diff --git a/js/ui/main.js b/js/ui/main.js
index a21af899f..6218f33d5 100644
--- a/js/ui/main.js
+++ b/js/ui/main.js
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@ let _startDate;
 let _defaultCssStylesheet = null;
 let _cssStylesheet = null;
 let _a11ySettings = null;
-let dynamicWorkspacesSchema = null;
 
 function _sessionUpdated() {
     _loadDefaultStylesheet();
@@ -111,7 +110,6 @@ function start() {
 
     sessionMode = new SessionMode.SessionMode();
     sessionMode.connect('updated', _sessionUpdated);
-    _initializePrefs();
     _initializeUI();
 
     shellDBusService = new ShellDBus.GnomeShell();
@@ -120,17 +118,6 @@ function start() {
     _sessionUpdated();
 }
 
-function _initializePrefs() {
-    let keys = new Gio.Settings({ schema: sessionMode.overridesSchema }).list_keys();
-    for (let i = 0; i < keys.length; i++)
-        Meta.prefs_override_preference_schema(keys[i], sessionMode.overridesSchema);
-
-    if (keys.indexOf('dynamic-workspaces') > -1)
-        dynamicWorkspacesSchema = sessionMode.overridesSchema;
-    else
-        dynamicWorkspacesSchema = 'org.gnome.mutter';
-}
-
 function _initializeUI() {
     // Ensure ShellWindowTracker and ShellAppUsage are initialized; this will
     // also initialize ShellAppSystem first.  ShellAppSystem
diff --git a/js/ui/windowManager.js b/js/ui/windowManager.js
index 0b77916b0..c2a2d133f 100644
--- a/js/ui/windowManager.js
+++ b/js/ui/windowManager.js
@@ -199,12 +199,19 @@ const WorkspaceTracker = new Lang.Class({
         global.screen.connect('window-left-monitor', Lang.bind(this, this._windowLeftMonitor));
         global.screen.connect('restacked', Lang.bind(this, this._windowsRestacked));
 
-        this._workspaceSettings = new Gio.Settings({ schema: Main.dynamicWorkspacesSchema });
+        this._workspaceSettings = this._getWorkspaceSettings();
         this._workspaceSettings.connect('changed::dynamic-workspaces', Lang.bind(this, this._queueCheckWorkspaces));
 
         this._nWorkspacesChanged();
     },
 
+    _getWorkspaceSettings: function() {
+        let settings = global.get_overrides_settings();
+        if (settings.list_keys().indexOf('dynamic-workspaces') > -1)
+            return settings;
+        return new Gio.Settings({ schema: 'org.gnome.mutter' });
+    },
+
     _checkWorkspaces: function() {
         let i;
         let emptyWorkspaces = [];
diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 55f668394..a2f497cf8 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ extern GType gnome_shell_plugin_get_type (void);
 #define SHELL_DBUS_SERVICE "org.gnome.Shell"
 #define MAGNIFIER_DBUS_SERVICE "org.gnome.Magnifier"
 
+#define OVERRIDES_SCHEMA "org.gnome.shell.overrides"
+
 #define WM_NAME "GNOME Shell"
 #define GNOME_WM_KEYBINDINGS "Mutter,GNOME Shell"
 
@@ -167,6 +169,23 @@ shell_dbus_init (gboolean replace)
   g_object_unref (session);
 }
 
+static void
+shell_prefs_init (void)
+{
+  ShellGlobal *global = shell_global_get ();
+  GSettings *settings = shell_global_get_overrides_settings (global);
+  char **keys, **k;
+
+  if (!settings)
+    return;
+
+  keys = g_settings_list_keys (settings);
+  for (keys = k = g_settings_list_keys (settings); *k; k++)
+    meta_prefs_override_preference_schema (*k, OVERRIDES_SCHEMA);
+
+  g_strfreev (keys);
+}
+
 static void
 shell_introspection_init (void)
 {
@@ -434,6 +453,8 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 
   _shell_global_init ("session-mode", session_mode, NULL);
 
+  shell_prefs_init ();
+
   ecode = meta_run ();
 
   if (g_getenv ("GNOME_SHELL_ENABLE_CLEANUP"))
diff --git a/src/shell-global.c b/src/shell-global.c
index f945e36f4..18e3e0993 100644
--- a/src/shell-global.c
+++ b/src/shell-global.c
@@ -1355,6 +1355,37 @@ shell_global_get_settings (ShellGlobal *global)
   return global->settings;
 }
 
+/**
+ * shell_global_get_overrides_settings:
+ * @global: A #ShellGlobal
+ *
+ * Get the session overrides GSettings instance.
+ *
+ * Return value: (transfer none): The GSettings object
+ */
+GSettings *
+shell_global_get_overrides_settings (ShellGlobal *global)
+{
+  static GSettings *settings = NULL;
+  const char *schema;
+
+  g_return_val_if_fail (SHELL_IS_GLOBAL (global), NULL);
+
+  if (!settings)
+    {
+      if (strcmp (global->session_mode, "classic") == 0)
+        schema = "org.gnome.shell.extensions.classic-overrides";
+      else if (strcmp (global->session_mode, "user") == 0)
+        schema = "org.gnome.shell.overrides";
+      else
+        return NULL;
+
+      settings = g_settings_new (schema);
+    }
+
+  return settings;
+}
+
 /**
  * shell_global_get_current_time:
  * @global: A #ShellGlobal
diff --git a/src/shell-global.h b/src/shell-global.h
index 71bdf7d85..a5630ecd3 100644
--- a/src/shell-global.h
+++ b/src/shell-global.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ GdkScreen     *shell_global_get_gdk_screen            (ShellGlobal *global);
 MetaDisplay   *shell_global_get_display               (ShellGlobal *global);
 GList         *shell_global_get_window_actors         (ShellGlobal *global);
 GSettings     *shell_global_get_settings              (ShellGlobal *global);
+GSettings     *shell_global_get_overrides_settings    (ShellGlobal *global);
 guint32        shell_global_get_current_time          (ShellGlobal *global);