diff --git a/custom/conf/app.example.ini b/custom/conf/app.example.ini
index 8d10d5adce3..a0019b2d5a4 100644
--- a/custom/conf/app.example.ini
+++ b/custom/conf/app.example.ini
@@ -1112,6 +1112,9 @@ LEVEL = Info
 ;; The default branch name of new repositories
 ;DEFAULT_BRANCH = main
 ;;
+;; The default Git object format of new repositories. Available values: sha1, sha256.
+;DEFAULT_OBJECT_FORMAT = sha1
+;;
 ;; Allow adoption of unadopted repositories
 ;ALLOW_ADOPTION_OF_UNADOPTED_REPOSITORIES = false
 ;;
diff --git a/modules/git/object_format.go b/modules/git/object_format.go
index 7c340d14733..9e0ab9ec6a9 100644
--- a/modules/git/object_format.go
+++ b/modules/git/object_format.go
@@ -115,9 +115,42 @@ func (h Sha256ObjectFormatImpl) ComputeHash(t ObjectType, content []byte) Object
 	return h.MustID(hasher.Sum(nil))
 }
 
+type invalidObjectFormatImpl struct{}
+
+var emptyInvalidObjectID = &Sha1Hash{}
+
+func (h invalidObjectFormatImpl) Name() string {
+	return "invalid-object-format"
+}
+
+func (h invalidObjectFormatImpl) EmptyObjectID() ObjectID {
+	return emptyInvalidObjectID
+}
+
+func (h invalidObjectFormatImpl) EmptyTree() ObjectID {
+	return emptyInvalidObjectID
+}
+
+func (h invalidObjectFormatImpl) FullLength() int {
+	return len(emptyInvalidObjectID) * 2
+}
+
+func (h invalidObjectFormatImpl) IsValid(input string) bool {
+	return false
+}
+
+func (h invalidObjectFormatImpl) MustID(b []byte) ObjectID {
+	return emptyInvalidObjectID
+}
+
+func (h invalidObjectFormatImpl) ComputeHash(t ObjectType, content []byte) ObjectID {
+	return emptyInvalidObjectID
+}
+
 var (
-	Sha1ObjectFormat   ObjectFormat = Sha1ObjectFormatImpl{}
-	Sha256ObjectFormat ObjectFormat = Sha256ObjectFormatImpl{}
+	Sha1ObjectFormat    ObjectFormat = Sha1ObjectFormatImpl{}
+	Sha256ObjectFormat  ObjectFormat = Sha256ObjectFormatImpl{}
+	invalidObjectFormat ObjectFormat = invalidObjectFormatImpl{}
 )
 
 func ObjectFormatFromName(name string) ObjectFormat {
@@ -126,9 +159,9 @@ func ObjectFormatFromName(name string) ObjectFormat {
 			return objectFormat
 		}
 	}
-	return nil
+	return invalidObjectFormat
 }
 
 func IsValidObjectFormat(name string) bool {
-	return ObjectFormatFromName(name) != nil
+	return ObjectFormatFromName(name) != invalidObjectFormat
 }
diff --git a/modules/git/object_id_test.go b/modules/git/object_id_test.go
index 213a0cd341d..64b0c70303e 100644
--- a/modules/git/object_id_test.go
+++ b/modules/git/object_id_test.go
@@ -10,14 +10,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestIsValidSHAPattern(t *testing.T) {
-	h := Sha1ObjectFormat
-	assert.True(t, h.IsValid("fee1"))
-	assert.True(t, h.IsValid("abc000"))
-	assert.True(t, h.IsValid("9023902390239023902390239023902390239023"))
-	assert.False(t, h.IsValid("90239023902390239023902390239023902390239023"))
-	assert.False(t, h.IsValid("abc"))
-	assert.False(t, h.IsValid("123g"))
-	assert.False(t, h.IsValid("some random text"))
+	assert.True(t, Sha1ObjectFormat.IsValid("fee1"))
+	assert.True(t, Sha1ObjectFormat.IsValid("abc000"))
+	assert.True(t, Sha1ObjectFormat.IsValid("9023902390239023902390239023902390239023"))
+	assert.False(t, Sha1ObjectFormat.IsValid("90239023902390239023902390239023902390239023"))
+	assert.False(t, Sha1ObjectFormat.IsValid("abc"))
+	assert.False(t, Sha1ObjectFormat.IsValid("123g"))
+	assert.False(t, Sha1ObjectFormat.IsValid("some random text"))
 	assert.Equal(t, "e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391", ComputeBlobHash(Sha1ObjectFormat, nil).String())
 	assert.Equal(t, "2e65efe2a145dda7ee51d1741299f848e5bf752e", ComputeBlobHash(Sha1ObjectFormat, []byte("a")).String())
 	assert.Equal(t, "473a0f4c3be8a93681a267e3b1e9a7dcda1185436fe141f7749120a303721813", ComputeBlobHash(Sha256ObjectFormat, nil).String())
@@ -25,3 +24,9 @@ func TestIsValidSHAPattern(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, IsEmptyCommitID(""))
 	assert.True(t, IsEmptyCommitID("0000000000000000000000000000000000000000"))
 }
+
+func TestInvalidObjectFormat(t *testing.T) {
+	of := ObjectFormatFromName("no-such")
+	assert.NotNil(t, of)
+	assert.False(t, IsValidObjectFormat("no-such"))
+}
diff --git a/modules/setting/repository.go b/modules/setting/repository.go
index 8f3fa049a33..82b6d93a0a1 100644
--- a/modules/setting/repository.go
+++ b/modules/setting/repository.go
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ var (
 		DisableMigrations                       bool
 		DisableStars                            bool `ini:"DISABLE_STARS"`
 		DefaultBranch                           string
+		DefaultObjectFormat                     string
 		AllowAdoptionOfUnadoptedRepositories    bool
 		AllowDeleteOfUnadoptedRepositories      bool
 		DisableDownloadSourceArchives           bool
@@ -186,6 +187,7 @@ var (
 		DisableMigrations:                       false,
 		DisableStars:                            false,
 		DefaultBranch:                           "main",
+		DefaultObjectFormat:                     "sha1",
 		AllowForkWithoutMaximumLimit:            true,
 		StreamArchives:                          true,
 
diff --git a/routers/web/repo/repo.go b/routers/web/repo/repo.go
index 4ad6ce21002..c235f687cb1 100644
--- a/routers/web/repo/repo.go
+++ b/routers/web/repo/repo.go
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ func createCommon(ctx *context.Context) {
 	ctx.Data["CanCreateRepoInDoer"] = ctx.Doer.CanCreateRepoIn(ctx.Doer)
 	ctx.Data["MaxCreationLimitOfDoer"] = ctx.Doer.MaxCreationLimit()
 	ctx.Data["SupportedObjectFormats"] = git.DefaultFeatures().SupportedObjectFormats
-	ctx.Data["DefaultObjectFormat"] = git.Sha1ObjectFormat
+	ctx.Data["DefaultObjectFormat"] = git.ObjectFormatFromName(setting.Repository.DefaultObjectFormat)
 }
 
 // Create render creating repository page
diff --git a/templates/repo/create.tmpl b/templates/repo/create.tmpl
index 85090928943..35dec3e3099 100644
--- a/templates/repo/create.tmpl
+++ b/templates/repo/create.tmpl
@@ -185,12 +185,12 @@
 					</div>
 					<div class="inline field">
 						<label>{{ctx.Locale.Tr "repo.object_format"}}</label>
-						<div class="ui selection owner dropdown">
-							<input type="hidden" id="object_format_name" name="object_format_name" value="{{or .object_format_name .DefaultObjectFormat.Name}}" required>
+						<div class="ui selection dropdown">
+							<input type="hidden" name="object_format_name" value="{{or .object_format_name .DefaultObjectFormat.Name}}">
 							<div class="default text">{{.DefaultObjectFormat.Name}}</div>
 							<div class="menu">
-								{{range .SupportedObjectFormats}}
-									<div class="item" data-value="{{.Name}}">{{.Name}}</div>
+								{{range $objFmt := .SupportedObjectFormats}}
+									<div class="item" data-value="{{$objFmt.Name}}">{{$objFmt.Name}}</div>
 								{{end}}
 							</div>
 						</div>