diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index bb8b6db0..c70dc9fc 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ UNLOGGED_PERMISSIONS=
 DEFAULT_PERMISSIONS=overall.read,overall.play
 
 # Hardware transcoding (equivalent of --profile docker compose option).
-COMPOSE_PROFILES= # vaapi or qsv or nvidia
+COMPOSE_PROFILES=cpu # cpu (no hardware acceleration) or vaapi or qsv or nvidia
 # the preset used during transcode. faster means worst quality, you can probably use a slower preset with hwaccels
 # warning: using vaapi hwaccel disable presets (they are not supported).
 GOCODER_PRESET=fast
diff --git a/docker-compose.dev.yml b/docker-compose.dev.yml
index 1c344dde..5c2e52e4 100644
--- a/docker-compose.dev.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.dev.yml
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ services:
 
   transcoder:
     <<: *transcoder-base
-    profiles: ['']
+    profiles: ['', 'cpu']
 
   transcoder-nvidia:
     <<: *transcoder-base
diff --git a/docker-compose.prod.yml b/docker-compose.prod.yml
index 2639ab0e..54a0fb85 100644
--- a/docker-compose.prod.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.prod.yml
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ services:
 
   transcoder:
     <<: *transcoder-base
-    profiles: ['']
+    profiles: ['', 'cpu']
 
   transcoder-nvidia:
     <<: *transcoder-base
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 33f5e343..8d2a9200 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ services:
 
   transcoder:
     <<: *transcoder-base
-    profiles: ['']
+    profiles: ['', 'cpu']
 
   transcoder-nvidia:
     <<: *transcoder-base