diff --git a/elasticsearch.yml b/elasticsearch.yml
index d5602b7..42dd65b 100644
--- a/elasticsearch.yml
+++ b/elasticsearch.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ xpack.security.authc.password_hashing.algorithm: bcrypt
 
 # ----------------------------------- Memory ----------------------------------
 # Memory locking to prevent swapping
-bootstrap.memory_lock: true
+bootstrap.memory_lock: false
 
 # ---------------------------------- HTTP/REST API ---------------------------
 http.cors.enabled: true
@@ -58,15 +58,18 @@ thread_pool.search.queue_size: 1000
 # I/O optimization
 bootstrap.system_call_filter: false
 
-# Default index settings
-index.number_of_shards: 1
-index.number_of_replicas: 0
+# ---------------------------------- Index Templates ---------------------------
+# Instead of setting index settings directly (which is not allowed), 
+# we configure index templates that will be applied to new indices.
+# Elasticsearch will automatically apply these templates to new indices.
 
-# Merge settings for better indexing performance
-index.merge.scheduler.max_thread_count: 1 
-index.merge.policy.floor_segment: 2mb
-index.merge.policy.max_merge_at_once: 4
-index.merge.policy.segments_per_tier: 8
+# The following settings MUST be removed from this file:
+# - index.number_of_shards
+# - index.number_of_replicas
+# - index.merge.scheduler.max_thread_count
+# - index.merge.policy.floor_segment
+# - index.merge.policy.max_merge_at_once
+# - index.merge.policy.segments_per_tier
 
 # Set processors based on container configuration
 processors: ${PROCESSORS:1} 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/start.sh b/start.sh
index 1651cc3..cd43baf 100644
--- a/start.sh
+++ b/start.sh
@@ -184,6 +184,54 @@ configure_elasticsearch() {
     chmod 755 /app/data /app/data/config
 }
 
+# Create index template with optimized settings
+create_index_template() {
+    echo "Creating default index template with optimized settings..."
+    
+    # Wait a moment to ensure Elasticsearch is fully operational
+    sleep 5
+    
+    # Define the template JSON
+    template_json=$(cat <<EOF
+{
+  "index_patterns": ["*"],
+  "template": {
+    "settings": {
+      "number_of_shards": 1,
+      "number_of_replicas": 0,
+      "merge": {
+        "scheduler": {
+          "max_thread_count": 1
+        },
+        "policy": {
+          "floor_segment": "2mb",
+          "max_merge_at_once": 4,
+          "segments_per_tier": 8
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "priority": 1,
+  "_meta": {
+    "description": "Default template with Cloudron optimized settings"
+  }
+}
+EOF
+)
+    
+    # Apply the template
+    curl -s -X PUT "http://localhost:9200/_index_template/cloudron_defaults" \
+      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+      -u "elastic:$ELASTIC_PASSWORD" \
+      -d "$template_json" > /dev/null
+      
+    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+        echo "Index template created successfully."
+    else
+        echo "Warning: Failed to create index template. Default settings may not be applied to new indices."
+    fi
+}
+
 # Set system limits - be more tolerant of container restrictions
 set_system_limits() {
     echo "Setting system limits for Elasticsearch..."
@@ -278,6 +326,9 @@ start_elasticsearch() {
     cd $ES_HOME
     echo "y" | ES_JAVA_HOME=/app/data/jdk bin/elasticsearch-reset-password -u elastic -b -p "$ELASTIC_PASSWORD" --url "http://localhost:9200" || true
     
+    # Create index template with the settings we removed from elasticsearch.yml
+    create_index_template
+    
     # Create credentials file
     cat > /app/data/credentials.txt << EOL
 Elasticsearch credentials: