diff --git a/rest_framework/settings.py b/rest_framework/settings.py
index b699d7caf..f7d9a0919 100644
--- a/rest_framework/settings.py
+++ b/rest_framework/settings.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ DEFAULTS = {
     'DEFAULT_VERSIONING_CLASS': None,
 
     # Generic view behavior
-    'DEFAULT_PAGINATION_CLASS': 'rest_framework.pagination.PageNumberPagination',
+    'DEFAULT_PAGINATION_CLASS': None,
     'DEFAULT_FILTER_BACKENDS': (),
 
     # Throttling