diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 3edf4ba8..ecc0f48b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/).
 - Fixed a bug where user could not be deleted due to counter cache on points. #1818
 - Introduce apt-get upgrade before installing new packages in the docker image to prevent vulnerabilities. #1793
 - Fixed time shift when creating visits manually. #1679
+- Provide default map layer if user settings are not set.
 
 # [0.33.0] - 2025-09-29
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/maps/layers.js b/app/javascript/maps/layers.js
index 96334e6a..27e544a4 100644
--- a/app/javascript/maps/layers.js
+++ b/app/javascript/maps/layers.js
@@ -50,9 +50,17 @@ export function createAllMapLayers(map, selectedLayerName, selfHosted) {
   const layers = {};
   const mapsConfig = selfHosted === "true" ? rasterMapsConfig : vectorMapsConfig;
 
+  // Determine the default layer based on self-hosted mode
+  const defaultLayerName = selfHosted === "true" ? "OpenStreetMap" : "Light";
+
+  // If selectedLayerName is null/undefined or doesn't exist in config, use default
+  const layerToSelect = selectedLayerName && mapsConfig[selectedLayerName]
+    ? selectedLayerName
+    : defaultLayerName;
+
   Object.keys(mapsConfig).forEach(layerKey => {
-    // Create the layer and add it to the map if it's the user's selected layer
-    const layer = createMapLayer(map, selectedLayerName, layerKey, selfHosted);
+    // Create the layer and add it to the map if it's the selected/default layer
+    const layer = createMapLayer(map, layerToSelect, layerKey, selfHosted);
     layers[layerKey] = layer;
   });