diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 81f7b822c1..ceaef9817f 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -2731,7 +2731,7 @@ qemuDomainManagedSaveHelper(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     g_autoptr(virQEMUDriverConfig) cfg = NULL;
     g_autoptr(virCommand) compressor = NULL;
     g_autofree char *path = NULL;
-    int format;
+    int format = QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW;
 
     if (virDomainObjCheckActive(vm) < 0)
         return -1;
@@ -2743,8 +2743,11 @@ qemuDomainManagedSaveHelper(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     }
 
     cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
-    if ((format = qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(cfg->saveImageFormat,
-                                                     &compressor, "save")) < 0)
+    if (cfg->saveImageFormat &&
+        (format = qemuSaveFormatTypeFromString(cfg->saveImageFormat)) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    if (qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(format, &compressor, "save") < 0)
         return -1;
 
     path = qemuDomainManagedSavePath(driver, vm);
@@ -2765,7 +2768,7 @@ qemuDomainSaveFlags(virDomainPtr dom, const char *path, const char *dxml,
                     unsigned int flags)
 {
     virQEMUDriver *driver = dom->conn->privateData;
-    int format;
+    int format = QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW;
     g_autoptr(virCommand) compressor = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
     virDomainObj *vm = NULL;
@@ -2776,8 +2779,11 @@ qemuDomainSaveFlags(virDomainPtr dom, const char *path, const char *dxml,
                   VIR_DOMAIN_SAVE_PAUSED, -1);
 
     cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
-    if ((format = qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(cfg->saveImageFormat,
-                                                     &compressor, "save")) < 0)
+    if (cfg->saveImageFormat &&
+        (format = qemuSaveFormatTypeFromString(cfg->saveImageFormat)) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(format, &compressor, "save") < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (!(vm = qemuDomainObjFromDomain(dom)))
@@ -2815,7 +2821,7 @@ qemuDomainSaveParams(virDomainPtr dom,
     g_autoptr(virCommand) compressor = NULL;
     const char *to = NULL;
     const char *dxml = NULL;
-    int format;
+    int format = QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW;
     int ret = -1;
 
     virCheckFlags(VIR_DOMAIN_SAVE_BYPASS_CACHE |
@@ -2849,8 +2855,11 @@ qemuDomainSaveParams(virDomainPtr dom,
     }
 
     cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
-    if ((format = qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(cfg->saveImageFormat,
-                                                     &compressor, "save")) < 0)
+    if (cfg->saveImageFormat &&
+        (format = qemuSaveFormatTypeFromString(cfg->saveImageFormat)) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(format, &compressor, "save") < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (virDomainObjCheckActive(vm) < 0)
@@ -3060,9 +3069,14 @@ doCoreDump(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     const char *memory_dump_format = NULL;
     g_autoptr(virQEMUDriverConfig) cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
     g_autoptr(virCommand) compressor = NULL;
+    int format = QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW;
 
-    if (qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(cfg->dumpImageFormat,
-                                           &compressor, "dump") < 0)
+    if (cfg->dumpImageFormat) {
+        if ((format = qemuSaveFormatTypeFromString(cfg->dumpImageFormat)) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(format, &compressor, "dump") < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     /* Create an empty file with appropriate ownership.  */
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.c b/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.c
index 9bb76c05f8..d940bfb5c3 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.c
@@ -508,38 +508,26 @@ qemuSaveImageCreate(virQEMUDriver *driver,
 
 
 /* qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram:
- * @imageFormat: String representation from qemu.conf of the image format
- *               being used (dump, save, or snapshot).
+ * @format: Integer representation of the image format being used
+ *          (dump, save, or snapshot).
  * @compresspath: Pointer to a character string to store the fully qualified
  *                path from virFindFileInPath.
  * @styleFormat: String representing the style of format (dump, save, snapshot)
  *
- * On success, returns an integer representation of the save image format to be
- * used for a particular style (e.g. dump, save, or snapshot). Returns -1 on
- * failure.
+ * Returns -1 on failure, 0 on success.
  */
 int
-qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(const char *imageFormat,
+qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(int format,
                                    virCommand **compressor,
                                    const char *styleFormat)
 {
-    int ret;
+    const char *imageFormat = qemuSaveFormatTypeToString(format);
     const char *prog;
 
     *compressor = NULL;
 
-    if (!imageFormat)
-        return QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW;
-
-    if ((ret = qemuSaveFormatTypeFromString(imageFormat)) < 0) {
-        virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_FAILED,
-                       _("Invalid %1$s image format specified in configuration file"),
-                       styleFormat);
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    if (ret == QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW)
-        return QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW;
+    if (format == QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW)
+        return 0;
 
     if (!(prog = virFindFileInPath(imageFormat))) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_FAILED,
@@ -550,10 +538,10 @@ qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(const char *imageFormat,
 
     *compressor = virCommandNew(prog);
     virCommandAddArg(*compressor, "-c");
-    if (ret == QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_XZ)
+    if (format == QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_XZ)
         virCommandAddArg(*compressor, "-3");
 
-    return ret;
+    return 0;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.h b/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.h
index aa905768de..0d8ee542af 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_saveimage.h
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ qemuSaveImageOpen(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(4);
 
 int
-qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(const char *imageFormat,
+qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(int format,
                                    virCommand **compressor,
                                    const char *styleFormat)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2);
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_snapshot.c b/src/qemu/qemu_snapshot.c
index c2a98c1296..416a772b92 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_snapshot.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_snapshot.c
@@ -1597,7 +1597,7 @@ qemuSnapshotCreateActiveExternal(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     bool memory_existing = false;
     bool thaw = false;
     bool pmsuspended = false;
-    int format;
+    int format = QEMU_SAVE_FORMAT_RAW;
     g_autoptr(virCommand) compressor = NULL;
     virQEMUSaveData *data = NULL;
     g_autoptr(GHashTable) blockNamedNodeData = NULL;
@@ -1674,9 +1674,12 @@ qemuSnapshotCreateActiveExternal(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                                           JOB_MASK(VIR_JOB_SUSPEND) |
                                           JOB_MASK(VIR_JOB_MIGRATION_OP)));
 
-        if ((format = qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(cfg->snapshotImageFormat,
-                                                         &compressor,
-                                                         "snapshot")) < 0)
+        if (cfg->snapshotImageFormat &&
+            (format = qemuSaveFormatTypeFromString(cfg->snapshotImageFormat)) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+
+        if (qemuSaveImageGetCompressionProgram(format, &compressor,
+                                               "snapshot") < 0)
             goto cleanup;
 
         if (!(xml = qemuDomainDefFormatLive(driver, priv->qemuCaps,