diff --git a/Civi/Api4/Generic/AutocompleteAction.php b/Civi/Api4/Generic/AutocompleteAction.php
index 7a70d4d2fefa..313f6a67ab35 100644
--- a/Civi/Api4/Generic/AutocompleteAction.php
+++ b/Civi/Api4/Generic/AutocompleteAction.php
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ public function _run(Result $result) {
       if (!empty($this->display['settings']['columns'][0]['rewrite'])) {
         $searchFields = array_merge($searchFields, $this->getTokens($this->display['settings']['columns'][0]['rewrite']));
       }
-      $this->display['settings']['limit'] = $this->display['settings']['limit'] ?? \Civi::settings()->get('search_autocomplete_count') ?: 10;
+      $this->display['settings']['limit'] = $this->display['settings']['limit'] ?? \Civi::settings()->get('search_autocomplete_count');
       $this->display['settings']['pager'] = [];
       $return = 'scroll:' . $this->page;
       // SearchKit treats comma-separated fieldnames as OR clauses
diff --git a/settings/Search.setting.php b/settings/Search.setting.php
index 62a97d836297..cb5988fd3595 100644
--- a/settings/Search.setting.php
+++ b/settings/Search.setting.php
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     'type' => 'Integer',
     'quick_form_type' => 'Element',
     'html_type' => 'number',
-    'default' => 10,
+    'default' => 15,
     'add' => '4.3',
     'title' => ts('Autocomplete Results'),
     'is_domain' => 1,
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/api/v4/Action/AutocompleteTest.php b/tests/phpunit/api/v4/Action/AutocompleteTest.php
index 048ded69560d..415b7919de81 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/api/v4/Action/AutocompleteTest.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/api/v4/Action/AutocompleteTest.php
@@ -200,6 +200,7 @@ public function testAutocompleteValidation() {
   }
 
   public function testAutocompletePager() {
+    \Civi::settings()->set('search_autocomplete_count', 10);
     MockBasicEntity::delete()->addWhere('identifier', '>', 0)->execute();
     $sampleData = [];
     foreach (range(1, 21) as $num) {