diff --git a/packages/sanity/src/_internal/cli/commands/backup/backupGroup.ts b/packages/sanity/src/_internal/cli/commands/backup/backupGroup.ts
index e506e3b78af..6dc9b2b326a 100644
--- a/packages/sanity/src/_internal/cli/commands/backup/backupGroup.ts
+++ b/packages/sanity/src/_internal/cli/commands/backup/backupGroup.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 import {type CliCommandGroupDefinition} from '@sanity/cli'
 
 // defaultApiVersion is the backend API version used for dataset backup.
-// First version of the backup API is vX since this feature is not yet released
-// and formal API documentation is pending.
-export const defaultApiVersion = 'vX'
+export const defaultApiVersion = 'v2024-02-21'
 
 const datasetBackupGroup: CliCommandGroupDefinition = {
   name: 'backup',