diff --git a/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/Account.kt b/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/Account.kt
index 7f155d5cf534145c89feb6d5f56db91d21140298..0f0b5c5437553cd18be7e46c4a1ab395705af66a 100644
--- a/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/Account.kt
+++ b/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/Account.kt
@@ -209,7 +209,11 @@ class Account(override val uuid: String) : BaseAccount {
 
     @get:Synchronized
     @set:Synchronized
-    var showPictures = ShowPictures.NEVER
+    var showPictures = ShowPictures.ALWAYS
+
+    @get:Synchronized
+    @set:Synchronized
+    var isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly = false
 
     @get:Synchronized
     @set:Synchronized
diff --git a/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/AccountPreferenceSerializer.kt b/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/AccountPreferenceSerializer.kt
index 83db324da051fd360ad873afc8791f32ea0332e6..2483fbeb9b76e2f4ebcc06aedef76975a0513a74 100644
--- a/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/AccountPreferenceSerializer.kt
+++ b/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/AccountPreferenceSerializer.kt
@@ -132,7 +132,8 @@ class AccountPreferenceSerializer(
 
             setSortAscending(sortType, storage.getBoolean("$accountUuid.sortAscending", false))
 
-            showPictures = getEnumStringPref<ShowPictures>(storage, "$accountUuid.showPicturesEnum", ShowPictures.NEVER)
+            showPictures = getEnumStringPref<ShowPictures>(storage, "$accountUuid.showPicturesEnum", ShowPictures.ALWAYS)
+            isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly = storage.getBoolean("$accountUuid.isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly", false)
 
             updateNotificationSettings {
                 NotificationSettings(
@@ -283,6 +284,7 @@ class AccountPreferenceSerializer(
             editor.putString("$accountUuid.sortTypeEnum", sortType.name)
             editor.putBoolean("$accountUuid.sortAscending", isSortAscending(sortType))
             editor.putString("$accountUuid.showPicturesEnum", showPictures.name)
+            editor.putBoolean("$accountUuid.isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly", isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly)
             editor.putString("$accountUuid.folderDisplayMode", folderDisplayMode.name)
             editor.putString("$accountUuid.folderSyncMode", folderSyncMode.name)
             editor.putString("$accountUuid.folderPushMode", folderPushMode.name)
@@ -553,7 +555,8 @@ class AccountPreferenceSerializer(
             folderTargetMode = FolderMode.NOT_SECOND_CLASS
             sortType = DEFAULT_SORT_TYPE
             setSortAscending(DEFAULT_SORT_TYPE, DEFAULT_SORT_ASCENDING)
-            showPictures = ShowPictures.NEVER
+            showPictures = ShowPictures.ALWAYS
+            isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly = true
             isSignatureBeforeQuotedText = false
             expungePolicy = Expunge.EXPUNGE_IMMEDIATELY
             importedAutoExpandFolder = null
diff --git a/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/preferences/AccountSettingsDescriptions.java b/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/preferences/AccountSettingsDescriptions.java
index 519b014da488fe1601e7f9285f9955be146f9c06..1971a5f63c0046d8b11fe5e9199c3d0a13263ab5 100644
--- a/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/preferences/AccountSettingsDescriptions.java
+++ b/app/core/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/preferences/AccountSettingsDescriptions.java
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ public class AccountSettingsDescriptions {
                 new V(9, new BooleanSetting(Account.DEFAULT_SORT_ASCENDING))
         ));
         s.put("showPicturesEnum", Settings.versions(
-                new V(1, new EnumSetting<>(ShowPictures.class, ShowPictures.NEVER))
+                new V(1, new EnumSetting<>(ShowPictures.class, ShowPictures.ALWAYS))
         ));
         s.put("signatureBeforeQuotedText", Settings.versions(
                 new V(1, new BooleanSetting(false))
diff --git a/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageList.kt b/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageList.kt
index d82501ae9f4c5e0e106710789a24ed86418d900a..6d80249594bd8e2a9000beb9d5245f2c73e3b47d 100644
--- a/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageList.kt
+++ b/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageList.kt
@@ -174,6 +174,8 @@ open class MessageList :
             return
         }
 
+        accounts.forEach(this::refreshShowPictureOption)
+
         if (useSplitView()) {
             setLayout(R.layout.split_message_list)
         } else {
@@ -1700,6 +1702,19 @@ open class MessageList :
         }
     }
 
+    /*
+     * We want to show pictures by default.
+     * For already setup accounts, we need to first check isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly pref value for account, by default it is false.
+     * If it is false, update {@code account.showPictures = ShowPictures.ALWAYS}
+     * else ignore
+     */
+    private fun refreshShowPictureOption(account: Account) {
+        if (!account.isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly) {
+            account.showPictures = Account.ShowPictures.ALWAYS
+            account.isShowPictureOptionLoadedCorrectly = true
+            preferences.saveAccount(account)
+        }
+    }
 
     companion object : KoinComponent {
         private const val EXTRA_SEARCH = "search_bytes"