diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/ReceiverForm.tsx b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/ReceiverForm.tsx
index b8f847a86b4..f84f7a8bb3e 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/ReceiverForm.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/ReceiverForm.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import { initialAsyncRequestState } from '../../../utils/redux';
 
 import { ChannelSubForm } from './ChannelSubForm';
 import { DeletedSubForm } from './fields/DeletedSubform';
+import { normalizeFormValues } from './util';
 
 interface Props<R extends ChannelValues> {
   config: AlertManagerCortexConfig;
@@ -48,7 +49,10 @@ export function ReceiverForm<R extends ChannelValues>({
   const notifyApp = useAppNotification();
   const styles = useStyles2(getStyles);
 
-  const defaultValues = initialValues || {
+  // normalize deprecated and new config values
+  const normalizedConfig = normalizeFormValues(initialValues);
+
+  const defaultValues = normalizedConfig ?? {
     name: '',
     items: [
       {
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/util.test.ts b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/util.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f941939ea13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/util.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+import { ChannelValues, ReceiverFormValues } from '../../../types/receiver-form';
+
+import { DeprecatedAuthHTTPConfig, HTTPAuthConfig, normalizeFormValues } from './util';
+
+describe('normalizeFormValues', () => {
+  it('should leave the older config alone', () => {
+    const config = createContactPoint({ bearer_token: 'token' });
+    expect(normalizeFormValues(config)).toEqual(config);
+  });
+
+  it('should leave the older config alone', () => {
+    const config = createContactPoint({ bearer_token_file: 'file' });
+    expect(normalizeFormValues(config)).toEqual(config);
+  });
+
+  it('should normalize newer config', () => {
+    const config = createContactPoint({
+      authorization: {
+        type: 'bearer',
+        credentials: 'token',
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(normalizeFormValues(config)).toEqual(createContactPoint({ bearer_token: 'token' }));
+  });
+
+  it('should normalize newer config', () => {
+    const config = createContactPoint({
+      authorization: {
+        type: 'bearer',
+        credentials_file: 'file',
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(normalizeFormValues(config)).toEqual(createContactPoint({ bearer_token_file: 'file' }));
+  });
+});
+
+function createContactPoint(httpConfig: DeprecatedAuthHTTPConfig | HTTPAuthConfig) {
+  const config: ReceiverFormValues<ChannelValues> = {
+    name: 'My Contact Point',
+    items: [
+      {
+        __id: '',
+        type: '',
+        secureSettings: {},
+        secureFields: {},
+        settings: {
+          http_config: {
+            ...httpConfig,
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    ],
+  };
+
+  return config;
+}
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/util.ts b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/util.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ec4279257c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/receivers/form/util.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { omit } from 'lodash';
+
+import { ChannelValues, ReceiverFormValues } from '../../../types/receiver-form';
+
+export interface DeprecatedAuthHTTPConfig {
+  bearer_token?: string;
+  bearer_token_file?: string;
+}
+
+export interface HTTPAuthConfig {
+  authorization: {
+    type: string;
+    credentials?: string;
+    credentials_file?: string;
+  };
+}
+
+// convert the newer http_config to the older (deprecated) format
+export function normalizeFormValues(
+  values?: ReceiverFormValues<ChannelValues>
+): ReceiverFormValues<ChannelValues> | undefined {
+  if (!values) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  return {
+    ...values,
+    items: values.items.map((item) => ({
+      ...item,
+      settings: {
+        ...item.settings,
+        http_config: item.settings?.http_config ? normalizeHTTPConfig(item.settings?.http_config) : undefined,
+      },
+    })),
+  };
+}
+
+function normalizeHTTPConfig(config: HTTPAuthConfig | DeprecatedAuthHTTPConfig): DeprecatedAuthHTTPConfig {
+  if (isDeprecatedHTTPAuthConfig(config)) {
+    return config;
+  }
+
+  return {
+    ...omit(config, 'authorization'),
+    bearer_token: config.authorization.credentials,
+    bearer_token_file: config.authorization.credentials_file,
+  };
+}
+
+function isDeprecatedHTTPAuthConfig(
+  config: HTTPAuthConfig | DeprecatedAuthHTTPConfig
+): config is DeprecatedAuthHTTPConfig {
+  return ['bearer_token', 'bearer_token_file'].some((prop) => prop in config);
+}