diff --git a/src/platform.cpp b/src/platform.cpp
index 2f04ee0068..866e34b4cc 100644
--- a/src/platform.cpp
+++ b/src/platform.cpp
@@ -767,9 +767,15 @@ bigint platform::ftell(FILE *fp)
 int platform::fseek(FILE *fp, bigint pos)
 {
 #if defined(_WIN32)
-  return ::_fseeki64(fp, (__int64) pos, SEEK_SET);
+  if (pos == platform::END_OF_FILE)
+    return ::_fseeki64(fp, 0, SEEK_END);
+  else
+    return ::_fseeki64(fp, (__int64) pos, SEEK_SET);
 #else
-  return ::fseek(fp, (long) pos, SEEK_SET);
+  if (pos == platform::END_OF_FILE)
+    return ::fseek(fp, 0, SEEK_END);
+  else
+    return ::fseek(fp, (long) pos, SEEK_SET);
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/src/platform.h b/src/platform.h
index b7c5d28561..97057006ad 100644
--- a/src/platform.h
+++ b/src/platform.h
@@ -263,7 +263,12 @@ namespace platform {
 
   bigint ftell(FILE *fp);
 
+  /*! constant to seek to the end of the file */
+  constexpr bigint END_OF_FILE = -1;
+
   /*! Set absolute file position
+   *
+   * If the absolute position is END_OF_FILE, then position at the end of the file.
    *
    *  \param   fp      FILE pointer of the given file
    *  \param   pos     new position of the FILE pointer
diff --git a/unittest/utils/test_platform.cpp b/unittest/utils/test_platform.cpp
index 6c17b8876e..c5d04d3b94 100644
--- a/unittest/utils/test_platform.cpp
+++ b/unittest/utils/test_platform.cpp
@@ -170,7 +170,9 @@ TEST(Platform, fseek_ftell)
     ASSERT_EQ(platform::fseek(fp, 15), 0);
     ASSERT_EQ(fgetc(fp), '6');
     fflush(fp);
-    fseek(fp, -1, SEEK_END);
+    ASSERT_EQ(platform::fseek(fp, platform::END_OF_FILE), 0);
+    ASSERT_EQ(platform::ftell(fp), 21);
+    ASSERT_EQ(platform::fseek(fp, 20), 0);
     ASSERT_EQ(fgetc(fp), 0);
     ASSERT_EQ(platform::ftell(fp), 21);
     fclose(fp);