diff --git a/crates/meilisearch-types/src/settings.rs b/crates/meilisearch-types/src/settings.rs
index e1d314b8f..f73a66c4b 100644
--- a/crates/meilisearch-types/src/settings.rs
+++ b/crates/meilisearch-types/src/settings.rs
@@ -989,7 +989,10 @@ pub fn settings(
         facet_search: Setting::Set(facet_search),
         prefix_search: Setting::Set(prefix_search.unwrap_or_default()),
         chat: Setting::Set(chat),
-        vector_store: Setting::Set(vector_store),
+        vector_store: match vector_store {
+            Some(vector_store) => Setting::Set(vector_store),
+            None => Setting::Reset,
+        },
         _kind: PhantomData,
     };
 
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/index.rs b/crates/milli/src/index.rs
index 54086d8a5..4f018e56f 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/index.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/index.rs
@@ -469,12 +469,11 @@ impl Index {
         )?)
     }
 
-    pub fn get_vector_store(&self, rtxn: &RoTxn<'_>) -> Result<VectorStoreBackend> {
+    pub fn get_vector_store(&self, rtxn: &RoTxn<'_>) -> Result<Option<VectorStoreBackend>> {
         Ok(self
             .main
             .remap_types::<Str, SerdeJson<VectorStoreBackend>>()
-            .get(rtxn, main_key::VECTOR_STORE_BACKEND)?
-            .unwrap_or_default())
+            .get(rtxn, main_key::VECTOR_STORE_BACKEND)?)
     }
 
     pub(crate) fn delete_vector_store(&self, wtxn: &mut RwTxn<'_>) -> Result<bool> {
@@ -1799,7 +1798,7 @@ impl Index {
     ) -> Result<BTreeMap<String, EmbeddingsWithMetadata>> {
         let mut res = BTreeMap::new();
         let embedders = self.embedding_configs();
-        let backend = self.get_vector_store(rtxn)?;
+        let backend = self.get_vector_store(rtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
 
         for config in embedders.embedding_configs(rtxn)? {
             let embedder_info = embedders.embedder_info(rtxn, &config.name)?.unwrap();
@@ -1828,7 +1827,7 @@ impl Index {
     pub fn vector_store_stats(&self, rtxn: &RoTxn<'_>) -> Result<VectorStoreStats> {
         let mut stats = VectorStoreStats::default();
         let embedding_configs = self.embedding_configs();
-        let backend = self.get_vector_store(rtxn)?;
+        let backend = self.get_vector_store(rtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
 
         for config in embedding_configs.embedding_configs(rtxn)? {
             let embedder_id = embedding_configs.embedder_id(rtxn, &config.name)?.unwrap();
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/search/facet/filter_vector.rs b/crates/milli/src/search/facet/filter_vector.rs
index 2e34eb068..278179586 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/search/facet/filter_vector.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/search/facet/filter_vector.rs
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ fn evaluate_inner(
     embedding_configs: &[IndexEmbeddingConfig],
     filter: &VectorFilter<'_>,
 ) -> crate::Result<RoaringBitmap> {
-    let backend = index.get_vector_store(rtxn)?;
+    let backend = index.get_vector_store(rtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
     let embedder_name = embedder.value();
     let available_embedders =
         || embedding_configs.iter().map(|c| c.name.clone()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/search/new/vector_sort.rs b/crates/milli/src/search/new/vector_sort.rs
index ecd61e322..5da4c7145 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/search/new/vector_sort.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/search/new/vector_sort.rs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ impl<Q: RankingRuleQueryTrait> VectorSort<Q> {
         vector_candidates: &RoaringBitmap,
     ) -> Result<()> {
         let target = &self.target;
-        let backend = ctx.index.get_vector_store(ctx.txn)?;
+        let backend = ctx.index.get_vector_store(ctx.txn)?.unwrap_or_default();
 
         let before = Instant::now();
         let reader =
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/search/similar.rs b/crates/milli/src/search/similar.rs
index fb2e8103d..b4933e1d0 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/search/similar.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/search/similar.rs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ impl<'a> Similar<'a> {
                 crate::UserError::InvalidSimilarEmbedder(self.embedder_name.to_owned())
             })?;
 
-        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.rtxn)?;
+        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.rtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
 
         let reader =
             VectorStore::new(backend, self.index.vector_store, embedder_index, self.quantized);
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/mod.rs b/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/mod.rs
index ea468f08b..205f8ef5d 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/mod.rs
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ where
 
         // If an embedder wasn't used in the typedchunk but must be binary quantized
         // we should insert it in `dimension`
-        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.wtxn)?;
+        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.wtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
         for (name, action) in settings_diff.embedding_config_updates.iter() {
             if action.is_being_quantized && !dimension.contains_key(name.as_str()) {
                 let index = self.index.embedding_configs().embedder_id(self.wtxn, name)?.ok_or(
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/transform.rs b/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/transform.rs
index 8df8722c3..aa100f2d5 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/transform.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/transform.rs
@@ -834,7 +834,7 @@ impl<'a, 'i> Transform<'a, 'i> {
             None
         };
 
-        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?;
+        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
         let readers: BTreeMap<&str, (VectorStore, &RoaringBitmap)> = settings_diff
             .embedding_config_updates
             .iter()
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/typed_chunk.rs b/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/typed_chunk.rs
index 228dc4797..eb2a0799b 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/typed_chunk.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/update/index_documents/typed_chunk.rs
@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ pub(crate) fn write_typed_chunk_into_index(
             let _entered = span.enter();
 
             let embedders = index.embedding_configs();
-            let backend = index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?;
+            let backend = index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
 
             let mut remove_vectors_builder = MergerBuilder::new(KeepFirst);
             let mut manual_vectors_builder = MergerBuilder::new(KeepFirst);
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/update/new/indexer/mod.rs b/crates/milli/src/update/new/indexer/mod.rs
index 3655a59f6..f613ad0b6 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/update/new/indexer/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/update/new/indexer/mod.rs
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ where
         let global_fields_ids_map = GlobalFieldsIdsMap::new(&new_fields_ids_map);
 
         let vector_arroy = index.vector_store;
-        let backend = index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?;
+        let backend = index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
         let vector_stores: Result<HashMap<_, _>> = embedders
             .inner_as_ref()
             .iter()
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ fn vector_stores_from_embedder_actions<'indexer>(
     index_embedder_category_ids: &'indexer std::collections::HashMap<String, u8>,
 ) -> Result<HashMap<u8, (&'indexer str, &'indexer Embedder, VectorStore, usize)>> {
     let vector_arroy = index.vector_store;
-    let backend = index.get_vector_store(rtxn)?;
+    let backend = index.get_vector_store(rtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
 
     embedders
         .inner_as_ref()
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ fn delete_old_embedders_and_fragments<SD>(
 where
     SD: SettingsDelta,
 {
-    let backend = index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?;
+    let backend = index.get_vector_store(wtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
     for action in settings_delta.embedder_actions().values() {
         let Some(WriteBackToDocuments { embedder_id, .. }) = action.write_back() else {
             continue;
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/update/new/vector_document.rs b/crates/milli/src/update/new/vector_document.rs
index bff407b9f..f74d79d47 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/update/new/vector_document.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/update/new/vector_document.rs
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ impl<'t> VectorDocumentFromDb<'t> {
         config: &IndexEmbeddingConfig,
         status: &EmbeddingStatus,
     ) -> Result<VectorEntry<'t>> {
-        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.rtxn)?;
+        let backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.rtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
         let reader = VectorStore::new(
             backend,
             self.index.vector_store,
diff --git a/crates/milli/src/update/settings.rs b/crates/milli/src/update/settings.rs
index bd6e6c301..b8a8fed1c 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/update/settings.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/update/settings.rs
@@ -1506,7 +1506,7 @@ impl<'a, 't, 'i> Settings<'a, 't, 'i> {
     where
         MSP: Fn() -> bool + Sync,
     {
-        let old_backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.wtxn)?;
+        let old_backend = self.index.get_vector_store(self.wtxn)?.unwrap_or_default();
 
         let new_backend = match self.vector_store {
             Setting::Set(new_backend) => {