diff --git a/Documentation/diff-config.txt b/Documentation/diff-config.txt
index cf4a9159b..edba56522 100644
--- a/Documentation/diff-config.txt
+++ b/Documentation/diff-config.txt
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ diff.renames::
 	Whether and how Git detects renames.  If set to "false",
 	rename detection is disabled. If set to "true", basic rename
 	detection is enabled.  If set to "copies" or "copy", Git will
-	detect copies, as well.  Defaults to false.  Note that this
+	detect copies, as well.  Defaults to true.  Note that this
 	affects only 'git diff' Porcelain like linkgit:git-diff[1] and
 	linkgit:git-log[1], and not lower level commands such as
 	linkgit:git-diff-files[1].
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index b3bd2d418..109742e28 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -186,6 +186,7 @@ static void status_init_config(struct wt_status *s, config_fn_t fn)
 	gitmodules_config();
 	git_config(fn, s);
 	determine_whence(s);
+	init_diff_ui_defaults();
 	s->hints = advice_status_hints; /* must come after git_config() */
 }
 
diff --git a/builtin/diff.c b/builtin/diff.c
index 52c98a921..343c6b8f2 100644
--- a/builtin/diff.c
+++ b/builtin/diff.c
@@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ int cmd_diff(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	if (!no_index)
 		gitmodules_config();
+	init_diff_ui_defaults();
 	git_config(git_diff_ui_config, NULL);
 
 	init_revisions(&rev, prefix);
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index d83d47a9c..9430b80e5 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ static int log_line_range_callback(const struct option *option, const char *arg,
 static void init_log_defaults(void)
 {
 	init_grep_defaults();
+	init_diff_ui_defaults();
 }
 
 static void cmd_log_init_defaults(struct rev_info *rev)
diff --git a/builtin/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index b98a3489b..4cb4f6aa8 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -1187,6 +1187,7 @@ int cmd_merge(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	else
 		head_commit = lookup_commit_or_die(head_sha1, "HEAD");
 
+	init_diff_ui_defaults();
 	git_config(git_merge_config, NULL);
 
 	if (branch_mergeoptions)
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index 2136b6970..b4dea07db 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -168,6 +168,11 @@ long parse_algorithm_value(const char *value)
  * never be affected by the setting of diff.renames
  * the user happens to have in the configuration file.
  */
+void init_diff_ui_defaults(void)
+{
+	diff_detect_rename_default = 1;
+}
+
 int git_diff_ui_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb)
 {
 	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.color") || !strcmp(var, "color.diff")) {
diff --git a/diff.h b/diff.h
index 70b2d70d6..0a3ce8658 100644
--- a/diff.h
+++ b/diff.h
@@ -266,6 +266,7 @@ extern int parse_long_opt(const char *opt, const char **argv,
 			 const char **optarg);
 
 extern int git_diff_basic_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb);
+extern void init_diff_ui_defaults(void);
 extern int git_diff_ui_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb);
 extern void diff_setup(struct diff_options *);
 extern int diff_opt_parse(struct diff_options *, const char **, int, const char *);
diff --git a/t/t4001-diff-rename.sh b/t/t4001-diff-rename.sh
index f5239b525..c7e58b69a 100755
--- a/t/t4001-diff-rename.sh
+++ b/t/t4001-diff-rename.sh
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ test_expect_success 'test diff.renames=false' '
 
 test_expect_success 'test diff.renames unset' '
 	git diff --cached $tree >current &&
-	compare_diff_patch current no-rename
+	compare_diff_patch current expected
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'favour same basenames over different ones' '
diff --git a/t/t4013-diff-various.sh b/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
index 6ec607211..94ef5000e 100755
--- a/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
+++ b/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@ test_expect_success setup '
 	git commit -m "Rearranged lines in dir/sub" &&
 	git checkout master &&
 
+	git config diff.renames false &&
+
 	git show-branch
 '
 
diff --git a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
index 3b99434e3..eed2981b9 100755
--- a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
+++ b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ test_expect_success 'cover-letter inherits diff options' '
 
 	git mv file foo &&
 	git commit -m foo &&
-	git format-patch --cover-letter -1 &&
+	git format-patch --no-renames --cover-letter -1 &&
 	check_patch 0000-cover-letter.patch &&
 	! grep "file => foo .* 0 *\$" 0000-cover-letter.patch &&
 	git format-patch --cover-letter -1 -M &&
@@ -703,7 +703,7 @@ test_expect_success 'options no longer allowed for format-patch' '
 
 test_expect_success 'format-patch --numstat should produce a patch' '
 	git format-patch --numstat --stdout master..side > output &&
-	test 6 = $(grep "^diff --git a/" output | wc -l)'
+	test 5 = $(grep "^diff --git a/" output | wc -l)'
 
 test_expect_success 'format-patch -- <path>' '
 	git format-patch master..side -- file 2>error &&
diff --git a/t/t4047-diff-dirstat.sh b/t/t4047-diff-dirstat.sh
index 3b8b7921d..447a8ffa3 100755
--- a/t/t4047-diff-dirstat.sh
+++ b/t/t4047-diff-dirstat.sh
@@ -248,7 +248,8 @@ EOF
 	git rm -r src/move/unchanged &&
 	git rm -r src/move/changed &&
 	git rm -r src/move/rearranged &&
-	git commit -m "changes"
+	git commit -m "changes" &&
+	git config diff.renames false
 '
 
 cat <<EOF >expect_diff_stat
diff --git a/t/t4202-log.sh b/t/t4202-log.sh
index cb82eb7e6..128ba9353 100755
--- a/t/t4202-log.sh
+++ b/t/t4202-log.sh
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ test_expect_success 'oneline' '
 
 test_expect_success 'diff-filter=A' '
 
-	git log --pretty="format:%s" --diff-filter=A HEAD > actual &&
-	git log --pretty="format:%s" --diff-filter A HEAD > actual-separate &&
+	git log --no-renames --pretty="format:%s" --diff-filter=A HEAD > actual &&
+	git log --no-renames --pretty="format:%s" --diff-filter A HEAD > actual-separate &&
 	printf "fifth\nfourth\nthird\ninitial" > expect &&
 	test_cmp expect actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual-separate
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ test_expect_success 'diff-filter=M' '
 
 test_expect_success 'diff-filter=D' '
 
-	actual=$(git log --pretty="format:%s" --diff-filter=D HEAD) &&
+	actual=$(git log --no-renames --pretty="format:%s" --diff-filter=D HEAD) &&
 	expect=$(echo sixth ; echo third) &&
 	verbose test "$actual" = "$expect"
 
@@ -848,7 +848,7 @@ sanitize_output () {
 }
 
 test_expect_success 'log --graph with diff and stats' '
-	git log --graph --pretty=short --stat -p >actual &&
+	git log --no-renames --graph --pretty=short --stat -p >actual &&
 	sanitize_output >actual.sanitized <actual &&
 	test_i18ncmp expect actual.sanitized
 '