diff --git a/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/constants.ts b/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/constants.ts
index f648f09f558f3..c4c236c828fc1 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/constants.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/constants.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export const ROWS_PER_PAGE_OPTIONS = [10, 25, 50, DEFAULT_ROWS_PER_PAGE, 250, 50
 export const ROWS_HEIGHT_OPTIONS = {
   auto: -1,
   single: 0,
-  default: -1,
+  default: 3,
 };
 export const defaultRowLineHeight = '1.6em';
 export const defaultMonacoEditorWidth = 370;
diff --git a/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.test.tsx b/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.test.tsx
index 1ef0d9c70d139..2da08c178720a 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.test.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import { Storage } from '@kbn/kibana-utils-plugin/public';
 import { LocalStorageMock } from '../../__mocks__/local_storage_mock';
 import { useRowHeightsOptions } from './use_row_heights_options';
 
+const CONFIG_ROW_HEIGHT = 3;
+
 describe('useRowHeightsOptions', () => {
   test('should apply rowHeight from savedSearch', () => {
     const { result } = renderHook(() => {
@@ -30,7 +32,7 @@ describe('useRowHeightsOptions', () => {
         storage: new LocalStorageMock({
           ['discover:dataGridRowHeight']: {
             previousRowHeight: 5,
-            previousConfigRowHeight: -1,
+            previousConfigRowHeight: 3,
           },
         }) as unknown as Storage,
         consumer: 'discover',
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ describe('useRowHeightsOptions', () => {
     });
 
     expect(result.current.defaultHeight).toEqual({
-      lineCount: 3,
+      lineCount: CONFIG_ROW_HEIGHT,
     });
   });
 
@@ -59,8 +61,8 @@ describe('useRowHeightsOptions', () => {
       return useRowHeightsOptions({
         storage: new LocalStorageMock({
           ['discover:dataGridRowHeight']: {
-            previousRowHeight: 5,
-            // different from uiSettings (config), now user changed it to -1, but prev was 4
+            previousRowHeight: 4,
+            // different from uiSettings (config), now user changed it to 3, but prev was 4
             previousConfigRowHeight: 4,
           },
         }) as unknown as Storage,
@@ -68,6 +70,8 @@ describe('useRowHeightsOptions', () => {
       });
     });
 
-    expect(result.current.defaultHeight).toEqual('auto');
+    expect(result.current.defaultHeight).toEqual({
+      lineCount: CONFIG_ROW_HEIGHT,
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.ts b/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.ts
index 55eaa17c2c2ea..3df1a31aaa9d3 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-unified-data-table/src/hooks/use_row_heights_options.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ const serializeRowHeight = (rowHeight?: EuiDataGridRowHeightOption): number => {
     return ROWS_HEIGHT_OPTIONS.auto;
   } else if (typeof rowHeight === 'object' && rowHeight.lineCount) {
     return rowHeight.lineCount; // custom
+  } else if (typeof rowHeight === 'number') {
+    return rowHeight;
   }
 
   return ROWS_HEIGHT_OPTIONS.single;
diff --git a/src/plugins/discover/server/ui_settings.ts b/src/plugins/discover/server/ui_settings.ts
index bc5ad09d260c4..d6bbbd0eed9f0 100644
--- a/src/plugins/discover/server/ui_settings.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/discover/server/ui_settings.ts
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ export const getUiSettings: (docLinks: DocLinksServiceSetup) => Record<string, U
     name: i18n.translate('discover.advancedSettings.params.rowHeightTitle', {
       defaultMessage: 'Row height in the Document Explorer',
     }),
-    value: -1,
+    value: 3,
     category: ['discover'],
     description: i18n.translate('discover.advancedSettings.params.rowHeightText', {
       defaultMessage:
diff --git a/test/functional/apps/discover/group2/_data_grid_row_height.ts b/test/functional/apps/discover/group2/_data_grid_row_height.ts
index 2c385b67aaa02..109c35e25a24c 100644
--- a/test/functional/apps/discover/group2/_data_grid_row_height.ts
+++ b/test/functional/apps/discover/group2/_data_grid_row_height.ts
@@ -44,12 +44,12 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
       expect(rows.length).to.be.above(0);
 
       await dataGrid.clickGridSettings();
-      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Auto fit');
+      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Custom');
     });
 
     it('should allow to change row height and reset it', async () => {
       await dataGrid.clickGridSettings();
-      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Auto fit');
+      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Custom');
 
       await dataGrid.changeRowHeightValue('Single');
 
@@ -61,18 +61,18 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
 
       await dataGrid.resetRowHeightValue();
 
-      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Auto fit');
+      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Custom');
 
-      await dataGrid.changeRowHeightValue('Custom');
+      await dataGrid.changeRowHeightValue('Auto fit');
 
       await dataGrid.resetRowHeightValue();
 
-      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Auto fit');
+      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Custom');
     });
 
     it('should persist the selection after reloading the page', async () => {
       await dataGrid.clickGridSettings();
-      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Auto fit');
+      expect(await dataGrid.getCurrentRowHeightValue()).to.be('Custom');
 
       await dataGrid.changeRowHeightValue('Single');