diff --git a/migrations/20170919185109-settings-set-backupFolder.js b/migrations/20170919185109-settings-set-backupFolder.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..404239145
--- /dev/null
+++ b/migrations/20170919185109-settings-set-backupFolder.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+'use strict';
+
+// ensure backupFolder has not empty
+exports.up = function(db, callback) {
+    db.all('SELECT * FROM settings WHERE name=?', [ 'backup_config' ], function (error, result) {
+        if (error || result.length === 0) return callback(error);
+
+        var value = JSON.parse(result[0].value);
+        if (value.provider !== 'filesystem' || value.backupFolder) return callback();
+
+        value.backupFolder = '/var/backups';
+
+        db.runSql('UPDATE settings SET value = ? WHERE name = ?', [ JSON.stringify(value), 'backup_config' ], function (error) {
+            if (error) console.error('Error setting ownerid ' + JSON.stringify(u) + error);
+            callback();
+        });
+
+    });
+};
+
+exports.down = function(db, callback) {
+    callback();
+};
diff --git a/src/storage/filesystem.js b/src/storage/filesystem.js
index 4bbd6587d..cc2babf94 100644
--- a/src/storage/filesystem.js
+++ b/src/storage/filesystem.js
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ var assert = require('assert'),
     shell = require('../shell.js'),
     targz = require('./targz.js');
 
-var FALLBACK_BACKUP_FOLDER = '/var/backups';
 var BACKUP_USER = config.TEST ? process.env.USER : 'yellowtent';
 
 // internal only
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ function getBackupFilePath(apiConfig, backupId) {
 
     const FILE_TYPE = apiConfig.key ? '.tar.gz.enc' : '.tar.gz';
 
-    return path.join(apiConfig.backupFolder || FALLBACK_BACKUP_FOLDER, backupId.endsWith(FILE_TYPE) ? backupId : backupId+FILE_TYPE);
+    return path.join(apiConfig.backupFolder, backupId.endsWith(FILE_TYPE) ? backupId : backupId+FILE_TYPE);
 }
 
 // storage api
diff --git a/webadmin/src/views/settings.html b/webadmin/src/views/settings.html
index 97e435be6..027307cfb 100644
--- a/webadmin/src/views/settings.html
+++ b/webadmin/src/views/settings.html
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@
                         <!-- Filesystem -->
                         <div class="form-group" ng-class="{ 'has-error': configureBackup.error.backupFolder }" ng-show="configureBackup.provider === 'filesystem'">
                             <label class="control-label" for="inputConfigureBackupFolder">Local backup directory</label>
-                            <input type="text" class="form-control" ng-model="configureBackup.backupFolder" id="inputConfigureBackupFolder" name="backupFolder" ng-disabled="configureBackup.busy" placeholder="Leave empty for default /var/backups">
+                            <input type="text" class="form-control" ng-model="configureBackup.backupFolder" id="inputConfigureBackupFolder" name="backupFolder" ng-disabled="configureBackup.busy" placeholder="Directory for backups" ng-required="configureBackup.provider === 'filesystem'">
 
                             <p class="has-error" ng-show="configureBackup.provider === 'filesystem'">
                                 Please ensure that the backup directory is an external disk
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@
               <span class="text-muted">Location</span>
           </div>
           <div class="col-xs-6 text-right">
-              <span ng-show="backupConfig.provider === 'filesystem'">{{ backupConfig.backupFolder || '/var/backups' }}</span>
+              <span ng-show="backupConfig.provider === 'filesystem'">{{ backupConfig.backupFolder }}</span>
               <span ng-show="backupConfig.provider === 'minio' || backupConfig.provider === 'exoscale-sos'">{{ backupConfig.bucket + '/' + backupConfig.prefix }}</span>
               <span ng-show="backupConfig.provider === 's3'">{{ backupConfig.region + '   ' + backupConfig.bucket + '/' + backupConfig.prefix }}</span>
           </div>