diff --git a/src/core/features/user/services/database/user.ts b/src/core/features/user/services/database/user.ts
index 7fc2e7a1c..147351ef3 100644
--- a/src/core/features/user/services/database/user.ts
+++ b/src/core/features/user/services/database/user.ts
@@ -86,5 +86,5 @@ export type CoreUserDBRecord = CoreUserBasicData;
 export type CoreUserPreferenceDBRecord = {
     name: string;
     value: string;
-    onlinevalue: string;
+    onlinevalue: string | null;
 };
diff --git a/src/core/features/user/services/user-offline.ts b/src/core/features/user/services/user-offline.ts
index 1eafad1c1..424d08a55 100644
--- a/src/core/features/user/services/user-offline.ts
+++ b/src/core/features/user/services/user-offline.ts
@@ -58,19 +58,12 @@ export class CoreUserOfflineProvider {
      * @param siteId Site ID. If not defined, current site.
      * @return Promise resolved when done.
      */
-    async setPreference(name: string, value: string, onlineValue?: string, siteId?: string): Promise<void> {
+    async setPreference(name: string, value: string, onlineValue?: string | null , siteId?: string): Promise<void> {
         const site = await CoreSites.getSite(siteId);
 
-        if (onlineValue === undefined) {
-            const preference = await this.getPreference(name, site.id);
-
-            onlineValue = preference.onlinevalue;
-        }
-
-        const record: CoreUserPreferenceDBRecord = {
+        const record: Partial<CoreUserPreferenceDBRecord> = {
             name,
             value,
-            onlinevalue: onlineValue,
         };
 
         await site.getDb().insertRecord(PREFERENCES_TABLE_NAME, record);
diff --git a/src/core/features/user/services/user.ts b/src/core/features/user/services/user.ts
index 44913b195..0be9e9a8a 100644
--- a/src/core/features/user/services/user.ts
+++ b/src/core/features/user/services/user.ts
@@ -1106,7 +1106,7 @@ type CoreUserGetUserPreferencesWSParams = {
 type CoreUserGetUserPreferencesWSResponse = {
     preferences: { // User custom fields (also known as user profile fields).
         name: string; // The name of the preference.
-        value: string; // The value of the preference.
+        value: string | null; // The value of the preference.
     }[];
     warnings?: CoreWSExternalWarning[];
 };