diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 59e403f79..9d30eb5e7 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -705,6 +705,7 @@ IF(SC_INSTALL)
         "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib"
         "Makefile"
         ".deps"
+        ".gitignore"
         COMMENT "Copying needed files"
         VERBATIM
     )
diff --git a/lib/user/archive/.gitignore b/lib/user/archive/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a1841eeee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/user/archive/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# This directory is used for randart files and borg dumps if running the
+# game from where it was built and using the Windows front end (main-win.c)
+# or a front end that uses main.c but was compiled without PRIVATE_USER_PATH
+# set.  Front ends using main.c would create this directory if needed, but
+# main-win.c does not.
+# For git, ignore everything here except for this file.
+*
+!.gitignore
diff --git a/src/main-win.c b/src/main-win.c
index da2490b25..1d8e3d24d 100644
--- a/src/main-win.c
+++ b/src/main-win.c
@@ -5110,6 +5110,7 @@ static void init_stuff(void)
 	validate_dir(ANGBAND_DIR_SAVE);
 	validate_dir(ANGBAND_DIR_PANIC);
 	validate_dir(ANGBAND_DIR_SCORES);
+	validate_dir(ANGBAND_DIR_ARCHIVE);
 
 	/* Build the filename */
 	path_build(path, sizeof(path), ANGBAND_DIR_SCREENS, "news.txt");