diff --git a/lib/net/imap/config.rb b/lib/net/imap/config.rb
index 0b0c028d..a597bedd 100644
--- a/lib/net/imap/config.rb
+++ b/lib/net/imap/config.rb
@@ -87,6 +87,12 @@ class IMAP
     #   Net::IMAP.debug = true
     #   client.config.debug?  # => true
     #
+    # Use #load_defaults to globally behave like a specific version:
+    #   client = Net::IMAP.new(hostname)
+    #   client.config.sasl_ir              # => true
+    #   Net::IMAP.config.load_defaults 0.3
+    #   client.config.sasl_ir              # => false
+    #
     # === Named defaults
     # In addition to +x.y+ version numbers, the following aliases are supported:
     #
@@ -270,11 +276,32 @@ def with(**attrs)
         block_given? ? yield(copy) : copy
       end
 
+      # :call-seq: load_defaults(version) -> self
+      #
+      # Resets the current config to behave like the versioned default
+      # configuration for +version+.  #parent will not be changed.
+      #
+      # Some config attributes default to inheriting from their #parent (which
+      # is usually Config.global) and are left unchanged, for example: #debug.
+      #
+      # See Config@Versioned+defaults and Config@Named+defaults.
+      def load_defaults(version)
+        [Numeric, Symbol, String].any? { _1 === version } or
+          raise ArgumentError, "expected number or symbol, got %p" % [version]
+        update(**Config[version].defaults_hash)
+      end
+
       # :call-seq: to_h -> hash
       #
       # Returns all config attributes in a hash.
       def to_h; data.members.to_h { [_1, send(_1)] } end
 
+      protected
+
+      def defaults_hash
+        to_h.reject {|k,v| DEFAULT_TO_INHERIT.include?(k) }
+      end
+
       @default = new(
         debug: false,
         open_timeout: 30,
@@ -285,9 +312,7 @@ def to_h; data.members.to_h { [_1, send(_1)] } end
 
       @global = default.new
 
-      version_defaults[0.4] = Config[
-        default.to_h.reject {|k,v| DEFAULT_TO_INHERIT.include?(k) }
-      ]
+      version_defaults[0.4] = Config[default.send(:defaults_hash)]
 
       version_defaults[0] = Config[0.4].dup.update(
         sasl_ir: false,
diff --git a/test/net/imap/test_config.rb b/test/net/imap/test_config.rb
index 8176f725..a8afb4fb 100644
--- a/test/net/imap/test_config.rb
+++ b/test/net/imap/test_config.rb
@@ -332,4 +332,27 @@ class ConfigTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     assert_equal [11, 5, true], vals
   end
 
+  test "#load_defaults" do
+    config = Config.global.load_defaults 0.3
+    assert_same Config.global, config
+    assert_same true,  config.inherited?(:debug)
+    assert_same false, config.inherited?(:sasl_ir)
+    assert_same false, config.sasl_ir
+    # does not _reset_ default
+    config.debug = true
+    Config.global.load_defaults 0.3
+    assert_same false, config.inherited?(:debug)
+    assert_same true,  config.debug?
+    # does not change parent
+    child           = Config.global.new
+    grandchild      = child.new
+    greatgrandchild = grandchild.new
+    child.load_defaults :current
+    grandchild.load_defaults :next
+    greatgrandchild.load_defaults :future
+    assert_same Config.global, child.parent
+    assert_same child, grandchild.parent
+    assert_same grandchild, greatgrandchild.parent
+  end
+
 end