diff --git a/modules/swagger-core/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/core/util/PrimitiveType.java b/modules/swagger-core/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/core/util/PrimitiveType.java
index b97955a02d..df32dc2958 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-core/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/core/util/PrimitiveType.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-core/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/core/util/PrimitiveType.java
@@ -43,13 +43,23 @@ public Schema createProperty() {
     },
     BYTE(Byte.class, "byte") {
         @Override
-        public ByteArraySchema createProperty() {
+        public Schema createProperty() {
+            if (
+                    (System.getProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(Schema.BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_STRING_SCHEMA.toString())) ||
+                    (System.getenv(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getenv(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(Schema.BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_STRING_SCHEMA.toString()))) {
+                return new StringSchema().format("byte");
+            }
             return new ByteArraySchema();
         }
     },
     BINARY(Byte.class, "binary") {
         @Override
-        public BinarySchema createProperty() {
+        public Schema createProperty() {
+            if (
+                    (System.getProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(Schema.BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_STRING_SCHEMA.toString())) ||
+                    (System.getenv(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getenv(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(Schema.BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_STRING_SCHEMA.toString()))) {
+                return new StringSchema().format("binary");
+            }
             return new BinarySchema();
         }
     },
diff --git a/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/BinaryParameterResourceTest.java b/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/BinaryParameterResourceTest.java
index 975039bccb..03c16c58bb 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/BinaryParameterResourceTest.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/BinaryParameterResourceTest.java
@@ -2,14 +2,44 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import io.swagger.v3.oas.models.media.Schema;
+import org.testng.annotations.AfterTest;
+import org.testng.annotations.BeforeTest;
 import org.testng.annotations.Test;
 
 import io.swagger.v3.jaxrs2.annotations.AbstractAnnotationTest;
 import io.swagger.v3.jaxrs2.resources.BinaryParameterResource;
 
 public class BinaryParameterResourceTest extends AbstractAnnotationTest {
-    @Test(description = "check binary model serialization") // tests issue #2466
-    public void shouldSerializeBinaryParameter() throws IOException {
-        compareAsYaml(BinaryParameterResource.class, getOpenAPIAsString("BinaryParameterResource.yaml"));
+
+    @Test(description = "check binary model serialization with base64", singleThreaded = true) // tests issue #2466
+    public void shouldSerializeBinaryParameterBase64() throws IOException {
+        try {
+            System.setProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY, Schema.BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_BASE64.toString());
+            compareAsYaml(BinaryParameterResource.class, getOpenAPIAsString("BinaryParameterResource.yaml"));
+        } finally {
+            System.clearProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @BeforeTest
+    public void before() {
+        System.clearProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY);
+    }
+
+    @AfterTest
+    public void after() {
+        System.clearProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY);
+    }
+
+
+    @Test(description = "check binary model serialization with StringSchema", singleThreaded = true) // tests issue #2466
+    public void shouldSerializeBinaryParameterStringSchema() throws IOException {
+        try {
+            System.setProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY, Schema.BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_STRING_SCHEMA.toString());
+            compareAsYaml(BinaryParameterResource.class, getOpenAPIAsString("BinaryParameterResource.yaml"));
+        } finally {
+            System.clearProperty(Schema.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/resources/model/Item.java b/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/resources/model/Item.java
index 02f8139734..eb3af47c96 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/resources/model/Item.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/java/io/swagger/v3/jaxrs2/resources/model/Item.java
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ public class Item {
     private byte[] bytes;
     @Schema(format = "binary", example = "YmluYXJ5")
     private byte[] binary;
-    
+
+    private byte[] byteNoAnnotation;
+
     public Item() {
     }
     
@@ -44,4 +46,12 @@ public void setBytes(byte[] bytes) {
     public byte[] getBytes() {
         return bytes;
     }
+
+    public void setByteNoAnnotation(byte[] byteNoAnnotation) {
+        this.byteNoAnnotation = byteNoAnnotation;
+    }
+
+    public byte[] getByteNoAnnotation() {
+        return byteNoAnnotation;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/resources/BinaryParameterResource.yaml b/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/resources/BinaryParameterResource.yaml
index aba9dd0f06..ad05aac34b 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/resources/BinaryParameterResource.yaml
+++ b/modules/swagger-jaxrs2/src/test/resources/BinaryParameterResource.yaml
@@ -37,4 +37,6 @@ components:
           type: string
           format: binary
           example: YmluYXJ5
-          
\ No newline at end of file
+        byteNoAnnotation:
+          type: string
+          format: byte
diff --git a/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/BinarySchema.java b/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/BinarySchema.java
index 15444ef1de..2ad6c24d2d 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/BinarySchema.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/BinarySchema.java
@@ -37,12 +37,16 @@ protected byte[] cast(Object value) {
             try {
                 if (value instanceof byte[]) {
                     return (byte[]) value;
+                } else if (value instanceof String) {
+                    if (
+                            (System.getProperty(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getProperty(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_BASE64.toString())) ||
+                            (System.getenv(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getenv(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_BASE64.toString()))) {
+                        return Base64.getDecoder().decode((String) value);
+                    }
+                    return value.toString().getBytes();
                 } else {
                     return value.toString().getBytes();
                 }
-                if (value instanceof String) {
-                    return Base64.getDecoder().decode((String) value);
-                }
             } catch (Exception e) {
             }
         }
diff --git a/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/ByteArraySchema.java b/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/ByteArraySchema.java
index 1b3170d61e..abfc58501e 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/ByteArraySchema.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/ByteArraySchema.java
@@ -37,12 +37,16 @@ protected byte[] cast(Object value) {
             try {
                 if (value instanceof byte[]) {
                     return (byte[]) value;
+                } else if (value instanceof String) {
+                    if (
+                            (System.getProperty(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getProperty(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_BASE64.toString())) ||
+                            (System.getenv(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY) != null && System.getenv(BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY).equals(BynaryStringConversion.BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_BASE64.toString()))) {
+                        return Base64.getDecoder().decode((String) value);
+                    }
+                    return value.toString().getBytes();
                 } else {
                     return value.toString().getBytes();
                 }
-                if (value instanceof String) {
-                    return Base64.getDecoder().decode((String) value);
-                }
             } catch (Exception e) {
             }
         }
diff --git a/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/Schema.java b/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/Schema.java
index c367870b67..8872a74c2c 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/Schema.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-models/src/main/java/io/swagger/v3/oas/models/media/Schema.java
@@ -27,6 +27,22 @@
 public class Schema<T> {
 
     public static final String BIND_TYPE_AND_TYPES = "bind-type";
+    public static final String BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_PROPERTY = "binary-string-conversion";
+    public enum BynaryStringConversion {
+        BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_BASE64("base64"),
+        BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_DEFAULT_CHARSET("default"),
+        BINARY_STRING_CONVERSION_STRING_SCHEMA("string-schema");
+        private String value;
+
+        BynaryStringConversion(String value) {
+            this.value = value;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public String toString() {
+            return String.valueOf(value);
+        }
+    }
 
     protected T _default;