diff --git a/custom/conf/app.example.ini b/custom/conf/app.example.ini
index 6a30600a5d..568091b058 100644
--- a/custom/conf/app.example.ini
+++ b/custom/conf/app.example.ini
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ RUN_USER = ; git
 DB_TYPE = sqlite3
 ;PATH= ; defaults to data/forgejo.db
 ;SQLITE_TIMEOUT = ; Query timeout defaults to: 500
-;SQLITE_JOURNAL_MODE = ; defaults to sqlite database default (often DELETE), can be used to enable WAL mode. https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_journal_mode
+;SQLITE_JOURNAL_MODE = WAL; defaults to sqlite database default (often DELETE), can be used to enable WAL mode. https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_journal_mode
 ;;
 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 ;;
diff --git a/modules/setting/database.go b/modules/setting/database.go
index 4edd0897d8..7b9af1598e 100644
--- a/modules/setting/database.go
+++ b/modules/setting/database.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func loadDBSetting(rootCfg ConfigProvider) {
 
 	Database.Path = sec.Key("PATH").MustString(filepath.Join(AppDataPath, "forgejo.db"))
 	Database.Timeout = sec.Key("SQLITE_TIMEOUT").MustInt(500)
-	Database.SQLiteJournalMode = sec.Key("SQLITE_JOURNAL_MODE").MustString("")
+	Database.SQLiteJournalMode = sec.Key("SQLITE_JOURNAL_MODE").MustString("WAL")
 
 	Database.MaxIdleConns = sec.Key("MAX_IDLE_CONNS").MustInt(2)
 	if Database.Type.IsMySQL() {