diff --git a/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.spec.ts b/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.spec.ts
index 170e36a45a..86ccd2db72 100644
--- a/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.spec.ts
@@ -808,6 +808,14 @@ describe('DropdownCloudWidgetComponent', () => {
                 }
             });
 
+        const getVariableDropdownWidgetWithoutConfig = () =>
+            new FormFieldModel(new FormModel({ taskId: 'fake-task-id', readOnly: 'false' }), {
+                id: 'variable-dropdown-id',
+                name: 'variable-options-dropdown',
+                type: 'dropdown',
+                optionType: 'variable'
+            });
+
         const checkDropdownVariableOptionsFailed = () => {
             const failedErrorMsgElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('.adf-dropdown-failed-message'));
             expect(failedErrorMsgElement.nativeElement.textContent.trim()).toBe(errorIcon.concat('FORM.FIELD.VARIABLE_DROPDOWN_OPTIONS_FAILED'));
@@ -815,6 +823,16 @@ describe('DropdownCloudWidgetComponent', () => {
             expect(widget.field.options.length).toEqual(0);
         };
 
+        it('should add default variable config when variable config property is not provided', () => {
+            widget.field = getVariableDropdownWidgetWithoutConfig();
+            fixture.detectChanges();
+
+            expect(widget.field.json.variableConfig.variableName).toBe('');
+            expect(widget.field.json.variableConfig.optionsPath).toBe('data');
+            expect(widget.field.json.variableConfig.optionsId).toBe('id');
+            expect(widget.field.json.variableConfig.optionsLabel).toBe('name');
+        });
+
         it('should display options persisted from process variable', async () => {
             widget.field = getVariableDropdownWidget(
                 'variables.json-variable',
diff --git a/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.ts b/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.ts
index 3b852b85ad..26371400b6 100644
--- a/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.ts
+++ b/lib/process-services-cloud/src/lib/form/components/widgets/dropdown/dropdown-cloud.widget.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
     FormFieldTypes,
     FormService,
     RuleEntry,
+    VariableConfig,
     WidgetComponent
 } from '@alfresco/adf-core';
 import { FormCloudService } from '../../../services/form-cloud.service';
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ export class DropdownCloudWidgetComponent extends WidgetComponent implements OnI
     list$: Observable<FormFieldOption[]>;
     filter$ = new BehaviorSubject<string>('');
 
+    private readonly defaultVariableName = '';
     private readonly defaultVariableOptionId = 'id';
     private readonly defaultVariableOptionLabel = 'name';
     private readonly defaultVariableOptionPath = 'data';
@@ -80,6 +82,7 @@ export class DropdownCloudWidgetComponent extends WidgetComponent implements OnI
         this.setPreviewState();
         this.checkFieldOptionsSource();
         this.updateOptions();
+        this.setDefaultVariableConfig();
     }
 
     private checkFieldOptionsSource(): void {
@@ -103,6 +106,19 @@ export class DropdownCloudWidgetComponent extends WidgetComponent implements OnI
         }
     }
 
+    private setDefaultVariableConfig(): void {
+        if (!this.field.json) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        this.field.json.variableConfig = {
+            variableName: this.field.json?.variableConfig?.variableName || this.defaultVariableName,
+            optionsPath: this.field.json?.variableConfig?.optionsPath || this.defaultVariableOptionPath,
+            optionsId: this.field.json?.variableConfig?.optionsId || this.defaultVariableOptionId,
+            optionsLabel: this.field.json?.variableConfig?.optionsLabel || this.defaultVariableOptionLabel
+        } as VariableConfig;
+    }
+
     private persistFieldOptionsFromVariable(): void {
         const optionsPath = this.field?.variableConfig?.optionsPath ?? this.defaultVariableOptionPath;
         const variableName = this.field?.variableConfig?.variableName;