diff --git a/pkg/config/user_config.go b/pkg/config/user_config.go
index 566bcf59c..bbc08cdc3 100644
--- a/pkg/config/user_config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/user_config.go
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ func GetDefaultConfig() *UserConfig {
 			SkipNoStagedFilesWarning: false,
 			ShowListFooter:           true,
 			ShowCommandLog:           true,
-			ShowFileTree:             false,
+			ShowFileTree:             true,
 			ShowRandomTip:            true,
 			CommandLogSize:           8,
 		},
diff --git a/test/default_test_config/config.yml b/test/default_test_config/config.yml
index 69b4c4dea..087049261 100644
--- a/test/default_test_config/config.yml
+++ b/test/default_test_config/config.yml
@@ -6,3 +6,5 @@ gui:
     - bold
     SelectedRangeBgcolor:
     - reverse
+  # TODO: we should update most tests to use a file tree now that it's the default
+  showFileTree: false