diff --git a/hgext/mq.py b/hgext/mq.py
--- a/hgext/mq.py
+++ b/hgext/mq.py
@@ -554,6 +554,15 @@ class queue(object):
         except OSError, inst:
             self.ui.warn(_('error removing undo: %s\n') % str(inst))
 
+    def backup(self, repo, files):
+        # backup local changes in --force case
+        for f in sorted(files):
+            absf = repo.wjoin(f)
+            if os.path.lexists(absf):
+                self.ui.note(_('saving current version of %s as %s\n') %
+                             (f, f + '.orig'))
+                util.rename(absf, absf + '.orig')
+
     def printdiff(self, repo, diffopts, node1, node2=None, files=None,
                   fp=None, changes=None, opts={}):
         stat = opts.get('stat')
@@ -1313,8 +1322,10 @@ class queue(object):
                         break
                 update = needupdate
 
-            if not force and update:
-                self.checklocalchanges(repo)
+            tobackup = set()
+            if update:
+                m, a, r, d = self.checklocalchanges(repo, force=force)
+                tobackup.update(m + a)
 
             self.applieddirty = True
             end = len(self.applied)
@@ -1344,6 +1355,10 @@ class queue(object):
                 m, a, r, d = repo.status(qp, top)[:4]
                 if d:
                     raise util.Abort(_("deletions found between repo revs"))
+
+                # backup local changes in --force case
+                self.backup(repo, set(a + m + r) & tobackup)
+
                 for f in a:
                     try:
                         util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f))
diff --git a/tests/test-mq-qpush-fail.t b/tests/test-mq-qpush-fail.t
--- a/tests/test-mq-qpush-fail.t
+++ b/tests/test-mq-qpush-fail.t
@@ -150,3 +150,41 @@ and now we try it one more time with a u
   abort: cannot push to a previous patch: a
   [255]
 
+test qpop --force and backup files
+
+  $ hg qpop -a
+  popping b
+  patch queue now empty
+  $ hg qq --create force
+  $ echo a > a
+  $ echo b > b
+  $ echo c > c
+  $ hg ci -Am add a b c
+  $ echo a >> a
+  $ hg rm b
+  $ hg rm c
+  $ hg qnew p1
+  $ echo a >> a
+  $ echo bb > b
+  $ hg add b
+  $ echo cc > c
+  $ hg add c
+  $ hg qpop --force --verbose
+  saving current version of a as a.orig
+  saving current version of b as b.orig
+  saving current version of c as c.orig
+  popping p1
+  patch queue now empty
+  $ hg st
+  ? a.orig
+  ? b.orig
+  ? c.orig
+  ? untracked-file
+  $ cat a.orig
+  a
+  a
+  a
+  $ cat b.orig
+  bb
+  $ cat c.orig
+  cc