diff --git a/app/models/settings/general.rb b/app/models/settings/general.rb
index 252c46fcb..31fdea5a3 100644
--- a/app/models/settings/general.rb
+++ b/app/models/settings/general.rb
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ module Settings
     setting :mailchimp_incoming_webhook_secret, type: :string, default: ""
 
     # Onboarding
-    setting :onboarding_background_image, type: :string, validates: { url: true }
+    setting :onboarding_background_image, type: :string, validates: { url: true, unless: -> { value.blank? } }
     setting :suggested_tags, type: :array, default: %w[]
     setting :suggested_users, type: :array, default: %w[]
     setting :prefer_manual_suggested_users, type: :boolean, default: false