diff --git a/cmd/micro/micro.go b/cmd/micro/micro.go
index e43073b4..7756d588 100644
--- a/cmd/micro/micro.go
+++ b/cmd/micro/micro.go
@@ -374,11 +374,6 @@ func main() {
 	action.InitBindings()
 	action.InitCommands()
 
-	err = config.InitColorscheme()
-	if err != nil {
-		screen.TermMessage(err)
-	}
-
 	err = config.RunPluginFn("preinit")
 	if err != nil {
 		screen.TermMessage(err)
@@ -407,6 +402,11 @@ func main() {
 		screen.TermMessage(err)
 	}
 
+	err = config.InitColorscheme()
+	if err != nil {
+		screen.TermMessage(err)
+	}
+
 	if clipErr != nil {
 		log.Println(clipErr, " or change 'clipboard' option")
 	}
diff --git a/internal/config/colorscheme.go b/internal/config/colorscheme.go
index 5376c845..1058ab52 100644
--- a/internal/config/colorscheme.go
+++ b/internal/config/colorscheme.go
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ func InitColorscheme() error {
 	c, err := LoadDefaultColorscheme()
 	if err == nil {
 		Colorscheme = c
+	} else {
+		// The colorscheme setting seems broken (maybe because we have not validated
+		// it earlier, see comment in verifySetting()). So reset it to the default
+		// colorscheme and try again.
+		GlobalSettings["colorscheme"] = DefaultGlobalOnlySettings["colorscheme"]
+		if c, err2 := LoadDefaultColorscheme(); err2 == nil {
+			Colorscheme = c
+		}
 	}
 
 	return err
diff --git a/internal/config/settings.go b/internal/config/settings.go
index 837b56ba..9dc1d1fd 100644
--- a/internal/config/settings.go
+++ b/internal/config/settings.go
@@ -273,6 +273,12 @@ func verifySetting(option string, value interface{}, def interface{}) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Error: setting '%s' has incorrect type (%s), using default value: %v (%s)", option, valType, def, defType)
 	}
 
+	if option == "colorscheme" {
+		// Plugins are not initialized yet, so do not verify if the colorscheme
+		// exists yet, since the colorscheme may be added by a plugin later.
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	if err := OptionIsValid(option, value); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}