diff --git a/src/io/BoundaryProbeWriter.cpp b/src/io/BoundaryProbeWriter.cpp
index 6621d4f6..55be2cf3 100644
--- a/src/io/BoundaryProbeWriter.cpp
+++ b/src/io/BoundaryProbeWriter.cpp
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <sstream>
 #include <unordered_map>
 #include <unordered_set>
+#include <filesystem>
 
 namespace tndm {
 
@@ -83,7 +84,12 @@ void BoundaryProbeWriter<D>::write(double time,
             out_->open(probe.file_name, false);
             write_header(probe, functions);
         } else {
-            out_->open(probe.file_name, true);
+            if (std::filesystem::exists(probe.file_name)) {
+                out_->open(probe.file_name, true);
+            } else {
+                out_->open(probe.file_name, false);
+                write_header(probe, functions);
+            }
         }
 
         *out_ << time;
diff --git a/src/io/ProbeWriter.cpp b/src/io/ProbeWriter.cpp
index d2b3bcb8..54c6f8b3 100644
--- a/src/io/ProbeWriter.cpp
+++ b/src/io/ProbeWriter.cpp
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include <sstream>
 #include <unordered_map>
 #include <unordered_set>
+#include <filesystem>
 
 namespace tndm {
 
@@ -81,7 +82,12 @@ void ProbeWriter<D>::write(double time, mneme::span<FiniteElementFunction<D>> fu
             out_->open(probe.file_name, false);
             write_header(probe, functions);
         } else {
-            out_->open(probe.file_name, true);
+            if (std::filesystem::exists(probe.file_name)) {
+                out_->open(probe.file_name, true);
+            } else {
+                out_->open(probe.file_name, false);
+                write_header(probe, functions);
+            }
         }
 
         *out_ << time;
diff --git a/src/io/ScalarWriter.cpp b/src/io/ScalarWriter.cpp
index 5ba7fb28..1d779c39 100644
--- a/src/io/ScalarWriter.cpp
+++ b/src/io/ScalarWriter.cpp
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 #include <iomanip>
 #include <ios>
+#include <filesystem>
 
 namespace tndm {
 
@@ -19,7 +20,12 @@ void ScalarWriter::write(double time, mneme::span<double> scalars) const {
         out_->open(file_name_, false);
         write_header();
     } else {
-        out_->open(file_name_, true);
+        if (std::filesystem::exists(file_name_)) {
+            out_->open(file_name_, true);
+        } else {
+            out_->open(file_name_, false);
+            write_header();
+        }
     }
 
     *out_ << time;