diff --git a/src/user/settings.js b/src/user/settings.js
index 20c16fceb8..7c12cbfd00 100644
--- a/src/user/settings.js
+++ b/src/user/settings.js
@@ -55,13 +55,16 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 
 			settings = data.settings;
 
+			var defaultTopicsPerPage = parseInt(meta.config.topicsPerPage, 10) || 20;
+			var defaultPostsPerPage = parseInt(meta.config.postsPerPage, 10) || 20;
+
 			settings.showemail = parseInt(settings.showemail, 10) === 1;
 			settings.showfullname = parseInt(settings.showfullname, 10) === 1;
 			settings.openOutgoingLinksInNewTab = parseInt(settings.openOutgoingLinksInNewTab, 10) === 1;
 			settings.dailyDigestFreq = settings.dailyDigestFreq || 'off';
 			settings.usePagination = (settings.usePagination === null || settings.usePagination === undefined) ? parseInt(meta.config.usePagination, 10) === 1 : parseInt(settings.usePagination, 10) === 1;
-			settings.topicsPerPage = Math.min(settings.topicsPerPage ? parseInt(settings.topicsPerPage, 10) : parseInt(meta.config.topicsPerPage, 10) || 20, 20);
-			settings.postsPerPage = Math.min(settings.postsPerPage ? parseInt(settings.postsPerPage, 10) : parseInt(meta.config.postsPerPage, 10) || 10, 20);
+			settings.topicsPerPage = Math.min(settings.topicsPerPage ? parseInt(settings.topicsPerPage, 10) : defaultTopicsPerPage, defaultTopicsPerPage);
+			settings.postsPerPage = Math.min(settings.postsPerPage ? parseInt(settings.postsPerPage, 10) : defaultPostsPerPage, defaultPostsPerPage);
 			settings.notificationSounds = parseInt(settings.notificationSounds, 10) === 1;
 			settings.userLang = settings.userLang || meta.config.defaultLang || 'en_GB';
 			settings.topicPostSort = settings.topicPostSort || meta.config.topicPostSort || 'oldest_to_newest';
@@ -78,7 +81,7 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 	}
 
 	User.saveSettings = function(uid, data, callback) {
-		if(!data.topicsPerPage || !data.postsPerPage || parseInt(data.topicsPerPage, 10) <= 0 || parseInt(data.postsPerPage, 10) <= 0) {
+		if (invalidPaginationSettings(data)) {
 			return callback(new Error('[[error:invalid-pagination-value]]'));
 		}
 
@@ -94,8 +97,8 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 					openOutgoingLinksInNewTab: data.openOutgoingLinksInNewTab,
 					dailyDigestFreq: data.dailyDigestFreq || 'off',
 					usePagination: data.usePagination,
-					topicsPerPage: Math.min(data.topicsPerPage, 20),
-					postsPerPage: Math.min(data.postsPerPage, 20),
+					topicsPerPage: Math.min(data.topicsPerPage, parseInt(meta.config.topicsPerPage, 10) || 20),
+					postsPerPage: Math.min(data.postsPerPage, parseInt(meta.config.postsPerPage, 10) || 20),
 					notificationSounds: data.notificationSounds,
 					userLang: data.userLang || meta.config.defaultLang,
 					followTopicsOnCreate: data.followTopicsOnCreate,
@@ -116,6 +119,12 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 		], callback);
 	};
 
+	function invalidPaginationSettings(data) {
+		return !data.topicsPerPage || !data.postsPerPage ||
+			parseInt(data.topicsPerPage, 10) <= 0 || parseInt(data.postsPerPage, 10) <= 0 ||
+			parseInt(data.topicsPerPage, 10) > meta.config.topicsPerPage || parseInt(data.postsPerPage, 10) > meta.config.postsPerPage;
+	}
+
 	function updateDigestSetting(uid, dailyDigestFreq, callback) {
 		async.waterfall([
 			function(next) {