diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 40658e9ac7..3efd6aa827 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -113,8 +113,8 @@ if (NOT DEFINED WAMR_BUILD_SIMD)
 endif ()
 
 if (NOT DEFINED WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES)
-  # Disable reference types by default
-  set (WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES 0)
+  # Enable reference types by default
+  set (WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES 1)
 endif ()
 
 set (WAMR_ROOT_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
diff --git a/doc/build_wamr.md b/doc/build_wamr.md
index 4537ee0841..abf663177d 100644
--- a/doc/build_wamr.md
+++ b/doc/build_wamr.md
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ Currently we only profile the memory consumption of module, module_instance and
 > See [basic sample](../samples/basic/src/main.c) for a usage example.
 
 #### **Enable reference types feature**
-- **WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES**=1/0, default to disable if not set
+- **WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES**=1/0, default to enable if not set
 
 #### **Exclude WAMR application entry functions**
 - **WAMR_DISABLE_APP_ENTRY**=1/0, default to disable if not set
diff --git a/product-mini/platforms/linux/CMakeLists.txt b/product-mini/platforms/linux/CMakeLists.txt
index 2e37b75f92..321c4a955b 100644
--- a/product-mini/platforms/linux/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/product-mini/platforms/linux/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ if (NOT DEFINED WAMR_BUILD_SIMD)
 endif ()
 
 if (NOT DEFINED WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES)
-  # Disable reference types by default
-  set (WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES 0)
+  # Enable reference types by default
+  set (WAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES 1)
 endif ()
 
 if (NOT DEFINED WAMR_BUILD_DEBUG_INTERP)