diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 19a2afc8e8..d8a9255c52 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -561,6 +561,11 @@ web = ["bevy_internal/web"]
 # Enable hotpatching of Bevy systems
 hotpatching = ["bevy_internal/hotpatching"]
 
+# Enable converting glTF coordinates to Bevy's coordinate system by default. This will be Bevy's default behavior starting in 0.18.
+gltf_convert_coordinates_default = [
+  "bevy_internal/gltf_convert_coordinates_default",
+]
+
 # Enable collecting debug information about systems and components to help with diagnostics
 debug = ["bevy_internal/debug"]
 
diff --git a/crates/bevy_gltf/Cargo.toml b/crates/bevy_gltf/Cargo.toml
index c46b74b7ca..36e9508f4c 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_gltf/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/bevy_gltf/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ pbr_multi_layer_material_textures = [
 ]
 pbr_anisotropy_texture = ["bevy_pbr/pbr_anisotropy_texture"]
 pbr_specular_textures = ["bevy_pbr/pbr_specular_textures"]
+gltf_convert_coordinates_default = []
 
 [dependencies]
 # bevy
@@ -64,8 +65,6 @@ serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1.0.140"
 smallvec = "1.11"
 tracing = { version = "0.1", default-features = false, features = ["std"] }
-
-[dev-dependencies]
 bevy_log = { path = "../bevy_log", version = "0.17.0-dev" }
 
 [lints]
diff --git a/crates/bevy_gltf/src/lib.rs b/crates/bevy_gltf/src/lib.rs
index bbcb13a908..6b90a4d99b 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_gltf/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_gltf/src/lib.rs
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ impl Default for GltfPlugin {
         GltfPlugin {
             default_sampler: ImageSamplerDescriptor::linear(),
             custom_vertex_attributes: HashMap::default(),
-            convert_coordinates: false,
+            convert_coordinates: cfg!(feature = "gltf_convert_coordinates_default"),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/bevy_gltf/src/loader/mod.rs b/crates/bevy_gltf/src/loader/mod.rs
index a326af0526..3e4c384532 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_gltf/src/loader/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_gltf/src/loader/mod.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ mod extensions;
 mod gltf_ext;
 
 use alloc::sync::Arc;
+use bevy_log::warn_once;
 use std::{
     io::Error,
     path::{Path, PathBuf},
@@ -297,7 +298,18 @@ async fn load_gltf<'a, 'b, 'c>(
 
     let convert_coordinates = match settings.convert_coordinates {
         Some(convert_coordinates) => convert_coordinates,
-        None => loader.default_convert_coordinates,
+        None => {
+            let convert_by_default = loader.default_convert_coordinates;
+            if !convert_by_default && !cfg!(feature = "gltf_convert_coordinates_default") {
+                warn_once!(
+                    "Starting from Bevy 0.18, by default all imported glTF models will be rotated by 180 degrees around the Y axis to align with Bevy's coordinate system. \
+                    You are currently importing glTF files using the old behavior. Consider opting-in to the new import behavior by enabling the `gltf_convert_coordinates_default` feature. \
+                    If you encounter any issues please file a bug! \
+                    If you want to continue using the old behavior going forward (even when the default changes in 0.18), manually set the corresponding option in the `GltfPlugin` or `GltfLoaderSettings`. See the migration guide for more details."
+                );
+            }
+            convert_by_default
+        }
     };
 
     #[cfg(feature = "bevy_animation")]
diff --git a/crates/bevy_internal/Cargo.toml b/crates/bevy_internal/Cargo.toml
index 5e5c95f3ec..402ff45060 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_internal/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/bevy_internal/Cargo.toml
@@ -355,6 +355,10 @@ web = [
 
 hotpatching = ["bevy_app/hotpatching", "bevy_ecs/hotpatching"]
 
+gltf_convert_coordinates_default = [
+  "bevy_gltf?/gltf_convert_coordinates_default",
+]
+
 debug = ["bevy_utils/debug"]
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/docs/cargo_features.md b/docs/cargo_features.md
index 0f9bdc507a..fc38577509 100644
--- a/docs/cargo_features.md
+++ b/docs/cargo_features.md
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ The default feature set enables most of the expected features of a game engine,
 |ghost_nodes|Experimental support for nodes that are ignored for UI layouting|
 |gif|GIF image format support|
 |glam_assert|Enable assertions to check the validity of parameters passed to glam|
+|gltf_convert_coordinates_default|Enable converting glTF coordinates to Bevy's coordinate system by default. This will be Bevy's default behavior starting in 0.18.|
 |hotpatching|Enable hotpatching of Bevy systems|
 |ico|ICO image format support|
 |jpeg|JPEG image format support|
diff --git a/release-content/release-notes/convert-coordinates.md b/release-content/migration-guides/convert-coordinates.md
similarity index 58%
rename from release-content/release-notes/convert-coordinates.md
rename to release-content/migration-guides/convert-coordinates.md
index 957508e15b..85ab80ed20 100644
--- a/release-content/release-notes/convert-coordinates.md
+++ b/release-content/migration-guides/convert-coordinates.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 title: Allow importing glTFs with a corrected coordinate system
 authors: ["@janhohenheim"]
-pull_requests: [19633, 19685]
+pull_requests: [19633, 19685, 19816]
 ---
 
 glTF uses the following coordinate system:
@@ -24,7 +24,27 @@ Long-term, we'd like to fix our glTF imports to use the correct coordinate syste
 But changing the import behavior would mean that *all* imported glTFs of *all* users would suddenly look different, breaking their scenes!
 Not to mention that any bugs in the conversion code would be incredibly frustating for users.
 
-This is why we are now gradually rolling out support for corrected glTF imports. Starting now you can opt into the new behavior by setting `convert_coordinates` on `GltfPlugin`:
+This is why we are now gradually rolling out support for corrected glTF imports. You will now be greeted by the following warning when using the old behavior:
+
+> Starting from Bevy 0.18, by default all imported glTF models will be rotated by 180 degrees around the Y axis to align with Bevy's coordinate system.
+> You are currently importing glTF files using the old behavior. Consider opting-in to the new import behavior by enabling the `gltf_convert_coordinates_default` feature.
+> If you encounter any issues please file a bug!
+> If you want to continue using the old behavior going forward (even when the default changes in 0.18), manually set the corresponding option in the `GltfPlugin` or `GltfLoaderSettings`.
+> See the migration guide for more details.
+
+As the warning says, you can opt into the new behavior by enabling the `gltf_convert_coordinates_default` feature in your `Cargo.toml`:
+
+```toml
+# old behavior, ignores glTF's coordinate system
+[dependencies]
+bevy = "0.17.0"
+
+# new behavior, converts the coordinate system of all glTF assets into Bevy's coordinate system
+[dependencies]
+bevy = { version = "0.17.0", features = ["gltf_convert_coordinates_default"] }
+```
+
+If you prefer, you can also do this in code by setting `convert_coordinates` on `GltfPlugin`:
 
 ```rust
 // old behavior, ignores glTF's coordinate system
@@ -41,6 +61,9 @@ App::new()
     .run();
 ```
 
+If you want to continue using the old behavior in the future, you can silence the warning by enabling the `gltf_convert_coordinates_default` feature
+and explicitly setting `convert_coordinates: false` on `GltfPlugin`.
+
 You can also control this on a per-asset-level:
 
 ```rust
@@ -56,7 +79,7 @@ let handle = asset_server.load_with_settings(
 );
 ```
 
-Afterwards, your scene will be oriented such that your modeling software's forward direction correctly corresponds to Bevy's forward direction.
+After opting into the new behavior, your scene will be oriented such that your modeling software's forward direction correctly corresponds to Bevy's forward direction.
 
 For example, Blender assumes -Y to be forward, so exporting the following model to glTF and loading it in Bevy with the new settings will ensure everything is
 oriented the right way across all programs in your pipeline: