diff --git a/src/auth/auth.service.ts b/src/auth/auth.service.ts
index fa201b7b5..4d77c2461 100644
--- a/src/auth/auth.service.ts
+++ b/src/auth/auth.service.ts
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ export class AuthService {
       );
       const createUserSettingsDto: CreateUserSettingsDto = {
         userId,
-        frontendSettings: {},
+        externalSettings: {},
       };
       await this.usersService.createUserSettings(userId, createUserSettingsDto);
     }
diff --git a/src/users/dto/update-user-settings.dto.ts b/src/users/dto/update-user-settings.dto.ts
index a9cca316e..63794c6ea 100644
--- a/src/users/dto/update-user-settings.dto.ts
+++ b/src/users/dto/update-user-settings.dto.ts
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ export class UpdateUserSettingsDto {
   readonly jobCount?: number;
 
   @ApiProperty({
-    type: "object",
-    additionalProperties: { type: "array", items: {} },
+    type: Object,
     required: false,
+    default: {},
   })
   @IsOptional()
   @IsObject()
-  readonly frontendSettings?: Record<string, unknown[]>;
+  readonly externalSettings?: Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
 export class PartialUpdateUserSettingsDto extends PartialType(
diff --git a/src/users/schemas/user-settings.schema.ts b/src/users/schemas/user-settings.schema.ts
index 9a629abe7..9aa9a9f08 100644
--- a/src/users/schemas/user-settings.schema.ts
+++ b/src/users/schemas/user-settings.schema.ts
@@ -45,12 +45,12 @@ export class UserSettings {
 
   @ApiProperty({
     type: "object",
-    additionalProperties: { type: "array", items: {} },
     default: {},
-    description: "users preferred ui settings in dataset table",
+    description:
+      "A customizable object for storing the user's external settings, which can contain various nested properties and configurations.",
   })
   @Prop({ type: Object, default: {}, required: false })
-  frontendSettings?: Record<string, unknown[]>;
+  externalSettings?: Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
 export const UserSettingsSchema = SchemaFactory.createForClass(UserSettings);
diff --git a/src/users/users.controller.spec.ts b/src/users/users.controller.spec.ts
index 580e154cb..40ac85311 100644
--- a/src/users/users.controller.spec.ts
+++ b/src/users/users.controller.spec.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ const mockUserSettings = {
   userId: "user1",
   datasetCount: 25,
   jobCount: 25,
-  frontendSettings: {
+  externalSettings: {
     filters: [{ LocationFilter: true }, { PidFilter: true }],
     conditions: [{ field: "status", value: "active", operator: "equals" }],
     columns: [],
@@ -75,11 +75,15 @@ describe("UsersController", () => {
     const result = await controller.getSettings(mockRequest as Request, userId);
 
     // Assert
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings).toEqual(mockUserSettings);
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.filters).toBeDefined();
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.filters.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.conditions).toBeDefined();
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.conditions.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(result?.externalSettings).toEqual(mockUserSettings);
+    expect(result?.externalSettings?.filters).toBeDefined();
+    expect(
+      (result?.externalSettings?.filters as Record<string, unknown>).length,
+    ).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(result?.externalSettings?.conditions).toBeDefined();
+    expect(
+      (result?.externalSettings?.conditions as Record<string, unknown>).length,
+    ).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   });
 
   it("should update user settings with filters and conditions", async () => {
@@ -88,7 +92,7 @@ describe("UsersController", () => {
 
     const updatedSettings = {
       ...mockUserSettings,
-      frontendSettings: {
+      externalSettings: {
         filters: [{ PidFilter: true }],
         conditions: [
           { field: "status", value: "inactive", operator: "equals" },
@@ -107,7 +111,7 @@ describe("UsersController", () => {
       userId: userId, // Ensure all required properties are included
       datasetCount: updatedSettings.datasetCount,
       jobCount: updatedSettings.jobCount,
-      frontendSettings: updatedSettings.frontendSettings,
+      externalSettings: updatedSettings.externalSettings,
     };
 
     jest
@@ -120,10 +124,15 @@ describe("UsersController", () => {
       updatedSettings,
     );
 
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings).toEqual(updatedSettings);
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.filters).toBeDefined();
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.filters.length).toBe(1);
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.conditions).toBeDefined();
-    expect(result?.frontendSettings?.conditions.length).toBe(1);
+    expect(result?.externalSettings).toEqual(updatedSettings);
+    expect(result?.externalSettings?.filters).toBeDefined();
+    expect(
+      (result?.externalSettings?.filters as Record<string, unknown[]>).length,
+    ).toBe(1);
+    expect(result?.externalSettings?.conditions).toBeDefined();
+    expect(
+      (result?.externalSettings?.conditions as Record<string, unknown[]>)
+        .length,
+    ).toBe(1);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/users/users.controller.ts b/src/users/users.controller.ts
index 2822c28c7..0747b450c 100644
--- a/src/users/users.controller.ts
+++ b/src/users/users.controller.ts
@@ -284,19 +284,43 @@ export class UsersController {
   async patchSettings(
     @Req() request: Request,
     @Param("id") id: string,
-    updateUserSettingsDto: PartialUpdateUserSettingsDto,
+    @Body() updateUserSettingsDto: PartialUpdateUserSettingsDto,
   ): Promise<UserSettings | null> {
     await this.checkUserAuthorization(
       request,
       [Action.UserUpdateAny, Action.UserUpdateOwn],
       id,
     );
-    return this.usersService.findOneAndUpdateUserSettings(
+    return this.usersService.findOneAndPatchUserSettings(
       id,
       updateUserSettingsDto,
     );
   }
 
+  @UseGuards(AuthenticatedPoliciesGuard)
+  @CheckPolicies(
+    "users",
+    (ability: AppAbility) =>
+      ability.can(Action.UserUpdateOwn, User) ||
+      ability.can(Action.UserUpdateAny, User),
+  )
+  @Patch("/:id/settings/external")
+  async patchExternalSettings(
+    @Req() request: Request,
+    @Param("id") id: string,
+    @Body() externalSettings: Record<string, unknown>,
+  ): Promise<UserSettings | null> {
+    await this.checkUserAuthorization(
+      request,
+      [Action.UserUpdateAny, Action.UserUpdateOwn],
+      id,
+    );
+    return this.usersService.findOneAndPatchUserExternalSettings(
+      id,
+      externalSettings,
+    );
+  }
+
   @UseGuards(AuthenticatedPoliciesGuard)
   @CheckPolicies(
     "users",
diff --git a/src/users/users.service.ts b/src/users/users.service.ts
index 4c479c1b3..c94394aa0 100644
--- a/src/users/users.service.ts
+++ b/src/users/users.service.ts
@@ -296,6 +296,34 @@ export class UsersService implements OnModuleInit {
     return result;
   }
 
+  async findOneAndPatchUserSettings(
+    userId: string,
+    updateUserSettingsDto: UpdateUserSettingsDto | PartialUpdateUserSettingsDto,
+  ): Promise<UserSettings | null> {
+    const result = await this.userSettingsModel
+      .findOneAndUpdate(
+        { userId },
+        { $set: updateUserSettingsDto },
+        { new: true },
+      )
+      .exec();
+    return result;
+  }
+
+  async findOneAndPatchUserExternalSettings(
+    userId: string,
+    externalSettings: Record<string, unknown>,
+  ): Promise<UserSettings | null> {
+    const updateQuery: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+
+    for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(externalSettings)) {
+      updateQuery[`externalSettings.${key}`] = value;
+    }
+    const result = await this.userSettingsModel
+      .findOneAndUpdate({ userId }, { $set: updateQuery }, { new: true })
+      .exec();
+    return result;
+  }
   async findOneAndDeleteUserSettings(userId: string): Promise<unknown> {
     return this.userSettingsModel.findOneAndDelete({ userId }).exec();
   }