diff --git a/include/unotools/defaultoptions.hxx b/include/unotools/defaultoptions.hxx
index 7877087e6a94..f4937662d4c2 100644
--- a/include/unotools/defaultoptions.hxx
+++ b/include/unotools/defaultoptions.hxx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <unotools/unotoolsdllapi.h>
 #include <rtl/ustring.hxx>
 #include <unotools/options.hxx>
+#include <memory>
 
 class SvtDefaultOptions_Impl;
 
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ class SvtDefaultOptions_Impl;
 class SAL_WARN_UNUSED UNOTOOLS_DLLPUBLIC SvtDefaultOptions : public utl::detail::Options
 {
 private:
-    SvtDefaultOptions_Impl* pImp;
+    std::unique_ptr<SvtDefaultOptions_Impl> pImpl;
 
 public:
 
diff --git a/unotools/source/config/defaultoptions.cxx b/unotools/source/config/defaultoptions.cxx
index 92d5a046c686..6f021d4240c4 100644
--- a/unotools/source/config/defaultoptions.cxx
+++ b/unotools/source/config/defaultoptions.cxx
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ SvtDefaultOptions::SvtDefaultOptions()
         ItemHolder1::holdConfigItem(E_DEFAULTOPTIONS);
     }
     ++nRefCount;
-    pImp = pOptions;
+    pImpl.reset(pOptions);
 }
 
 SvtDefaultOptions::~SvtDefaultOptions()
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ SvtDefaultOptions::~SvtDefaultOptions()
 
 OUString SvtDefaultOptions::GetDefaultPath( sal_uInt16 nId ) const
 {
-    return pImp->GetDefaultPath( nId );
+    return pImpl->GetDefaultPath( nId );
 }
 
 /* vim:set shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4 expandtab: */