diff --git a/packages/kbn-test/src/kbn_client/kbn_client_ui_settings.ts b/packages/kbn-test/src/kbn_client/kbn_client_ui_settings.ts
index 8b9277fdab8b9..599184b30a461 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-test/src/kbn_client/kbn_client_ui_settings.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-test/src/kbn_client/kbn_client_ui_settings.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { ToolingLog } from '@kbn/tooling-log';
 
 import { KbnClientRequester, pathWithSpace } from './kbn_client_requester';
 
-export type UiSettingValues = Record<string, string | number | boolean>;
+export type UiSettingValues = Record<string, string | number | boolean | string[]>;
 interface UiSettingsApiResponse {
   settings: {
     [key: string]: {
diff --git a/test/functional/apps/discover/group3/_default_columns.ts b/test/functional/apps/discover/group3/_default_columns.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..c467e31814f00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/functional/apps/discover/group3/_default_columns.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License
+ * 2.0 and the Server Side Public License, v 1; you may not use this file except
+ * in compliance with, at your election, the Elastic License 2.0 or the Server
+ * Side Public License, v 1.
+ */
+
+import expect from '@kbn/expect';
+import { FtrProviderContext } from '../ftr_provider_context';
+
+export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
+  const dataGrid = getService('dataGrid');
+  const PageObjects = getPageObjects([
+    'common',
+    'discover',
+    'timePicker',
+    'unifiedFieldList',
+    'unifiedSearch',
+    'header',
+  ]);
+  const esArchiver = getService('esArchiver');
+  const kibanaServer = getService('kibanaServer');
+  const security = getService('security');
+  const defaultSettings = {
+    defaultIndex: 'logstash-*',
+    defaultColumns: ['message', 'extension', 'DestCountry'],
+    hideAnnouncements: true,
+  };
+
+  describe('discover default columns', function () {
+    before(async () => {
+      await security.testUser.setRoles(['kibana_admin', 'test_logstash_reader']);
+      await esArchiver.loadIfNeeded('test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/logstash_functional');
+      await esArchiver.load('test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/kibana_sample_data_logs_tsdb');
+      await esArchiver.loadIfNeeded(
+        'test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/kibana_sample_data_flights'
+      );
+      await kibanaServer.importExport.load('test/functional/fixtures/kbn_archiver/discover');
+      await kibanaServer.importExport.load(
+        'test/functional/fixtures/kbn_archiver/kibana_sample_data_logs_tsdb'
+      );
+      await kibanaServer.importExport.load(
+        'test/functional/fixtures/kbn_archiver/kibana_sample_data_flights_index_pattern'
+      );
+    });
+
+    after(async () => {
+      await kibanaServer.importExport.unload('test/functional/fixtures/kbn_archiver/discover');
+      await esArchiver.unload('test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/logstash_functional');
+      await esArchiver.unload('test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/kibana_sample_data_logs_tsdb');
+      await esArchiver.unload('test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/kibana_sample_data_flights');
+      await kibanaServer.savedObjects.cleanStandardList();
+    });
+
+    beforeEach(async function () {
+      await PageObjects.timePicker.setDefaultAbsoluteRangeViaUiSettings();
+      await kibanaServer.uiSettings.update(defaultSettings);
+      await PageObjects.common.navigateToApp('discover');
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+    });
+
+    it('should render default columns', async function () {
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql([
+        '@timestamp',
+        'message',
+        'extension',
+        'DestCountry',
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should render only available default columns after switching data views', async function () {
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql([
+        '@timestamp',
+        'message',
+        'extension',
+        'DestCountry',
+      ]);
+
+      await PageObjects.unifiedSearch.switchDataView(
+        'discover-dataView-switch-link',
+        'Kibana Sample Data Logs (TSDB)',
+        false
+      );
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      await PageObjects.discover.expandTimeRangeAsSuggestedInNoResultsMessage();
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql(['timestamp', 'message', 'extension']);
+
+      await PageObjects.unifiedSearch.switchDataView(
+        'discover-dataView-switch-link',
+        'kibana_sample_data_flights',
+        false
+      );
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      await PageObjects.discover.expandTimeRangeAsSuggestedInNoResultsMessage();
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql(['timestamp', 'DestCountry']);
+
+      await PageObjects.unifiedSearch.switchDataView(
+        'discover-dataView-switch-link',
+        'logstash-*',
+        false
+      );
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      await PageObjects.discover.expandTimeRangeAsSuggestedInNoResultsMessage();
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql(['@timestamp', 'extension']);
+    });
+
+    it('should combine selected columns and default columns after switching data views', async function () {
+      await PageObjects.unifiedFieldList.clickFieldListItemAdd('bytes');
+      await PageObjects.unifiedFieldList.clickFieldListItemRemove('DestCountry');
+      await PageObjects.unifiedFieldList.clickFieldListItemRemove('message');
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql(['@timestamp', 'extension', 'bytes']);
+
+      await PageObjects.unifiedSearch.switchDataView(
+        'discover-dataView-switch-link',
+        'Kibana Sample Data Logs (TSDB)',
+        false
+      );
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      await PageObjects.discover.expandTimeRangeAsSuggestedInNoResultsMessage();
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql([
+        'timestamp',
+        'extension',
+        'bytes',
+        'message',
+      ]);
+
+      await PageObjects.unifiedSearch.switchDataView(
+        'discover-dataView-switch-link',
+        'logstash-*',
+        false
+      );
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      await PageObjects.discover.expandTimeRangeAsSuggestedInNoResultsMessage();
+      await PageObjects.discover.waitUntilSearchingHasFinished();
+      expect(await dataGrid.getHeaderFields()).to.eql(['@timestamp', 'extension', 'bytes']);
+    });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/test/functional/apps/discover/group3/index.ts b/test/functional/apps/discover/group3/index.ts
index 4ac4572014a52..848bdc84def4d 100644
--- a/test/functional/apps/discover/group3/index.ts
+++ b/test/functional/apps/discover/group3/index.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, loadTestFile }: FtrProviderContext) {
       await esArchiver.unload('test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/logstash_functional');
     });
 
+    loadTestFile(require.resolve('./_default_columns'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./_drag_drop'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./_sidebar'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./_request_counts'));