diff --git a/memmap.go b/memmap.go
index 30fff0f..424a178 100644
--- a/memmap.go
+++ b/memmap.go
@@ -263,7 +263,9 @@ func (m *MemMapFs) OpenFile(name string, flag int, perm os.FileMode) (File, erro
 	perm &= chmodBits
 	chmod := false
 	file, err := m.openWrite(name)
-	if err == nil && (flag&os.O_EXCL > 0) {
+	// O_EXCL is only meaningful together with O_CREATE (POSIX); without
+	// O_CREATE it must not prevent opening an existing file.
+	if err == nil && flag&os.O_EXCL > 0 && flag&os.O_CREATE > 0 {
 		return nil, &os.PathError{Op: "open", Path: name, Err: ErrFileExists}
 	}
 	if os.IsNotExist(err) && (flag&os.O_CREATE > 0) {
diff --git a/memmap_test.go b/memmap_test.go
index e6a3f3d..31b9000 100644
--- a/memmap_test.go
+++ b/memmap_test.go
@@ -135,6 +135,35 @@ func TestOpenFileExcl(t *testing.T) {
 	checkPathError(t, err, "Open")
 }
 
+// Ensure os.O_EXCL only rejects an existing file when os.O_CREATE is also
+// requested. Per POSIX, O_EXCL is meaningful only in combination with
+// O_CREATE, so opening an existing file with O_RDWR|O_EXCL must succeed.
+func TestOpenFileExclWithoutCreate(t *testing.T) {
+	const fileName = "/myExclNoCreate"
+	const fileMode = os.FileMode(0o644)
+
+	fs := NewMemMapFs()
+
+	// Create the file up front.
+	f, err := fs.OpenFile(fileName, os.O_CREATE|os.O_RDWR|os.O_EXCL, fileMode)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("initial create failed: %s", err)
+	}
+	f.Close()
+
+	// Reopening with O_EXCL but without O_CREATE must succeed.
+	f, err = fs.OpenFile(fileName, os.O_RDWR|os.O_EXCL, fileMode)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("OpenFile(O_RDWR|O_EXCL) on existing file should succeed, got: %s", err)
+	}
+	f.Close()
+
+	// O_CREATE|O_EXCL on an existing file must still fail.
+	if _, err := fs.OpenFile(fileName, os.O_CREATE|os.O_RDWR|os.O_EXCL, fileMode); err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("OpenFile(O_CREATE|O_EXCL) on existing file should fail, but it didn't")
+	}
+}
+
 // Ensure Permissions are set on OpenFile/Mkdir/MkdirAll
 func TestPermSet(t *testing.T) {
 	const fileName = "/myFileTest"