diff --git a/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/CmdConfigure.hs b/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/CmdConfigure.hs
index 75955d9aea0..29e25baa5a3 100644
--- a/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/CmdConfigure.hs
+++ b/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/CmdConfigure.hs
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ configureAction flags@NixStyleFlags {..} _extraArgs globalFlags = do
     -- before overwriting
     exists <- doesFileExist "cabal.project.local"
     when exists $ do
-        notice verbosity "'cabal.project.local' file already exists. Now overwriting it."
+        notice verbosity "'cabal.project.local' already exists, copying it to 'cabal.project.local~'."
         copyFile "cabal.project.local" "cabal.project.local~"
     writeProjectLocalExtraConfig (distDirLayout baseCtx)
                                  cliConfig
diff --git a/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.out b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.out
index 042dad9ee80..46599597854 100644
--- a/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.out
+++ b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.out
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # cabal v2-configure
-'cabal.project.local' file already exists. Now overwriting it.
+'cabal.project.local' already exists, copying it to 'cabal.project.local~'.
 Resolving dependencies...
 Build profile: -w ghc-<GHCVER> -O1
 In order, the following would be built:
diff --git a/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.test.hs b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.test.hs
index d412f494e54..f8491b0ebab 100644
--- a/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.test.hs
+++ b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/NewConfigure/LocalConfigOverwrite/cabal.test.hs
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ import Test.Cabal.Prelude
 main = cabalTest $
     withSourceCopy $ do
         r <- cabal' "v2-configure" []
-        assertOutputContains "Now overwriting it" r
+        assertOutputContains "copying it to" r