diff --git a/picard/config.py b/picard/config.py
index 35e9041a7..3a9193815 100644
--- a/picard/config.py
+++ b/picard/config.py
@@ -385,6 +385,13 @@ class Option(QtCore.QObject):
     def get(cls, section, name):
         return cls.registry.get((section, name))
 
+    @classmethod
+    def get_default(cls, section, name):
+        opt = cls.get(section, name)
+        if opt is None:
+            raise OptionError("No such option", section, name)
+        return opt.default
+
     @classmethod
     def add_if_missing(cls, section, name, default):
         if not cls.exists(section, name):
diff --git a/test/test_config.py b/test/test_config.py
index d0b0f0a77..2a21c6bfc 100644
--- a/test/test_config.py
+++ b/test/test_config.py
@@ -108,6 +108,12 @@ class TestPicardConfigOption(TestPicardConfigCommon):
         with self.assertRaisesRegex(OptionError, r"^Option setting/option: Already declared"):
             Option("setting", "option", "def")
 
+    def test_get_default(self):
+        Option("setting", "option", "abc")
+        self.assertEqual(Option.get_default("setting", "option"), "abc")
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(OptionError, "^Option setting/unknown_option: No such option"):
+            Option.get_default("setting", "unknown_option")
+
 
 class TestPicardConfigSection(TestPicardConfigCommon):