diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
index fb95fad81c79..8deb5a89328a 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
@@ -703,6 +703,11 @@
 	cpufreq.off=1	[CPU_FREQ]
 			disable the cpufreq sub-system
 
+	cpufreq.default_governor=
+			[CPU_FREQ] Name of the default cpufreq governor or
+			policy to use. This governor must be registered in the
+			kernel before the cpufreq driver probes.
+
 	cpu_init_udelay=N
 			[X86] Delay for N microsec between assert and de-assert
 			of APIC INIT to start processors.  This delay occurs
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/pm/cpufreq.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/pm/cpufreq.rst
index 0c74a7784964..368e612145d2 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/pm/cpufreq.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/pm/cpufreq.rst
@@ -147,9 +147,9 @@ CPUs in it.
 
 The next major initialization step for a new policy object is to attach a
 scaling governor to it (to begin with, that is the default scaling governor
-determined by the kernel configuration, but it may be changed later
-via ``sysfs``).  First, a pointer to the new policy object is passed to the
-governor's ``->init()`` callback which is expected to initialize all of the
+determined by the kernel command line or configuration, but it may be changed
+later via ``sysfs``).  First, a pointer to the new policy object is passed to
+the governor's ``->init()`` callback which is expected to initialize all of the
 data structures necessary to handle the given policy and, possibly, to add
 a governor ``sysfs`` interface to it.  Next, the governor is started by
 invoking its ``->start()`` callback.
diff --git a/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c b/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
index e9e8200a0211..ad94b1d47ddb 100644
--- a/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
+++ b/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ static LIST_HEAD(cpufreq_governor_list);
 #define for_each_governor(__governor)				\
 	list_for_each_entry(__governor, &cpufreq_governor_list, governor_list)
 
+static char default_governor[CPUFREQ_NAME_LEN];
+
 /**
  * The "cpufreq driver" - the arch- or hardware-dependent low
  * level driver of CPUFreq support, and its spinlock. This lock
@@ -1061,7 +1063,6 @@ __weak struct cpufreq_governor *cpufreq_default_governor(void)
 
 static int cpufreq_init_policy(struct cpufreq_policy *policy)
 {
-	struct cpufreq_governor *def_gov = cpufreq_default_governor();
 	struct cpufreq_governor *gov = NULL;
 	unsigned int pol = CPUFREQ_POLICY_UNKNOWN;
 	int ret;
@@ -1071,21 +1072,27 @@ static int cpufreq_init_policy(struct cpufreq_policy *policy)
 		gov = get_governor(policy->last_governor);
 		if (gov) {
 			pr_debug("Restoring governor %s for cpu %d\n",
-				 policy->governor->name, policy->cpu);
-		} else if (def_gov) {
-			gov = def_gov;
-			__module_get(gov->owner);
+				 gov->name, policy->cpu);
 		} else {
-			return -ENODATA;
+			gov = get_governor(default_governor);
+		}
+
+		if (!gov) {
+			gov = cpufreq_default_governor();
+			if (!gov)
+				return -ENODATA;
+			__module_get(gov->owner);
 		}
+
 	} else {
+
 		/* Use the default policy if there is no last_policy. */
 		if (policy->last_policy) {
 			pol = policy->last_policy;
-		} else if (def_gov) {
-			pol = cpufreq_parse_policy(def_gov->name);
+		} else {
+			pol = cpufreq_parse_policy(default_governor);
 			/*
-			 * In case the default governor is neiter "performance"
+			 * In case the default governor is neither "performance"
 			 * nor "powersave", fall back to the initial policy
 			 * value set by the driver.
 			 */
@@ -2795,13 +2802,19 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(cpufreq_unregister_driver);
 
 static int __init cpufreq_core_init(void)
 {
+	struct cpufreq_governor *gov = cpufreq_default_governor();
+
 	if (cpufreq_disabled())
 		return -ENODEV;
 
 	cpufreq_global_kobject = kobject_create_and_add("cpufreq", &cpu_subsys.dev_root->kobj);
 	BUG_ON(!cpufreq_global_kobject);
 
+	if (!strlen(default_governor))
+		strncpy(default_governor, gov->name, CPUFREQ_NAME_LEN);
+
 	return 0;
 }
 module_param(off, int, 0444);
+module_param_string(default_governor, default_governor, CPUFREQ_NAME_LEN, 0444);
 core_initcall(cpufreq_core_init);
