diff --git a/assets/settings/default.json b/assets/settings/default.json
index 7f8c823210efa3847dcbed00c8fc6ee46719946a..35b2ca20f2a44bf476f557b2282ea1413c14255d 100644
--- a/assets/settings/default.json
+++ b/assets/settings/default.json
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@
   //  4. A box drawn around the following character
   //     "hollow"
   //
-  // Default: bar
-  "cursor_shape": "bar",
+  // Default: not set, defaults to "bar"
+  "cursor_shape": null,
   // How to highlight the current line in the editor.
   //
   // 1. Don't highlight the current line:
diff --git a/crates/editor/src/editor.rs b/crates/editor/src/editor.rs
index e583f2d9632db87980a811cf1c063fa7be6bc2eb..c3c54e49513d7a23dea7bef2d8fb2e51f1ca245b 100644
--- a/crates/editor/src/editor.rs
+++ b/crates/editor/src/editor.rs
@@ -1904,7 +1904,9 @@ impl Editor {
             linked_editing_range_task: Default::default(),
             pending_rename: Default::default(),
             searchable: true,
-            cursor_shape: EditorSettings::get_global(cx).cursor_shape,
+            cursor_shape: EditorSettings::get_global(cx)
+                .cursor_shape
+                .unwrap_or_default(),
             current_line_highlight: None,
             autoindent_mode: Some(AutoindentMode::EachLine),
             collapse_matches: false,
@@ -11820,7 +11822,9 @@ impl Editor {
             cx,
         );
         let editor_settings = EditorSettings::get_global(cx);
-        self.cursor_shape = editor_settings.cursor_shape;
+        if let Some(cursor_shape) = editor_settings.cursor_shape {
+            self.cursor_shape = cursor_shape;
+        }
         self.scroll_manager.vertical_scroll_margin = editor_settings.vertical_scroll_margin;
         self.show_breadcrumbs = editor_settings.toolbar.breadcrumbs;
 
diff --git a/crates/editor/src/editor_settings.rs b/crates/editor/src/editor_settings.rs
index c6c5f111cb384f345e6144c0a383bf4c2482d805..d651e76c2c2e7d60ccf45316cdc725c31e6a3409 100644
--- a/crates/editor/src/editor_settings.rs
+++ b/crates/editor/src/editor_settings.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use settings::{Settings, SettingsSources};
 #[derive(Deserialize, Clone)]
 pub struct EditorSettings {
     pub cursor_blink: bool,
-    pub cursor_shape: CursorShape,
+    pub cursor_shape: Option<CursorShape>,
     pub current_line_highlight: CurrentLineHighlight,
     pub hover_popover_enabled: bool,
     pub show_completions_on_input: bool,
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ pub struct EditorSettingsContent {
     /// Cursor shape for the default editor.
     /// Can be "bar", "block", "underscore", or "hollow".
     ///
-    /// Default: bar
+    /// Default: None
     pub cursor_shape: Option<CursorShape>,
     /// How to highlight the current line in the editor.
     ///