diff --git a/deps/rabbit/priv/schema/rabbit.schema b/deps/rabbit/priv/schema/rabbit.schema
index 6839fbc24c27..4fc42f8f3db8 100644
--- a/deps/rabbit/priv/schema/rabbit.schema
+++ b/deps/rabbit/priv/schema/rabbit.schema
@@ -795,6 +795,8 @@ end}.
                               _ -> V
                           end,
                     {["default_policies","operator",ID|T], NewV};
+                   ({["default_policies","operator",ID, "queue_pattern"], V}) ->
+                    {["default_policies","operator",ID,"queue_pattern"], list_to_binary(V)};
                    (E) -> E
                 end),
     case Props of
diff --git a/deps/rabbit/test/config_schema_SUITE_data/rabbit.snippets b/deps/rabbit/test/config_schema_SUITE_data/rabbit.snippets
index 22599502d305..45778ba119ea 100644
--- a/deps/rabbit/test/config_schema_SUITE_data/rabbit.snippets
+++ b/deps/rabbit/test/config_schema_SUITE_data/rabbit.snippets
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ ssl_options.fail_if_no_peer_cert = true",
                  {<<"ha_mode">>, <<"exactly">>},
                  {<<"ha_params">>, 2},
                  {<<"ha_sync_mode">>, <<"automatic">>},
-                 {<<"queue_pattern">>, "apple"},
+                 {<<"queue_pattern">>, <<"apple">>},
                  {<<"vhost_pattern">>, "banana"}]}]}]}]}],
   []},