diff --git a/src/main/java/picocli/CommandLine.java b/src/main/java/picocli/CommandLine.java
index 594ac6f7a..6a0f589ce 100644
--- a/src/main/java/picocli/CommandLine.java
+++ b/src/main/java/picocli/CommandLine.java
@@ -18972,11 +18972,29 @@ private static Properties loadProperties(CommandSpec commandSpec) {
             if (commandSpec == null) { return null; }
             Properties p = System.getProperties();
             for (String name : commandSpec.names()) {
+                String propertiesFileName = "." + name + ".properties";
                 String path = p.getProperty("picocli.defaults." + name + ".path");
-                File defaultPath = new File(p.getProperty("user.home"), "." + name + ".properties");
+                File defaultPath = new File(p.getProperty("user.home"), propertiesFileName);
                 File file = path == null ? defaultPath : new File(path);
                 if (file.canRead()) {
                     return createProperties(file, commandSpec);
+                } else {
+                    Object userObject = commandSpec.userObject();
+                    if (userObject == null) {
+                        userObject = commandSpec.commandLine;
+                    }
+                    URL resource = userObject.getClass().getClassLoader().getResource(propertiesFileName);
+                    Tracer tracer = CommandLine.tracer();
+                    if (resource != null) {
+                        file = new File(resource.getFile());
+                        if (file.canRead()) {
+                            return createProperties(file, commandSpec);
+                        } else {
+                            tracer.warn("could not read defaults from %s", file.getAbsolutePath());
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        tracer.warn("defaults configuration file %s doesn not exists on classpath", propertiesFileName);
+                    }
                 }
             }
             return loadProperties(commandSpec.parent());
diff --git a/src/test/java/picocli/PropertiesDefaultProviderTest.java b/src/test/java/picocli/PropertiesDefaultProviderTest.java
index 52720717e..61425952c 100644
--- a/src/test/java/picocli/PropertiesDefaultProviderTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/picocli/PropertiesDefaultProviderTest.java
@@ -52,6 +52,27 @@ static class Subcommand {
         @Parameters(index = "0", paramLabel = "qqq", descriptionKey = "xxx") int xxx;
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testLoadFromResourceClasspathIfPropertySpecified() throws IOException {
+        Properties expected = new Properties();
+        expected.setProperty("aaa", "111");
+        expected.setProperty("bbb", "222");
+        expected.setProperty("ppp", "333");
+        expected.setProperty("xxx", "444");
+
+        MyApp myApp = new MyApp();
+        assertEquals(myApp.aaa, 0);
+        assertEquals(myApp.bbb, 0);
+        assertEquals(myApp.ppp, 0);
+        assertEquals(myApp.xxx, 0);
+        new CommandLine(myApp).parseArgs();
+
+        assertEquals(myApp.aaa, 111);
+        assertEquals(myApp.bbb, 222);
+        assertEquals(myApp.ppp, 333);
+        assertEquals(myApp.xxx, 444);
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testLoadFromUserHomeCommandNameByDefault() throws IOException {
         File f = new File(System.getProperty("user.home"), ".providertest.properties");
diff --git a/src/test/resources/.providertest.properties b/src/test/resources/.providertest.properties
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e1876e87d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/.providertest.properties
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#exported from test
+#Mon Sep 18 12:37:21 CEST 2023
+aaa=111
+ppp=333
+bbb=222
+xxx=444