diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.test.ts
index b52df7d3ae9..6ea4ca3ff9f 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.test.ts
@@ -134,6 +134,35 @@ describe('panelEditor actions', () => {
       expect(dispatchedActions.length).toBe(2);
       expect(sourcePanel.getOptions()).toEqual({});
     });
+
+    it('should not increment configRev when no changes made and leaving panel edit', async () => {
+      const sourcePanel = new PanelModel({ id: 12, type: 'graph' });
+      sourcePanel.plugin = getPanelPlugin({});
+
+      const dashboard = new DashboardModel({
+        panels: [{ id: 12, type: 'graph' }],
+      });
+
+      const panel = dashboard.initEditPanel(sourcePanel);
+
+      const state: PanelEditorState = {
+        ...initialState(),
+        getPanel: () => panel,
+        getSourcePanel: () => sourcePanel,
+      };
+
+      await thunkTester({
+        panelEditor: state,
+        panels: {},
+        dashboard: {
+          getModel: () => dashboard,
+        },
+      })
+        .givenThunk(exitPanelEditor)
+        .whenThunkIsDispatched();
+
+      expect(sourcePanel.configRev).toEqual(0);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('skipPanelUpdate', () => {
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.ts
index a2c037843eb..fca553ea7da 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/state/actions.ts
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export function exitPanelEditor(): ThunkResult<void> {
       dashboard.exitPanelEditor();
     }
 
-    if (!shouldDiscardChanges) {
+    if (panel.hasChanged && !shouldDiscardChanges) {
       const modifiedSaveModel = panel.getSaveModel();
       const sourcePanel = getSourcePanel();
       const panelTypeChanged = sourcePanel.type !== panel.type;