diff --git a/programs/fileio.c b/programs/fileio.c
index 5a8840b5b..16c2cb8fe 100644
--- a/programs/fileio.c
+++ b/programs/fileio.c
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@ int FIO_compressFilename(const char* dstFileName, const char* srcFileName,
 
 
 int FIO_compressMultipleFilenames(const char** inFileNamesTable, unsigned nbFiles,
-                                  const char* suffix,
+                                  const char* outFileName, const char* suffix,
                                   const char* dictFileName, int compressionLevel,
                                   ZSTD_compressionParameters* comprParams)
 {
@@ -955,16 +955,15 @@ int FIO_compressMultipleFilenames(const char** inFileNamesTable, unsigned nbFile
     /* init */
     if (dstFileName==NULL)
         EXM_THROW(27, "FIO_compressMultipleFilenames : allocation error for dstFileName");
-    if (suffix == NULL)
+    if (outFileName == NULL && suffix == NULL)
         EXM_THROW(28, "FIO_compressMultipleFilenames : dst unknown");  /* should never happen */
 
     /* loop on each file */
-    if (!strcmp(suffix, stdoutmark)) {
+    if (outFileName != NULL) {
         unsigned u;
-        ress.dstFile = stdout;
-        SET_BINARY_MODE(stdout);
+        ress.dstFile = FIO_openDstFile(outFileName);
         for (u=0; u<nbFiles; u++)
-            missed_files += FIO_compressFilename_srcFile(ress, stdoutmark, inFileNamesTable[u], compressionLevel);
+            missed_files += FIO_compressFilename_srcFile(ress, outFileName, inFileNamesTable[u], compressionLevel);
         if (fclose(ress.dstFile))
             EXM_THROW(29, "Write error : cannot properly close stdout");
     } else {
@@ -1654,24 +1653,21 @@ int FIO_decompressFilename(const char* dstFileName, const char* srcFileName,
 
 #define MAXSUFFIXSIZE 8
 int FIO_decompressMultipleFilenames(const char** srcNamesTable, unsigned nbFiles,
-                                    const char* suffix,
+                                    const char* outFileName,
                                     const char* dictFileName)
 {
     int skippedFiles = 0;
     int missingFiles = 0;
     dRess_t ress = FIO_createDResources(dictFileName);
 
-    if (suffix==NULL)
-        EXM_THROW(70, "zstd: decompression: unknown dst");   /* should never happen */
-
-    if (!strcmp(suffix, stdoutmark) || !strcmp(suffix, nulmark)) {  /* special cases : -c or -t */
+    if (outFileName) {
         unsigned u;
-        ress.dstFile = FIO_openDstFile(suffix);
-        if (ress.dstFile == 0) EXM_THROW(71, "cannot open %s", suffix);
+        ress.dstFile = FIO_openDstFile(outFileName);
+        if (ress.dstFile == 0) EXM_THROW(71, "cannot open %s", outFileName);
         for (u=0; u<nbFiles; u++)
-            missingFiles += FIO_decompressSrcFile(ress, suffix, srcNamesTable[u]);
+            missingFiles += FIO_decompressSrcFile(ress, outFileName, srcNamesTable[u]);
         if (fclose(ress.dstFile))
-            EXM_THROW(72, "Write error : cannot properly close stdout");
+            EXM_THROW(72, "Write error : cannot properly close output file");
     } else {
         size_t suffixSize;
         size_t dfnSize = FNSPACE;
diff --git a/programs/fileio.h b/programs/fileio.h
index aa4484fdc..9b9c7ea2f 100644
--- a/programs/fileio.h
+++ b/programs/fileio.h
@@ -84,14 +84,14 @@ int FIO_listMultipleFiles(unsigned numFiles, const char** filenameTable, int dis
 /** FIO_compressMultipleFilenames() :
     @return : nb of missing files */
 int FIO_compressMultipleFilenames(const char** srcNamesTable, unsigned nbFiles,
-                                  const char* suffix,
+                                  const char* outFileName, const char* suffix,
                                   const char* dictFileName, int compressionLevel,
                                   ZSTD_compressionParameters* comprParams);
 
 /** FIO_decompressMultipleFilenames() :
     @return : nb of missing or skipped files */
 int FIO_decompressMultipleFilenames(const char** srcNamesTable, unsigned nbFiles,
-                                    const char* suffix,
+                                    const char* outFileName,
                                     const char* dictFileName);
 
 
diff --git a/programs/zstdcli.c b/programs/zstdcli.c
index 8b4186207..7e29998b0 100644
--- a/programs/zstdcli.c
+++ b/programs/zstdcli.c
@@ -815,12 +815,6 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
     if (outFileName && !strcmp(outFileName, stdoutmark) && IS_CONSOLE(stdout) && !strcmp(filenameTable[0], stdinmark) && !forceStdout && operation!=zom_decompress)
         CLEAN_RETURN(badusage(programName));
 
-    /* user-selected output filename, only possible with a single file */
-    if (outFileName && strcmp(outFileName,stdoutmark) && strcmp(outFileName,nulmark) && (filenameIdx>1)) {
-        DISPLAY("Too many files (%u) on the command line. \n", filenameIdx);
-        CLEAN_RETURN(filenameIdx);
-    }
-
 #ifndef ZSTD_NOCOMPRESS
     /* check compression level limits */
     {   int const maxCLevel = ultra ? ZSTD_maxCLevel() : ZSTDCLI_CLEVEL_MAX;
@@ -854,7 +848,7 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
         if ((filenameIdx==1) && outFileName)
           operationResult = FIO_compressFilename(outFileName, filenameTable[0], dictFileName, cLevel, &compressionParams);
         else
-          operationResult = FIO_compressMultipleFilenames(filenameTable, filenameIdx, outFileName ? outFileName : suffix, dictFileName, cLevel, &compressionParams);
+          operationResult = FIO_compressMultipleFilenames(filenameTable, filenameIdx, outFileName, suffix, dictFileName, cLevel, &compressionParams);
 #else
         (void)suffix;
         DISPLAY("Compression not supported\n");
@@ -872,7 +866,7 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
         if (filenameIdx==1 && outFileName)
             operationResult = FIO_decompressFilename(outFileName, filenameTable[0], dictFileName);
         else
-            operationResult = FIO_decompressMultipleFilenames(filenameTable, filenameIdx, outFileName ? outFileName : ZSTD_EXTENSION, dictFileName);
+            operationResult = FIO_decompressMultipleFilenames(filenameTable, filenameIdx, outFileName, dictFileName);
 #else
         DISPLAY("Decompression not supported\n");
 #endif
diff --git a/tests/playTests.sh b/tests/playTests.sh
index 402808c0d..773da845b 100755
--- a/tests/playTests.sh
+++ b/tests/playTests.sh
@@ -173,6 +173,22 @@ rm tmp
 $ZSTD -f tmp && die "tmp not present : should have failed"
 test ! -f tmp.zst  # tmp.zst should not be created
 
+$ECHO "test : compress multiple files"
+$ECHO hello > tmp1
+$ECHO world > tmp2
+$ZSTD tmp1 tmp2 -o "$INTOVOID"
+$ZSTD tmp1 tmp2 -c | $ZSTD -t
+$ZSTD tmp1 tmp2 -o tmp.zst
+test ! -f tmp1.zst
+test ! -f tmp2.zst
+$ZSTD tmp1 tmp2
+$ZSTD -t tmp1.zst tmp2.zst
+$ZSTD -dc tmp1.zst tmp2.zst
+$ZSTD tmp1.zst tmp2.zst -o "$INTOVOID"
+$ZSTD -d tmp1.zst tmp2.zst -o tmp
+rm tmp*
+
+
 
 $ECHO "\n===>  Advanced compression parameters "
 $ECHO "Hello world!" | $ZSTD --zstd=windowLog=21,      - -o tmp.zst && die "wrong parameters not detected!"