diff --git a/lib/api/api_test.go b/lib/api/api_test.go
index 2637f2395..bc6a27098 100644
--- a/lib/api/api_test.go
+++ b/lib/api/api_test.go
@@ -1762,9 +1762,10 @@ func TestConfigChanges(t *testing.T) {
 
 	folder2Path := "/rest/config/folders/folder2"
 
-	// Create a folder and add another
+	// Create a folder and add another. Give folder2 a non-default
+	// RescanIntervalS so we can verify it survives a later partial PATCH.
 	mod(http.MethodPut, "/rest/config/folders", []config.FolderConfiguration{{ID: "folder1", Path: "folder1"}})
-	mod(http.MethodPut, folder2Path, config.FolderConfiguration{ID: "folder2", Path: "folder2"})
+	mod(http.MethodPut, folder2Path, config.FolderConfiguration{ID: "folder2", Path: "folder2", RescanIntervalS: 1234})
 
 	// Check they are there
 	get("/rest/config/folders/folder1").Body.Close()
@@ -1779,9 +1780,14 @@ func TestConfigChanges(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := unmarshalTo(resp.Body, &folder); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if !dev.Paused {
+	if !folder.Paused {
 		t.Error("Expected folder to be paused")
 	}
+	// A partial PATCH must not reset other (default-tagged) attributes to
+	// their default values.
+	if folder.RescanIntervalS != 1234 {
+		t.Error("Expected RescanIntervalS to be preserved as 1234, got", folder.RescanIntervalS)
+	}
 
 	// Delete folder2
 	req, _ := http.NewRequest(http.MethodDelete, baseURL+folder2Path, nil)
diff --git a/lib/config/folderconfiguration.go b/lib/config/folderconfiguration.go
index a2ed4e5ae..58c244e42 100644
--- a/lib/config/folderconfiguration.go
+++ b/lib/config/folderconfiguration.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ package config
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/sha256"
-	"encoding/json"
 	"encoding/xml"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
@@ -395,16 +394,6 @@ func (f XattrFilter) GetMaxTotalSize() int {
 	return f.MaxTotalSize
 }
 
-func (f *FolderConfiguration) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
-	structutil.SetDefaults(f)
-
-	// avoid recursing into this method
-	type noCustomUnmarshal FolderConfiguration
-	ptr := (*noCustomUnmarshal)(f)
-
-	return json.Unmarshal(data, ptr)
-}
-
 func (f *FolderConfiguration) UnmarshalXML(d *xml.Decoder, start xml.StartElement) error {
 	structutil.SetDefaults(f)