diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
index bba2e20e8e5a..88fb0433601c 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
@@ -242,6 +242,7 @@ exports[`simple website content 5`] = `
 Object {
   "pluginName": Object {
     "pluginId": Object {
+      "breadcrumbs": "nested",
       "path": "/docs",
       "versions": Array [
         Object {
@@ -955,6 +956,7 @@ exports[`simple website content: global data 1`] = `
 Object {
   "pluginName": Object {
     "pluginId": Object {
+      "breadcrumbs": "nested",
       "path": "/docs",
       "versions": Array [
         Object {
@@ -2411,6 +2413,7 @@ exports[`versioned website (community) content: global data 1`] = `
 Object {
   "pluginName": Object {
     "pluginId": Object {
+      "breadcrumbs": "nested",
       "path": "/community",
       "versions": Array [
         Object {
@@ -3450,6 +3453,7 @@ exports[`versioned website content: global data 1`] = `
 Object {
   "pluginName": Object {
     "pluginId": Object {
+      "breadcrumbs": "nested",
       "path": "/docs",
       "versions": Array [
         Object {
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/options.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/options.test.ts
index a4d94d4c36a5..5ef88f9e26ba 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/options.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/options.test.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ describe('normalizeDocsPluginOptions', () => {
       rehypePlugins: [markdownPluginsFunctionStub],
       beforeDefaultRehypePlugins: [],
       beforeDefaultRemarkPlugins: [],
+      breadcrumbs: 'nested',
       showLastUpdateTime: true,
       showLastUpdateAuthor: true,
       admonitions: {},
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/index.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/index.ts
index df71049e602b..9aeac134bdd9 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/index.ts
@@ -217,6 +217,7 @@ export default async function pluginContentDocs(
         docLayoutComponent,
         docItemComponent,
         docCategoryGeneratedIndexComponent,
+        breadcrumbs,
       } = options;
       const {addRoute, createData, setGlobalData} = actions;
 
@@ -295,6 +296,7 @@ export default async function pluginContentDocs(
       setGlobalData<GlobalPluginData>({
         path: normalizeUrl([baseUrl, options.routeBasePath]),
         versions: loadedVersions.map(toGlobalDataVersion),
+        breadcrumbs,
       });
     },
 
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/options.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/options.ts
index 7c79e5ac02d5..520652578c2b 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/options.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/options.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ export const DEFAULT_OPTIONS: Omit<PluginOptions, 'id' | 'sidebarPath'> = {
   editLocalizedFiles: false,
   sidebarCollapsible: true,
   sidebarCollapsed: true,
+  breadcrumbs: 'nested',
 };
 
 const VersionOptionsSchema = Joi.object({
@@ -139,6 +140,10 @@ export const OptionsSchema = Joi.object({
   disableVersioning: Joi.bool().default(DEFAULT_OPTIONS.disableVersioning),
   lastVersion: Joi.string().optional(),
   versions: VersionsOptionsSchema,
+  breadcrumbs: Joi.alternatives(
+    Joi.bool(),
+    Joi.string().valid('nested'),
+  ).default(DEFAULT_OPTIONS.breadcrumbs),
 });
 
 export function validateOptions({
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/plugin-content-docs.d.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/plugin-content-docs.d.ts
index 29f721f5eea3..e140b05c95d3 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/plugin-content-docs.d.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/plugin-content-docs.d.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ declare module '@docusaurus/plugin-content-docs' {
     showLastUpdateTime?: boolean;
     showLastUpdateAuthor?: boolean;
     numberPrefixParser: NumberPrefixParser;
+    breadcrumbs: boolean | 'nested';
   };
 
   export type PathOptions = {
@@ -298,6 +299,7 @@ declare module '@docusaurus/plugin-content-docs/client' {
   export type GlobalPluginData = {
     path: string;
     versions: GlobalVersion[];
+    breadcrumbs: boolean | 'nested';
   };
   export type DocVersionSuggestions = {
     // suggest the latest version
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/__tests__/validateThemeConfig.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/__tests__/validateThemeConfig.test.ts
index d8a7de49b923..67a2ec87a285 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/__tests__/validateThemeConfig.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/__tests__/validateThemeConfig.test.ts
@@ -701,14 +701,4 @@ describe('themeConfig tableOfContents', () => {
       `"\\"tableOfContents.minHeadingLevel\\" must be less than or equal to ref:maxHeadingLevel"`,
     );
   });
-
-  test('should accept nested breadcrumb config', () => {
-    const breadcrumbConfig = {
-      breadcrumbs: 'nested',
-    };
-    expect(testValidateThemeConfig(breadcrumbConfig)).toEqual({
-      ...DEFAULT_CONFIG,
-      ...breadcrumbConfig,
-    });
-  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocBreadcrumbs/index.tsx b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocBreadcrumbs/index.tsx
index c707a0a1bb38..bcd994419fb8 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocBreadcrumbs/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/theme/DocBreadcrumbs/index.tsx
@@ -6,36 +6,14 @@
  */
 
 import React from 'react';
-import {
-  isSamePath,
-  ThemeClassNames,
-  useSidebarBreadcrumbs,
-  useThemeConfig,
-} from '@docusaurus/theme-common';
+import {ThemeClassNames, useSidebarBreadcrumbs} from '@docusaurus/theme-common';
 import styles from './styles.module.css';
 import clsx from 'clsx';
-import {useLocation} from '@docusaurus/router';
-import type {PropSidebar} from '@docusaurus/plugin-content-docs';
 
 export default function DocBreadcrumbs(): JSX.Element | null {
-  const {pathname} = useLocation();
   const breadcrumbs = useSidebarBreadcrumbs();
-  const {breadcrumbs: enabled} = useThemeConfig();
 
-  function isExact(items: PropSidebar) {
-    const singleItem = items[0];
-    return (
-      items.length === 1 &&
-      singleItem.type === 'link' &&
-      isSamePath(singleItem.href, pathname)
-    );
-  }
-
-  if (
-    !breadcrumbs.length ||
-    enabled === false ||
-    (enabled === 'nested' && isExact(breadcrumbs))
-  ) {
+  if (!breadcrumbs) {
     return null;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/validateThemeConfig.ts b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/validateThemeConfig.ts
index 753d8956d820..a3c9a3bbc368 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/validateThemeConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-classic/src/validateThemeConfig.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ const DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
     minHeadingLevel: 2,
     maxHeadingLevel: 3,
   },
-  breadcrumbs: 'nested',
 };
 
 const NavbarItemPosition = Joi.string().equal('left', 'right').default('left');
@@ -385,10 +384,6 @@ const ThemeConfigSchema = Joi.object({
       .max(6)
       .default(DEFAULT_CONFIG.tableOfContents.maxHeadingLevel),
   }).default(DEFAULT_CONFIG.tableOfContents),
-  breadcrumbs: Joi.alternatives(
-    Joi.bool(),
-    Joi.string().valid('nested'),
-  ).default(DEFAULT_CONFIG.breadcrumbs),
 });
 
 export {DEFAULT_CONFIG, ThemeConfigSchema};
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx
index 64e319a075e9..8932fb29a32e 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/docsUtils.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
  */
 
 import React, {createContext, type ReactNode, useContext} from 'react';
-import {useAllDocsData} from '@docusaurus/plugin-content-docs/client';
+import {
+  useActivePlugin,
+  useAllDocsData,
+} from '@docusaurus/plugin-content-docs/client';
 import type {
   PropSidebar,
   PropSidebarItem,
@@ -182,13 +185,13 @@ export function isActiveSidebarItem(
   return false;
 }
 
-export function useSidebarBreadcrumbs(): PropSidebar {
+export function useSidebarBreadcrumbs(): PropSidebar | null {
   const sidebar = useDocsSidebar();
   const {pathname} = useLocation();
   const breadcrumbs: PropSidebar = [];
+  const enabled = useActivePlugin()?.pluginData?.breadcrumbs;
 
   function extract(items: PropSidebar) {
-    // eslint-disable-next-line no-restricted-syntax
     for (const item of items) {
       if (item.type === 'category' && extract(item.items)) {
         breadcrumbs.push(item);
@@ -202,9 +205,27 @@ export function useSidebarBreadcrumbs(): PropSidebar {
     return false;
   }
 
+  // Check if the only breadcrumb item
+  // is a link to the current page
+  function onlyPageLink() {
+    return (
+      breadcrumbs.length === 1 &&
+      breadcrumbs[0].type === 'link' &&
+      isSamePath(breadcrumbs[0].href, pathname)
+    );
+  }
+
   if (sidebar) {
     extract(sidebar);
   }
 
+  if (
+    !breadcrumbs.length ||
+    enabled === false ||
+    (enabled === 'nested' && onlyPageLink())
+  ) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
   return breadcrumbs.reverse();
 }
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/useThemeConfig.ts b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/useThemeConfig.ts
index 4a336f203263..26975d2563ce 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/useThemeConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-theme-common/src/utils/useThemeConfig.ts
@@ -105,8 +105,6 @@ export type TableOfContents = {
   maxHeadingLevel: number;
 };
 
-export type Breadcrumbs = boolean | 'nested';
-
 // Theme config after validation/normalization
 export type ThemeConfig = {
   docs: {
@@ -129,7 +127,6 @@ export type ThemeConfig = {
   metadata: Array<Record<string, string>>;
   sidebarCollapsible: boolean;
   tableOfContents: TableOfContents;
-  breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs;
 };
 
 // User-provided theme config, unnormalized