diff --git a/packages/element-web-playwright-common/src/fixtures/user.ts b/packages/element-web-playwright-common/src/fixtures/user.ts
index f0f0bda05d..74c4c17a3d 100644
--- a/packages/element-web-playwright-common/src/fixtures/user.ts
+++ b/packages/element-web-playwright-common/src/fixtures/user.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ export const test = base.extend<{
                     "mx_local_settings",
                     JSON.stringify({
                         // Retain any other settings which may have already been set
-                        ...JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem("mx_local_settings") || "{}"),
+                        ...JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem("mx_local_settings") ?? "{}"),
                         // Ensure the language is set to a consistent value
                         language: "en",
                     }),