diff --git a/db/db_compaction_test.cc b/db/db_compaction_test.cc
index 24445ecdb70..8713b9b8045 100644
--- a/db/db_compaction_test.cc
+++ b/db/db_compaction_test.cc
@@ -6025,23 +6025,18 @@ TEST_P(DBCompactionDirectIOTest, DirectIO) {
   options.use_direct_io_for_flush_and_compaction = GetParam();
   options.env = MockEnv::Create(Env::Default());
   Reopen(options);
-  bool readahead = false;
   SyncPoint::GetInstance()->SetCallBack(
       "CompactionJob::OpenCompactionOutputFile", [&](void* arg) {
         bool* use_direct_writes = static_cast<bool*>(arg);
         ASSERT_EQ(*use_direct_writes,
                   options.use_direct_io_for_flush_and_compaction);
       });
-  if (options.use_direct_io_for_flush_and_compaction) {
-    SyncPoint::GetInstance()->SetCallBack(
-        "SanitizeOptions:direct_io", [&](void* /*arg*/) { readahead = true; });
-  }
   SyncPoint::GetInstance()->EnableProcessing();
   CreateAndReopenWithCF({"pikachu"}, options);
   MakeTables(3, "p", "q", 1);
   ASSERT_EQ("1,1,1", FilesPerLevel(1));
   Compact(1, "p", "q");
-  ASSERT_EQ(readahead, options.use_direct_reads);
+  ASSERT_EQ(false, options.use_direct_reads);
   ASSERT_EQ("0,0,1", FilesPerLevel(1));
   Destroy(options);
   delete options.env;
diff --git a/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc b/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc
index 8db53dac93f..d9d1f932afa 100644
--- a/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc
+++ b/db/db_impl/db_impl_open.cc
@@ -143,13 +143,6 @@ DBOptions SanitizeOptions(const std::string& dbname, const DBOptions& src,
     result.wal_dir = result.wal_dir.substr(0, result.wal_dir.size() - 1);
   }
 
-  if (result.compaction_readahead_size == 0) {
-    if (result.use_direct_reads) {
-      TEST_SYNC_POINT_CALLBACK("SanitizeOptions:direct_io", nullptr);
-    }
-    result.compaction_readahead_size = 1024 * 1024 * 2;
-  }
-
   // Force flush on DB open if 2PC is enabled, since with 2PC we have no
   // guarantee that consecutive log files have consecutive sequence id, which
   // make recovery complicated.
diff --git a/db/db_options_test.cc b/db/db_options_test.cc
index b7c132aeef3..c3910a9787b 100644
--- a/db/db_options_test.cc
+++ b/db/db_options_test.cc
@@ -1034,30 +1034,37 @@ TEST_F(DBOptionsTest, SetFIFOCompactionOptions) {
 }
 
 TEST_F(DBOptionsTest, CompactionReadaheadSizeChange) {
-  SpecialEnv env(env_);
-  Options options;
-  options.env = &env;
-
-  options.compaction_readahead_size = 0;
-  options.level0_file_num_compaction_trigger = 2;
-  const std::string kValue(1024, 'v');
-  Reopen(options);
+  for (bool use_direct_reads : {true, false}) {
+    SpecialEnv env(env_);
+    Options options;
+    options.env = &env;
+
+    options.use_direct_reads = use_direct_reads;
+    options.level0_file_num_compaction_trigger = 2;
+    const std::string kValue(1024, 'v');
+    Status s = TryReopen(options);
+    if (use_direct_reads && (s.IsNotSupported() || s.IsInvalidArgument())) {
+      continue;
+    } else {
+      ASSERT_OK(s);
+    }
 
-  ASSERT_EQ(1024 * 1024 * 2,
-            dbfull()->GetDBOptions().compaction_readahead_size);
-  ASSERT_OK(dbfull()->SetDBOptions({{"compaction_readahead_size", "256"}}));
-  ASSERT_EQ(256, dbfull()->GetDBOptions().compaction_readahead_size);
-  for (int i = 0; i < 1024; i++) {
-    ASSERT_OK(Put(Key(i), kValue));
-  }
-  ASSERT_OK(Flush());
-  for (int i = 0; i < 1024 * 2; i++) {
-    ASSERT_OK(Put(Key(i), kValue));
+    ASSERT_EQ(1024 * 1024 * 2,
+              dbfull()->GetDBOptions().compaction_readahead_size);
+    ASSERT_OK(dbfull()->SetDBOptions({{"compaction_readahead_size", "256"}}));
+    ASSERT_EQ(256, dbfull()->GetDBOptions().compaction_readahead_size);
+    for (int i = 0; i < 1024; i++) {
+      ASSERT_OK(Put(Key(i), kValue));
+    }
+    ASSERT_OK(Flush());
+    for (int i = 0; i < 1024 * 2; i++) {
+      ASSERT_OK(Put(Key(i), kValue));
+    }
+    ASSERT_OK(Flush());
+    ASSERT_OK(dbfull()->TEST_WaitForCompact());
+    ASSERT_EQ(256, env_->compaction_readahead_size_);
+    Close();
   }
-  ASSERT_OK(Flush());
-  ASSERT_OK(dbfull()->TEST_WaitForCompact());
-  ASSERT_EQ(256, env_->compaction_readahead_size_);
-  Close();
 }
 
 TEST_F(DBOptionsTest, FIFOTtlBackwardCompatible) {
diff --git a/include/rocksdb/options.h b/include/rocksdb/options.h
index 8f62c2dfb82..d11ccc62f53 100644
--- a/include/rocksdb/options.h
+++ b/include/rocksdb/options.h
@@ -955,10 +955,10 @@ struct DBOptions {
   // running RocksDB on spinning disks, you should set this to at least 2MB.
   // That way RocksDB's compaction is doing sequential instead of random reads.
   //
-  // Default: 0
+  // Default: 2MB
   //
   // Dynamically changeable through SetDBOptions() API.
-  size_t compaction_readahead_size = 0;
+  size_t compaction_readahead_size = 2 * 1024 * 1024;
 
   // This is a maximum buffer size that is used by WinMmapReadableFile in
   // unbuffered disk I/O mode. We need to maintain an aligned buffer for
diff --git a/unreleased_history/behavior_changes/buffered_io_compaction_readahead_size_zero.md b/unreleased_history/behavior_changes/buffered_io_compaction_readahead_size_zero.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..430101766fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unreleased_history/behavior_changes/buffered_io_compaction_readahead_size_zero.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Compaction read performance will regress when `Options::compaction_readahead_size` is explicitly set to 0
diff --git a/unreleased_history/public_api_changes/compaction_readahead_size_option_change.md b/unreleased_history/public_api_changes/compaction_readahead_size_option_change.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f86fd82ea14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unreleased_history/public_api_changes/compaction_readahead_size_option_change.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+`Options::compaction_readahead_size` 's default value is changed from 0 to 2MB.