diff --git a/lib/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepository.php b/lib/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepository.php
index 5115bc8c26..7c2a50d8e4 100644
--- a/lib/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepository.php
+++ b/lib/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepository.php
@@ -49,7 +49,12 @@ class NewsletterTemplatesRepository extends Repository {
     }
 
     if (isset($data['thumbnail'])) {
-      $template->setThumbnail($data['thumbnail']);
+      // Backward compatibility for importing templates exported from older versions
+      if (strpos($data['thumbnail'], 'data:image') === 0) {
+        $data['thumbnail_data'] = $data['thumbnail'];
+      } else {
+        $template->setThumbnail($data['thumbnail']);
+      }
     }
 
     if (isset($data['thumbnail_data'])) {
diff --git a/tests/integration/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepositoryTest.php b/tests/integration/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepositoryTest.php
index ddee1659fe..9a61427a3b 100644
--- a/tests/integration/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepositoryTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/NewsletterTemplates/NewsletterTemplatesRepositoryTest.php
@@ -54,6 +54,17 @@ class NewsletterTemplatesRepositoryTest extends \MailPoetTest {
     expect($templates[0]->getName())->equals('Testing template 5');
   }
 
+  public function testItCanCreateFromOldDataFormat() {
+    $createdTemplate = $this->newsletterTemplatesRepository->createOrUpdate([
+      'name' => 'Another template',
+      'body' => '{"content": {}, "globalStyles": {}}',
+      'thumbnail' => 'data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACw=',
+    ]);
+    expect($createdTemplate->getName())->equals('Another template');
+    expect($createdTemplate->getBody())->equals(['content' => [], 'globalStyles' => []]);
+    expect($createdTemplate->getThumbnailData())->equals('data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACw=');
+  }
+
   public function _after() {
     $this->truncateEntity(NewsletterTemplateEntity::class);
   }