diff --git a/block.c b/block.c
index 4c0e7f5439..458bcc9b13 100644
--- a/block.c
+++ b/block.c
@@ -2168,6 +2168,13 @@ int bdrv_enable_write_cache(BlockDriverState *bs)
 void bdrv_set_enable_write_cache(BlockDriverState *bs, bool wce)
 {
     bs->enable_write_cache = wce;
+
+    /* so a reopen() will preserve wce */
+    if (wce) {
+        bs->open_flags |= BDRV_O_CACHE_WB;
+    } else {
+        bs->open_flags &= ~BDRV_O_CACHE_WB;
+    }
 }
 
 int bdrv_is_encrypted(BlockDriverState *bs)