diff --git a/etcdctl/ctlv3/command/snapshot_command.go b/etcdctl/ctlv3/command/snapshot_command.go
index 45e17e8c9..d642fefb1 100644
--- a/etcdctl/ctlv3/command/snapshot_command.go
+++ b/etcdctl/ctlv3/command/snapshot_command.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/etcdserver"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/etcdserver/etcdserverpb"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/etcdserver/membership"
+	"github.com/coreos/etcd/pkg/fileutil"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/pkg/types"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/raft"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/raft/raftpb"
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ func snapshotSaveCommandFunc(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		ExitWithError(ExitInterrupted, rerr)
 	}
 
-	f.Sync()
+	fileutil.Fsync(f)
 
 	if rerr := os.Rename(partpath, path); rerr != nil {
 		exiterr := fmt.Errorf("could not rename %s to %s (%v)", partpath, path, rerr)
diff --git a/pkg/fileutil/sync.go b/pkg/fileutil/sync.go
index cd7fff08f..a089154ef 100644
--- a/pkg/fileutil/sync.go
+++ b/pkg/fileutil/sync.go
@@ -12,15 +12,18 @@
 // See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 // limitations under the License.
 
-// +build !linux
+// +build !linux,!darwin
 
 package fileutil
 
 import "os"
 
-// Fdatasync is similar to fsync(), but does not flush modified metadata
-// unless that metadata is needed in order to allow a subsequent data retrieval
-// to be correctly handled.
+// Fsync is a wrapper around file.Sync(). Special handling is needed on darwin platform.
+func Fsync(f *os.File) error {
+	return f.Sync()
+}
+
+// Fdatasync is a wrapper around file.Sync(). Special handling is needed on linux platform.
 func Fdatasync(f *os.File) error {
 	return f.Sync()
 }
diff --git a/pkg/fileutil/sync_darwin.go b/pkg/fileutil/sync_darwin.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..07423ffbb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/fileutil/sync_darwin.go
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// Copyright 2016 CoreOS, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+// +build darwin
+
+package fileutil
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// Fsync on HFS/OSX flushes the data on to the physical drive but the drive
+// may not write it to the persistent media for quite sometime and it may be
+// written in out-of-order sequence. Using F_FULLFSYNC ensures that the
+// physical drive's buffer will also get flushed to the media.
+func Fsync(f *os.File) error {
+	_, _, errno := syscall.Syscall(syscall.SYS_FCNTL, f.Fd(), uintptr(syscall.F_FULLFSYNC), uintptr(0))
+	if errno == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return errno
+}
+
+// Fdatasync on darwin platform invokes fcntl(F_FULLFSYNC) for actual persistence
+// on physical drive media.
+func Fdatasync(f *os.File) error {
+	return Fsync(f)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/fileutil/sync_linux.go b/pkg/fileutil/sync_linux.go
index 14c4b4808..b923996f9 100644
--- a/pkg/fileutil/sync_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/fileutil/sync_linux.go
@@ -21,6 +21,11 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 )
 
+// Fsync is a wrapper around file.Sync(). Special handling is needed on darwin platform.
+func Fsync(f *os.File) error {
+	return f.Sync()
+}
+
 // Fdatasync is similar to fsync(), but does not flush modified metadata
 // unless that metadata is needed in order to allow a subsequent data retrieval
 // to be correctly handled.
diff --git a/pkg/ioutil/util.go b/pkg/ioutil/util.go
index 9acc79830..6098da282 100644
--- a/pkg/ioutil/util.go
+++ b/pkg/ioutil/util.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ package ioutil
 import (
 	"io"
 	"os"
+
+	"github.com/coreos/etcd/pkg/fileutil"
 )
 
 // WriteAndSyncFile behaves just like ioutil.WriteFile in the standard library,
@@ -32,7 +34,7 @@ func WriteAndSyncFile(filename string, data []byte, perm os.FileMode) error {
 		err = io.ErrShortWrite
 	}
 	if err == nil {
-		err = f.Sync()
+		err = fileutil.Fsync(f)
 	}
 	if err1 := f.Close(); err == nil {
 		err = err1
diff --git a/snap/db.go b/snap/db.go
index ca68837cb..4a2083fe5 100644
--- a/snap/db.go
+++ b/snap/db.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func (s *Snapshotter) SaveDBFrom(r io.Reader, id uint64) error {
 	var n int64
 	n, err = io.Copy(f, r)
 	if err == nil {
-		err = f.Sync()
+		err = fileutil.Fsync(f)
 	}
 	f.Close()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/wal/repair.go b/wal/repair.go
index eceebff3c..56030e7b9 100644
--- a/wal/repair.go
+++ b/wal/repair.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func Repair(dirpath string) bool {
 				plog.Errorf("could not repair %v, failed to truncate file", f.Name())
 				return false
 			}
-			if err = f.Sync(); err != nil {
+			if err = fileutil.Fsync(f); err != nil {
 				plog.Errorf("could not repair %v, failed to sync file", f.Name())
 				return false
 			}