diff --git a/group_vars/gitea.yml b/group_vars/gitea.yml
index e23909a1..8199bd92 100644
--- a/group_vars/gitea.yml
+++ b/group_vars/gitea.yml
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
   gitea_oauth2_enabled: false
   gitea_repo_indexer_enabled: true
   gitea_extra_config: ""
+  gitea_backup_on_upgrade: true
 
   gitea_mailer_enabled: true
   gitea_mailer_skip_verify: false