diff --git a/src/win32/VBA.cpp b/src/win32/VBA.cpp
index 8c077336..855b7f98 100644
--- a/src/win32/VBA.cpp
+++ b/src/win32/VBA.cpp
@@ -1643,7 +1643,7 @@ void VBA::loadSettings()
   autoLoadMostRecent = regQueryDwordValue("autoLoadMostRecent", false) ? true :
     false;
 
-  cheatsEnabled = regQueryDwordValue("cheatsEnabled", true) ? true : false;
+  cheatsEnabled = regQueryDwordValue("cheatsEnabled", false) ? true : false;
 
   fsMaxScale = regQueryDwordValue("fsMaxScale", 0);