diff --git a/br/pkg/lightning/config/config.go b/br/pkg/lightning/config/config.go
index 2de0f6d144c75..0fc5ae66e28ef 100644
--- a/br/pkg/lightning/config/config.go
+++ b/br/pkg/lightning/config/config.go
@@ -1050,9 +1050,11 @@ type TikvImporter struct {
 	DiskQuota               ByteSize                     `toml:"disk-quota" json:"disk-quota"`
 	RangeConcurrency        int                          `toml:"range-concurrency" json:"range-concurrency"`
 	DuplicateResolution     DuplicateResolutionAlgorithm `toml:"duplicate-resolution" json:"duplicate-resolution"`
-	IncrementalImport       bool                         `toml:"incremental-import" json:"incremental-import"`
-	KeyspaceName            string                       `toml:"keyspace-name" json:"keyspace-name"`
-	AddIndexBySQL           bool                         `toml:"add-index-by-sql" json:"add-index-by-sql"`
+	// deprecated, use ParallelImport instead.
+	IncrementalImport bool   `toml:"incremental-import" json:"incremental-import"`
+	ParallelImport    bool   `toml:"parallel-import" json:"parallel-import"`
+	KeyspaceName      string `toml:"keyspace-name" json:"keyspace-name"`
+	AddIndexBySQL     bool   `toml:"add-index-by-sql" json:"add-index-by-sql"`
 
 	EngineMemCacheSize      ByteSize `toml:"engine-mem-cache-size" json:"engine-mem-cache-size"`
 	LocalWriterMemCacheSize ByteSize `toml:"local-writer-mem-cache-size" json:"local-writer-mem-cache-size"`
@@ -1066,6 +1068,10 @@ func (t *TikvImporter) adjust() error {
 		return common.ErrInvalidConfig.GenWithStack("tikv-importer.backend must not be empty!")
 	}
 	t.Backend = strings.ToLower(t.Backend)
+	// only need to assign t.IncrementalImport to t.ParallelImport when t.ParallelImport is false and t.IncrementalImport is true
+	if !t.ParallelImport && t.IncrementalImport {
+		t.ParallelImport = t.IncrementalImport
+	}
 	switch t.Backend {
 	case BackendTiDB:
 		t.DuplicateResolution = DupeResAlgNone
@@ -1090,9 +1096,9 @@ func (t *TikvImporter) adjust() error {
 			t.LocalWriterMemCacheSize = DefaultLocalWriterMemCacheSize
 		}
 
-		if t.IncrementalImport && t.AddIndexBySQL {
+		if t.ParallelImport && t.AddIndexBySQL {
 			return common.ErrInvalidConfig.
-				GenWithStack("tikv-importer.add-index-using-ddl cannot be used with tikv-importer.incremental-import")
+				GenWithStack("tikv-importer.add-index-using-ddl cannot be used with tikv-importer.parallel-import")
 		}
 
 		if len(t.SortedKVDir) == 0 {
@@ -1321,9 +1327,9 @@ func (c *Conflict) adjust(i *TikvImporter, l *Lightning) error {
 			"unsupported `%s` (%s)", strategyConfigFrom, c.Strategy)
 	}
 	if c.Strategy != "" {
-		if i.IncrementalImport {
+		if i.ParallelImport {
 			return common.ErrInvalidConfig.GenWithStack(
-				"%s cannot be used with tikv-importer.incremental-import",
+				"%s cannot be used with tikv-importer.parallel-import",
 				strategyConfigFrom)
 		}
 		if i.DuplicateResolution != DupeResAlgNone {
diff --git a/br/pkg/lightning/config/config_test.go b/br/pkg/lightning/config/config_test.go
index fa6cc28f2d103..5094203c2cbac 100644
--- a/br/pkg/lightning/config/config_test.go
+++ b/br/pkg/lightning/config/config_test.go
@@ -982,19 +982,19 @@ func TestAdjustConflictStrategy(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cfg.TikvImporter.Backend = BackendLocal
 	cfg.Conflict.Strategy = ReplaceOnDup
-	cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport = true
-	require.ErrorContains(t, cfg.Adjust(ctx), "conflict.strategy cannot be used with tikv-importer.incremental-import")
+	cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport = true
+	require.ErrorContains(t, cfg.Adjust(ctx), "conflict.strategy cannot be used with tikv-importer.parallel-import")
 
 	cfg.TikvImporter.Backend = BackendLocal
 	cfg.Conflict.Strategy = ReplaceOnDup
-	cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport = false
+	cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport = false
 	cfg.TikvImporter.DuplicateResolution = DupeResAlgRemove
 	require.ErrorContains(t, cfg.Adjust(ctx), "conflict.strategy cannot be used with tikv-importer.duplicate-resolution")
 
 	cfg.TikvImporter.Backend = BackendLocal
 	cfg.Conflict.Strategy = ""
 	cfg.TikvImporter.OnDuplicate = ReplaceOnDup
-	cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport = false
+	cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport = false
 	cfg.TikvImporter.DuplicateResolution = DupeResAlgRemove
 	require.ErrorContains(t, cfg.Adjust(ctx), "tikv-importer.on-duplicate cannot be used with tikv-importer.duplicate-resolution")
 }
@@ -1201,9 +1201,9 @@ func TestAdjustTikvImporter(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg.TikvImporter.SortedKVDir = base
 	require.NoError(t, cfg.TikvImporter.adjust())
 
-	cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport = true
+	cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport = true
 	cfg.TikvImporter.AddIndexBySQL = true
-	require.ErrorContains(t, cfg.TikvImporter.adjust(), "tikv-importer.add-index-using-ddl cannot be used with tikv-importer.incremental-import")
+	require.ErrorContains(t, cfg.TikvImporter.adjust(), "tikv-importer.add-index-using-ddl cannot be used with tikv-importer.parallel-import")
 }
 
 func TestCreateSeveralConfigsWithDifferentFilters(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info.go b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info.go
index aa321b09a087c..1dd5f784409e0 100644
--- a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info.go
+++ b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info.go
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ func (rc *Controller) checkCSVHeader(ctx context.Context) error {
 }
 
 func (rc *Controller) checkTableEmpty(ctx context.Context) error {
-	if rc.cfg.TikvImporter.Backend == config.BackendTiDB || rc.cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport {
+	if rc.cfg.TikvImporter.Backend == config.BackendTiDB || rc.cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport {
 		return nil
 	}
 	return rc.doPreCheckOnItem(ctx, precheck.CheckTargetTableEmpty)
diff --git a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info_test.go b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info_test.go
index be55454b88fbf..27105aeeb536c 100644
--- a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info_test.go
+++ b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/check_info_test.go
@@ -482,13 +482,13 @@ func TestCheckTableEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	err := rc.checkTableEmpty(ctx)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	// test incremental mode
+	// test parallel mode
 	rc.cfg.TikvImporter.Backend = config.BackendLocal
-	rc.cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport = true
+	rc.cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport = true
 	err = rc.checkTableEmpty(ctx)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	rc.cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport = false
+	rc.cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport = false
 	db, mock, err := sqlmock.New()
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	mock.MatchExpectationsInOrder(false)
diff --git a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/import.go b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/import.go
index fc83a63f601f4..486d9ed40b049 100644
--- a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/import.go
+++ b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/import.go
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ func NewImportControllerWithPauser(
 	var metaBuilder metaMgrBuilder
 	isSSTImport := cfg.TikvImporter.Backend == config.BackendLocal
 	switch {
-	case isSSTImport && cfg.TikvImporter.IncrementalImport:
+	case isSSTImport && cfg.TikvImporter.ParallelImport:
 		metaBuilder = &dbMetaMgrBuilder{
 			db:           db,
 			taskID:       cfg.TaskID,
diff --git a/br/tests/lightning_incremental/config.toml b/br/tests/lightning_incremental/config.toml
index 761e60b91b804..1d3a437e21dd0 100644
--- a/br/tests/lightning_incremental/config.toml
+++ b/br/tests/lightning_incremental/config.toml
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 [tikv-importer]
-incremental-import = true
+parallel-import = true