diff --git a/src/collections/operations/create.js b/src/collections/operations/create.js
index dc10a42347..21af95385b 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/create.js
+++ b/src/collections/operations/create.js
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ async function create(args) {
     req,
     depth,
     overrideAccess,
+    reduceLocales: true,
   });
 
   // /////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/find.js b/src/collections/operations/find.js
index 3201ac8827..c59b0b4ba9 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/find.js
+++ b/src/collections/operations/find.js
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ async function find(args) {
     req,
     req: {
       locale,
-      fallbackLocale,
     },
     overrideAccess,
   } = args;
@@ -75,7 +74,8 @@ async function find(args) {
     page: page || 1,
     limit: limit || 10,
     sort,
-    collation: sort ? { locale: 'en' } : {}, // case-insensitive sort in MongoDB
+    lean: true,
+    leanWithId: true,
   };
 
   let result = await Model.paginate(query, optionsToExecute);
@@ -89,11 +89,8 @@ async function find(args) {
     docs: await Promise.all(result.docs.map(async (doc) => {
       let docRef = doc;
 
-      if (locale && doc.setLocale) {
-        doc.setLocale(locale, fallbackLocale);
-      }
-
-      docRef = doc.toJSON({ virtuals: true });
+      if (docRef._id) delete docRef._id;
+      if (docRef.__v) delete docRef.__v;
 
       await collectionConfig.hooks.beforeRead.reduce(async (priorHook, hook) => {
         await priorHook;
@@ -121,6 +118,7 @@ async function find(args) {
         hook: 'afterRead',
         operation: 'read',
         overrideAccess,
+        reduceLocales: true,
       },
       find,
     ))),
@@ -149,9 +147,6 @@ async function find(args) {
   // 6. Return results
   // /////////////////////////////////////
 
-  result = JSON.stringify(result);
-  result = JSON.parse(result);
-
   return result;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/findByID.js b/src/collections/operations/findByID.js
index e5e71c5838..de1cd47c76 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/findByID.js
+++ b/src/collections/operations/findByID.js
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ async function findByID(args) {
     req,
     req: {
       locale,
-      fallbackLocale,
     },
     disableErrors,
     currentDepth,
@@ -51,7 +50,7 @@ async function findByID(args) {
 
   if (!query.$and[0]._id) throw new NotFound();
 
-  let result = await Model.findOne(query, {});
+  let result = await Model.findOne(query, {}).lean();
 
   if (!result) {
     if (!disableErrors) {
@@ -62,11 +61,12 @@ async function findByID(args) {
     return null;
   }
 
-  if (locale && result.setLocale) {
-    result.setLocale(locale, fallbackLocale);
+  if (result._id) {
+    result.id = result._id;
+    delete result._id;
   }
 
-  result = result.toJSON({ virtuals: true });
+  if (result.__v) delete result.__v;
 
   // /////////////////////////////////////
   // 3. Execute beforeRead collection hook
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ async function findByID(args) {
     operation: 'read',
     currentDepth,
     overrideAccess,
+    reduceLocales: true,
   });
 
 
@@ -116,9 +117,6 @@ async function findByID(args) {
   // 6. Return results
   // /////////////////////////////////////
 
-  result = JSON.stringify(result);
-  result = JSON.parse(result);
-
   return result;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/update.js b/src/collections/operations/update.js
index b8852f6b32..54d01d3252 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/update.js
+++ b/src/collections/operations/update.js
@@ -222,6 +222,7 @@ async function update(args) {
     id,
     depth,
     overrideAccess,
+    reduceLocales: true,
   });
 
   // /////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/src/fields/performFieldOperations.js b/src/fields/performFieldOperations.js
index 57005881a4..1a56caccae 100644
--- a/src/fields/performFieldOperations.js
+++ b/src/fields/performFieldOperations.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const { isValidObjectId } = require('mongoose');
 const { ValidationError } = require('../errors');
 const executeAccess = require('../auth/executeAccess');
+const sanitizeFallbackLocale = require('../localization/sanitizeFallbackLocale');
 
 async function performFieldOperations(entityConfig, args) {
   const {
@@ -12,10 +13,14 @@ async function performFieldOperations(entityConfig, args) {
     id,
     req: {
       payloadAPI,
+      locale,
     },
     overrideAccess,
+    reduceLocales,
   } = args;
 
+  const fallbackLocale = sanitizeFallbackLocale(req.fallbackLocale);
+
   const recursivePerformFieldOperations = performFieldOperations.bind(this);
 
   let depth = 0;
@@ -275,6 +280,13 @@ async function performFieldOperations(entityConfig, args) {
     fields.forEach((field) => {
       const dataCopy = data;
 
+      if (reduceLocales && field.name && field.localized && locale !== 'all' && typeof data[field.name] === 'object') {
+        let localizedValue = data[field.name][locale];
+        if (typeof localizedValue === 'undefined' && fallbackLocale) localizedValue = data[field.name][fallbackLocale];
+        if (typeof localizedValue === 'undefined') localizedValue = null;
+        dataCopy[field.name] = localizedValue;
+      }
+
       if (field.type === 'upload') {
         if (data[field.name] === '') dataCopy[field.name] = null;
       }
diff --git a/src/globals/operations/findOne.js b/src/globals/operations/findOne.js
index d58a6b87e3..78151e0aea 100644
--- a/src/globals/operations/findOne.js
+++ b/src/globals/operations/findOne.js
@@ -6,10 +6,6 @@ async function findOne(args) {
   const {
     globalConfig,
     req,
-    req: {
-      locale,
-      fallbackLocale,
-    },
     slug,
     depth,
   } = args;
@@ -30,19 +26,12 @@ async function findOne(args) {
   // 3. Perform database operation
   // /////////////////////////////////////
 
-  let doc = await Model.findOne({ globalType: slug });
+  let doc = await Model.findOne({ globalType: slug }).lean();
 
   if (!doc) {
     doc = {};
-  } else {
-    if (locale && doc.setLocale) {
-      doc.setLocale(locale, fallbackLocale);
-    }
-
-    doc = doc.toJSON({ virtuals: true });
   }
 
-
   // /////////////////////////////////////
   // 4. Execute field-level hooks and access
   // /////////////////////////////////////
@@ -53,6 +42,7 @@ async function findOne(args) {
     operation: 'read',
     req,
     depth,
+    reduceLocales: true,
   });
 
   // /////////////////////////////////////
@@ -72,9 +62,6 @@ async function findOne(args) {
   // 6. Return results
   // /////////////////////////////////////
 
-  doc = JSON.stringify(doc);
-  doc = JSON.parse(doc);
-
   return doc;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/graphql/schema/buildFallbackLocaleInputType.js b/src/graphql/schema/buildFallbackLocaleInputType.js
index 76f1a57abd..692edd254b 100644
--- a/src/graphql/schema/buildFallbackLocaleInputType.js
+++ b/src/graphql/schema/buildFallbackLocaleInputType.js
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 const { GraphQLEnumType } = require('graphql');
 
-const buildFallbackLocaleInputType = (localization) => {
-  return new GraphQLEnumType({
-    name: 'FallbackLocaleInputType',
-    values: [...localization.locales, 'none'].reduce((values, locale) => ({
-      ...values,
-      [locale]: {
-        value: locale,
-      },
-    }), {}),
-  });
-};
+const buildFallbackLocaleInputType = (localization) => new GraphQLEnumType({
+  name: 'FallbackLocaleInputType',
+  values: [...localization.locales, 'none'].reduce((values, locale) => ({
+    ...values,
+    [locale]: {
+      value: locale,
+    },
+  }), {}),
+});
 
 module.exports = buildFallbackLocaleInputType;
diff --git a/src/localization/middleware.js b/src/localization/middleware.js
index 03acf81b4b..1aa807a5d9 100644
--- a/src/localization/middleware.js
+++ b/src/localization/middleware.js
@@ -21,11 +21,11 @@ module.exports = function localizationMiddleware(localization) {
       if (requestedFallbackLocale === 'none') requestedFallbackLocale = 'null';
       if (requestedLocale === '*' || requestedLocale === 'all') requestedLocale = 'all';
 
-      if (validLocales.find(locale => locale === requestedLocale)) {
+      if (validLocales.find((locale) => locale === requestedLocale)) {
         req.locale = requestedLocale;
       }
 
-      if (validFallbackLocales.find(locale => locale === requestedFallbackLocale)) {
+      if (validFallbackLocales.find((locale) => locale === requestedFallbackLocale)) {
         req.fallbackLocale = requestedFallbackLocale;
       }
     }