diff --git a/common/keydb/keydb.go b/common/keydb/keydb.go
index 04692e98c..d6e590806 100644
--- a/common/keydb/keydb.go
+++ b/common/keydb/keydb.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package keydb
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"net/url"
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/keydb/postgres"
@@ -33,14 +32,12 @@ type Database interface {
 func NewDatabase(dataSourceName string) (Database, error) {
 	uri, err := url.Parse(dataSourceName)
 	if err != nil {
-		// if the scheme doesn't match, fall back to postgres in case the config has
-		// postgres key=value connection strings
 		return postgres.NewDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	}
 	switch uri.Scheme {
 	case "postgres":
 		return postgres.NewDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	default:
-		return nil, errors.New("unknown schema")
+		return postgres.NewDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/federationsender/storage/storage.go b/federationsender/storage/storage.go
index 98877140a..4ce151c7a 100644
--- a/federationsender/storage/storage.go
+++ b/federationsender/storage/storage.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package storage
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"net/url"
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common"
@@ -34,14 +33,12 @@ type Database interface {
 func NewDatabase(dataSourceName string) (Database, error) {
 	uri, err := url.Parse(dataSourceName)
 	if err != nil {
-		// if the scheme doesn't match, fall back to postgres in case the config has
-		// postgres key=value connection strings
 		return postgres.NewDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	}
 	switch uri.Scheme {
 	case "postgres":
 		return postgres.NewDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	default:
-		return nil, errors.New("unknown schema")
+		return postgres.NewDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/mediaapi/storage/storage.go b/mediaapi/storage/storage.go
index ca9f69f8f..2c7f937dd 100644
--- a/mediaapi/storage/storage.go
+++ b/mediaapi/storage/storage.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package storage
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"net/url"
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/mediaapi/storage/postgres"
@@ -36,14 +35,12 @@ type Database interface {
 func Open(dataSourceName string) (Database, error) {
 	uri, err := url.Parse(dataSourceName)
 	if err != nil {
-		// if the scheme doesn't match, fall back to postgres in case the config has
-		// postgres key=value connection strings
 		return postgres.Open(dataSourceName)
 	}
 	switch uri.Scheme {
 	case "postgres":
 		return postgres.Open(dataSourceName)
 	default:
-		return nil, errors.New("unknown schema")
+		return postgres.Open(dataSourceName)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/publicroomsapi/storage/storage.go b/publicroomsapi/storage/storage.go
index d611686ba..a6e18fbcb 100644
--- a/publicroomsapi/storage/storage.go
+++ b/publicroomsapi/storage/storage.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package storage
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"net/url"
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common"
@@ -39,14 +38,12 @@ type Database interface {
 func NewPublicRoomsServerDatabase(dataSourceName string) (Database, error) {
 	uri, err := url.Parse(dataSourceName)
 	if err != nil {
-		// if the scheme doesn't match, fall back to postgres in case the config has
-		// postgres key=value connection strings
 		return postgres.NewPublicRoomsServerDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	}
 	switch uri.Scheme {
 	case "postgres":
 		return postgres.NewPublicRoomsServerDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	default:
-		return nil, errors.New("unknown schema")
+		return postgres.NewPublicRoomsServerDatabase(dataSourceName)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/storage.go b/roomserver/storage/storage.go
index 62e8b64c3..df08c124b 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/storage.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/storage.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package storage
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"net/url"
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
@@ -61,14 +60,12 @@ type Database interface {
 func Open(dataSourceName string) (Database, error) {
 	uri, err := url.Parse(dataSourceName)
 	if err != nil {
-		// if the scheme doesn't match, fall back to postgres in case the config has
-		// postgres key=value connection strings
 		return postgres.Open(dataSourceName)
 	}
 	switch uri.Scheme {
 	case "postgres":
 		return postgres.Open(dataSourceName)
 	default:
-		return nil, errors.New("unknown schema")
+		return postgres.Open(dataSourceName)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/syncapi/storage/storage.go b/syncapi/storage/storage.go
index 4d896531a..586e630d3 100644
--- a/syncapi/storage/storage.go
+++ b/syncapi/storage/storage.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package storage
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"net/url"
 	"time"
 
@@ -52,14 +51,12 @@ type Database interface {
 func NewSyncServerDatasource(dataSourceName string) (Database, error) {
 	uri, err := url.Parse(dataSourceName)
 	if err != nil {
-		// if the scheme doesn't match, fall back to postgres in case the config has
-		// postgres key=value connection strings
 		return postgres.NewSyncServerDatasource(dataSourceName)
 	}
 	switch uri.Scheme {
 	case "postgres":
 		return postgres.NewSyncServerDatasource(dataSourceName)
 	default:
-		return nil, errors.New("unknown schema")
+		return postgres.NewSyncServerDatasource(dataSourceName)
 	}
 }