diff --git a/administrator/components/com_newsfeeds/models/forms/newsfeed.xml b/administrator/components/com_newsfeeds/models/forms/newsfeed.xml
index d34a4b2f59fcf..c589ebb48d250 100644
--- a/administrator/components/com_newsfeeds/models/forms/newsfeed.xml
+++ b/administrator/components/com_newsfeeds/models/forms/newsfeed.xml
@@ -424,8 +424,8 @@
 				type="text"
 				label="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTERS_COUNT_LABEL"
 				description="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTERS_COUNT_DESC"
-				default="0"
 				size="6"
+				useglobal="true"
 			/>
 
 			<field
diff --git a/components/com_newsfeeds/views/categories/tmpl/default.xml b/components/com_newsfeeds/views/categories/tmpl/default.xml
index bc0fe0a134a34..0bc430b500a31 100644
--- a/components/com_newsfeeds/views/categories/tmpl/default.xml
+++ b/components/com_newsfeeds/views/categories/tmpl/default.xml
@@ -276,10 +276,10 @@
 			</field>
 
 			<field name="feed_character_count" type="text"
-				default="0"
 				description="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTER_COUNT_DESC"
 				label="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTER_COUNT_LABEL"
 				size="6"
+				useglobal="true"
 			/>
 		</fieldset>
 
diff --git a/components/com_newsfeeds/views/category/tmpl/default.xml b/components/com_newsfeeds/views/category/tmpl/default.xml
index e574abaa4c89b..6783f2107cbf1 100644
--- a/components/com_newsfeeds/views/category/tmpl/default.xml
+++ b/components/com_newsfeeds/views/category/tmpl/default.xml
@@ -226,10 +226,10 @@
 			</field>
 
 			<field name="feed_character_count" type="text"
-				default="0"
 				description="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTER_COUNT_DESC"
 				label="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTER_COUNT_LABEL"
 				size="6"
+				useglobal="true"
 			/>
 			
 			<field name="feed_display_order" type="list"
diff --git a/components/com_newsfeeds/views/newsfeed/tmpl/default.xml b/components/com_newsfeeds/views/newsfeed/tmpl/default.xml
index 9beb568e857fb..148d57e25a370 100644
--- a/components/com_newsfeeds/views/newsfeed/tmpl/default.xml
+++ b/components/com_newsfeeds/views/newsfeed/tmpl/default.xml
@@ -69,10 +69,10 @@
 			</field>
 
 			<field name="feed_character_count" type="text"
-				default="0"
 				description="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTER_COUNT_DESC"
 				label="COM_NEWSFEEDS_FIELD_CHARACTER_COUNT_LABEL"
 				size="6"
+				useglobal="true"
 			/>
 
 			<field name="feed_display_order" type="list"