diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/service_overview/index.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/service_overview/index.tsx
index 29ffb96c3128d..94c0e90c1b44c 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/service_overview/index.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/service_overview/index.tsx
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 import { EuiFlexGroup, EuiFlexItem, EuiLink, EuiPanel } from '@elastic/eui';
 import { i18n } from '@kbn/i18n';
 import React from 'react';
-import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';
 import {
   isRumAgentName,
   isMobileAgentName,
@@ -31,7 +30,6 @@ import { useApmParams } from '../../../hooks/use_apm_params';
 import { AggregatedTransactionsBadge } from '../../shared/aggregated_transactions_badge';
 import { useApmRouter } from '../../../hooks/use_apm_router';
 import { useTimeRange } from '../../../hooks/use_time_range';
-import { replace } from '../../shared/links/url_helpers';
 
 /**
  * The height a chart should be if it's next to a table with 5 rows and a title.
@@ -40,33 +38,16 @@ import { replace } from '../../shared/links/url_helpers';
 export const chartHeight = 288;
 
 export function ServiceOverview() {
-  const {
-    agentName,
-    serviceName,
-    transactionType,
-    fallbackToTransactions,
-    runtimeName,
-  } = useApmServiceContext();
+  const { agentName, serviceName, fallbackToTransactions, runtimeName } =
+    useApmServiceContext();
+
   const {
     query,
-    query: {
-      environment,
-      kuery,
-      rangeFrom,
-      rangeTo,
-      transactionType: transactionTypeFromUrl,
-    },
+    query: { environment, kuery, rangeFrom, rangeTo },
   } = useApmParams('/services/{serviceName}/overview');
 
   const { start, end } = useTimeRange({ rangeFrom, rangeTo });
 
-  const history = useHistory();
-
-  // redirect to first transaction type
-  if (!transactionTypeFromUrl && transactionType) {
-    replace(history, { query: { transactionType } });
-  }
-
   const latencyChartHeight = 200;
 
   // The default EuiFlexGroup breaks at 768, but we want to break at 1200, so we
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/transaction_details/waterfall_with_summary/waterfall_container/waterfall/flyout_top_level_properties.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/transaction_details/waterfall_with_summary/waterfall_container/waterfall/flyout_top_level_properties.tsx
index ce44f136f3555..43af7b9c7414c 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/transaction_details/waterfall_with_summary/waterfall_container/waterfall/flyout_top_level_properties.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/app/transaction_details/waterfall_with_summary/waterfall_container/waterfall/flyout_top_level_properties.tsx
@@ -54,7 +54,17 @@ export function FlyoutTopLevelProperties({ transaction }: Props) {
       val: (
         <ServiceLink
           agentName={transaction.agent.name}
-          query={{ ...query, serviceGroup, environment: nextEnvironment }}
+          query={{
+            kuery: query.kuery,
+            latencyAggregationType,
+            offset: query.offset,
+            rangeFrom: query.rangeFrom,
+            rangeTo: query.rangeTo,
+            comparisonEnabled: query.comparisonEnabled,
+            transactionType: transaction.transaction.type,
+            serviceGroup,
+            environment: nextEnvironment,
+          }}
           serviceName={transaction.service.name}
         />
       ),
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.test.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.test.tsx
index 8751145081f4a..d92f67befb366 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.test.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.test.tsx
@@ -5,26 +5,49 @@
  * 2.0.
  */
 
-import { getTransactionType } from './apm_service_context';
+import { getOrRedirectToTransactionType } from './apm_service_context';
+import { createMemoryHistory } from 'history';
+
+describe('getOrRedirectToTransactionType', () => {
+  const history = createMemoryHistory();
+  jest.spyOn(history, 'replace');
 
-describe('getTransactionType', () => {
   describe('with transaction type in url', () => {
     it('returns the transaction type in the url ', () => {
       expect(
-        getTransactionType({
-          transactionTypes: ['worker', 'request'],
+        getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
+          transactionTypes: ['worker', 'request', 'custom'],
           transactionType: 'custom',
           agentName: 'nodejs',
+          history,
         })
       ).toBe('custom');
+      expect(history.replace).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+    it('updates the transaction type in the url when it is not one of the options returned by the API', () => {
+      expect(
+        getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
+          transactionTypes: ['worker', 'request'],
+          transactionType: 'custom',
+          agentName: 'nodejs',
+          history,
+        })
+      ).toBe('request');
+      expect(history.replace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          search: 'transactionType=request',
+        })
+      );
     });
   });
 
   describe('with no transaction types', () => {
     it('returns undefined', () => {
       expect(
-        getTransactionType({
+        getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
           transactionTypes: [],
+          history,
         })
       ).toBeUndefined();
     });
@@ -34,22 +57,34 @@ describe('getTransactionType', () => {
     describe('with default transaction type', () => {
       it('returns "request"', () => {
         expect(
-          getTransactionType({
+          getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
             transactionTypes: ['worker', 'request'],
             agentName: 'nodejs',
+            history,
           })
         ).toEqual('request');
+        expect(history.replace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+          expect.objectContaining({
+            search: 'transactionType=request',
+          })
+        );
       });
     });
 
     describe('with no default transaction type', () => {
       it('returns the first type', () => {
         expect(
-          getTransactionType({
+          getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
             transactionTypes: ['worker', 'custom'],
             agentName: 'nodejs',
+            history,
           })
         ).toEqual('worker');
+        expect(history.replace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+          expect.objectContaining({
+            search: 'transactionType=worker',
+          })
+        );
       });
     });
   });
@@ -57,11 +92,17 @@ describe('getTransactionType', () => {
   describe('with a rum agent', () => {
     it('returns "page-load"', () => {
       expect(
-        getTransactionType({
+        getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
           transactionTypes: ['http-request', 'page-load'],
           agentName: 'js-base',
+          history,
         })
       ).toEqual('page-load');
+      expect(history.replace).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          search: 'transactionType=page-load',
+        })
+      );
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.tsx
index fc2dbe25672d7..b9d9d4012a6c0 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/context/apm_service/apm_service_context.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
  */
 
 import React, { createContext, ReactNode } from 'react';
+import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { History } from 'history';
 import { isRumAgentName } from '../../../common/agent_name';
 import {
   TRANSACTION_PAGE_LOAD,
@@ -16,6 +18,7 @@ import { useServiceAgentFetcher } from './use_service_agent_fetcher';
 import { useApmParams } from '../../hooks/use_apm_params';
 import { useTimeRange } from '../../hooks/use_time_range';
 import { useFallbackToTransactionsFetcher } from '../../hooks/use_fallback_to_transactions_fetcher';
+import { replace } from '../../components/shared/links/url_helpers';
 
 export interface APMServiceContextValue {
   serviceName: string;
@@ -37,6 +40,8 @@ export function ApmServiceContextProvider({
 }: {
   children: ReactNode;
 }) {
+  const history = useHistory();
+
   const {
     path: { serviceName },
     query,
@@ -57,10 +62,11 @@ export function ApmServiceContextProvider({
     end,
   });
 
-  const transactionType = getTransactionType({
+  const transactionType = getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
     transactionType: query.transactionType,
     transactionTypes,
     agentName,
+    history,
   });
 
   const { fallbackToTransactions } = useFallbackToTransactionsFetcher({
@@ -82,16 +88,18 @@ export function ApmServiceContextProvider({
   );
 }
 
-export function getTransactionType({
+export function getOrRedirectToTransactionType({
   transactionType,
   transactionTypes,
   agentName,
+  history,
 }: {
   transactionType?: string;
   transactionTypes: string[];
   agentName?: string;
+  history: History;
 }) {
-  if (transactionType) {
+  if (transactionType && transactionTypes.includes(transactionType)) {
     return transactionType;
   }
 
@@ -105,7 +113,13 @@ export function getTransactionType({
     : TRANSACTION_REQUEST;
 
   // If the default transaction type is not in transactionTypes the first in the list is returned
-  return transactionTypes.includes(defaultTransactionType)
+  const currentTransactionType = transactionTypes.includes(
+    defaultTransactionType
+  )
     ? defaultTransactionType
     : transactionTypes[0];
+
+  // Replace transactionType in the URL in case it is not one of the types returned by the API
+  replace(history, { query: { transactionType: currentTransactionType } });
+  return currentTransactionType;
 }