daemon/archive_tarcopyoptions_unix.go
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/moby/sys/user"
 )
 
-func (daemon *Daemon) tarCopyOptions(ctr *container.Container, noOverwriteDirNonDir bool) (*archive.TarOptions, error) {
+func (daemon *Daemon) tarCopyOptions(ctr *container.Container, allowOverwriteDirWithFile bool) (*archive.TarOptions, error) {
 	if ctr.Config.User == "" {
-		return daemon.defaultTarCopyOptions(noOverwriteDirNonDir), nil
+		return daemon.defaultTarCopyOptions(allowOverwriteDirWithFile), nil
 	}
 
 	uid, gid, err := getUIDGID(ctr.Config.User)
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) tarCopyOptions(ctr *container.Container, noOverwriteDirNon
 	}
 
 	return &archive.TarOptions{
-		NoOverwriteDirNonDir: noOverwriteDirNonDir,
+		NoOverwriteDirNonDir: !allowOverwriteDirWithFile,
 		ChownOpts:            &archive.ChownOpts{UID: uid, GID: gid},
 	}, nil
 }
diff --git a/daemon/archive_unix.go b/daemon/archive_unix.go
index 9fc2241bc7..89d922ca4e 100644
--- a/daemon/archive_unix.go
+++ b/daemon/archive_unix.go
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) containerArchivePath(container *container.Container, path
 // noOverwriteDirNonDir is true then it will be an error if unpacking the
 // given content would cause an existing directory to be replaced with a non-
 // directory and vice versa.
-func (daemon *Daemon) containerExtractToDir(container *container.Container, path string, copyUIDGID, noOverwriteDirNonDir bool, content io.Reader) error {
+func (daemon *Daemon) containerExtractToDir(container *container.Container, path string, copyUIDGID, allowOverwriteDirWithFile bool, content io.Reader) error {
 	container.Lock()
 	defer container.Unlock()
 
@@ -131,13 +131,13 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) containerExtractToDir(container *container.Container, path
 			return err
 		}
 
-		options := daemon.defaultTarCopyOptions(noOverwriteDirNonDir)
+		options := daemon.defaultTarCopyOptions(allowOverwriteDirWithFile)
 
 		if copyUIDGID {
 			var err error
 			// tarCopyOptions will appropriately pull in the right uid/gid for the
 			// user/group and will set the options.
-			options, err = daemon.tarCopyOptions(container, noOverwriteDirNonDir)
+			options, err = daemon.tarCopyOptions(container, allowOverwriteDirWithFile)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/daemon/archive_windows.go b/daemon/archive_windows.go
index 830fb105d0..4e3a674779 100644
--- a/daemon/archive_windows.go
+++ b/daemon/archive_windows.go
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) containerArchivePath(container *container.Container, path
 // directory and vice versa.
 //
 // FIXME(thaJeztah): copyUIDGID is not supported on Windows, but currently ignored silently
-func (daemon *Daemon) containerExtractToDir(container *container.Container, path string, copyUIDGID, noOverwriteDirNonDir bool, content io.Reader) error {
+func (daemon *Daemon) containerExtractToDir(container *container.Container, path string, copyUIDGID, allowOverwriteDirWithFile bool, content io.Reader) error {
 	container.Lock()
 	defer container.Unlock()
 
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) containerExtractToDir(container *container.Container, path
 	// 	return err
 	// }
 
-	options := daemon.defaultTarCopyOptions(noOverwriteDirNonDir)
+	options := daemon.defaultTarCopyOptions(allowOverwriteDirWithFile)
 	if err := chrootarchive.UntarWithRoot(content, resolvedPath, options, container.BaseFS); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/daemon/server/router/container/backend.go b/daemon/server/router/container/backend.go
index e7824933d0..991ebbe7fd 100644
--- a/daemon/server/router/container/backend.go
+++ b/daemon/server/router/container/backend.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ type execBackend interface {
 type copyBackend interface {
 	ContainerArchivePath(name string, path string) (content io.ReadCloser, stat *container.PathStat, err error)
 	ContainerExport(ctx context.Context, name string, out io.Writer) error
-	ContainerExtractToDir(name, path string, copyUIDGID, noOverwriteDirNonDir bool, content io.Reader) error
+	ContainerExtractToDir(name, path string, copyUIDGID, allowOverwriteDirWithFile bool, content io.Reader) error
 	ContainerStatPath(name string, path string) (stat *container.PathStat, err error)
 }
 
diff --git a/daemon/server/router/container/copy.go b/daemon/server/router/container/copy.go
index bde6786b40..53881d6861 100644
--- a/daemon/server/router/container/copy.go
+++ b/daemon/server/router/container/copy.go
@@ -92,8 +92,10 @@ func (c *containerRouter) putContainersArchive(ctx context.Context, w http.Respo
 		return err
 	}
 
-	noOverwriteDirNonDir := httputils.BoolValue(r, "noOverwriteDirNonDir")
+	// TODO(thaJeztah): reverse the default: deprecate noOverwriteDirNonDir and add "allowOverwriteDirWithFile" (or similar) argument to opt-in.
+	allowOverwriteDirWithFile := !r.Form.Has("noOverwriteDirNonDir") || !httputils.BoolValue(r, "noOverwriteDirNonDir")
+
 	copyUIDGID := httputils.BoolValue(r, "copyUIDGID")
 
-	return c.backend.ContainerExtractToDir(v.Name, v.Path, copyUIDGID, noOverwriteDirNonDir, r.Body)
+	return c.backend.ContainerExtractToDir(v.Name, v.Path, copyUIDGID, allowOverwriteDirWithFile, r.Body)
 }