diff --git a/.betterer.results b/.betterer.results
index 18fc7a23a54..50682b218d8 100644
--- a/.betterer.results
+++ b/.betterer.results
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ exports[`no enzyme tests`] = {
     "public/app/features/folders/FolderSettingsPage.test.tsx:1109052730": [
       [0, 19, 13, "RegExp match", "2409514259"]
     ],
-    "public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.test.tsx:227258837": [
-      [0, 19, 13, "RegExp match", "2409514259"]
+    "public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.test.tsx:4057721851": [
+      [1, 19, 13, "RegExp match", "2409514259"]
     ],
     "public/app/plugins/datasource/elasticsearch/configuration/ConfigEditor.test.tsx:3481855642": [
       [0, 26, 13, "RegExp match", "2409514259"]
@@ -6659,8 +6659,12 @@ exports[`better eslint`] = {
       [0, 0, 0, "Do not use any type assertions.", "1"],
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "2"]
     ],
+    "public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.test.tsx:5381": [
+      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "0"]
+    ],
     "public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.tsx:5381": [
-      [0, 0, 0, "Do not use any type assertions.", "0"]
+      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "0"],
+      [0, 0, 0, "Do not use any type assertions.", "1"]
     ],
     "public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryEditor.tsx:5381": [
       [0, 0, 0, "Do not use any type assertions.", "0"]
@@ -6668,7 +6672,8 @@ exports[`better eslint`] = {
     "public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.test.tsx:5381": [
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "0"],
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "1"],
-      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "2"]
+      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "2"],
+      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "3"]
     ],
     "public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.tsx:5381": [
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "0"],
@@ -7568,10 +7573,7 @@ exports[`better eslint`] = {
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "13"],
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "14"],
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "15"],
-      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "16"],
-      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "17"],
-      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "18"],
-      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "19"]
+      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "16"]
     ],
     "public/app/plugins/datasource/influxdb/specs/influx_query_model.test.ts:5381": [
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "0"],
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/__mocks__/CloudWatchDataSource.ts b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/__mocks__/CloudWatchDataSource.ts
index bcb8d3a7584..d662e226a76 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/__mocks__/CloudWatchDataSource.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/__mocks__/CloudWatchDataSource.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ export function setupMockedDataSource({
 
   datasource.getNamespaces = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
   datasource.getRegions = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
+  datasource.defaultLogGroups = [];
   const fetchMock = jest.fn().mockReturnValue(of({ data }));
   setBackendSrv({ fetch: fetchMock } as any);
 
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.test.tsx b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.test.tsx
index ac4ca34f1e1..26b998f6514 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.test.tsx
@@ -1,71 +1,92 @@
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { shallow } from 'enzyme';
 import React from 'react';
+import selectEvent from 'react-select-event';
 
 import { AwsAuthType } from '@grafana/aws-sdk';
 
+import { setupMockedDataSource } from '../__mocks__/CloudWatchDataSource';
+
 import { ConfigEditor, Props } from './ConfigEditor';
 
+const ds = setupMockedDataSource();
+
 jest.mock('app/features/plugins/datasource_srv', () => ({
   getDatasourceSrv: () => ({
-    loadDatasource: jest.fn().mockImplementation(() =>
-      Promise.resolve({
-        getRegions: jest.fn().mockReturnValue([
-          {
-            label: 'ap-east-1',
-            value: 'ap-east-1',
-          },
-        ]),
-      })
-    ),
+    loadDatasource: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      getRegions: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([
+        {
+          label: 'ap-east-1',
+          value: 'ap-east-1',
+        },
+      ]),
+      describeLogGroups: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(['logGroup-foo', 'logGroup-bar']),
+      getActualRegion: jest.fn().mockReturnValue('ap-east-1'),
+      getVariables: jest.fn().mockReturnValue([]),
+    }),
   }),
 }));
 
-const setup = (propOverrides?: object) => {
-  const props: Props = {
-    options: {
-      id: 1,
-      uid: 'z',
-      orgId: 1,
-      typeLogoUrl: '',
-      name: 'CloudWatch',
-      access: 'proxy',
-      url: '',
-      database: '',
-      type: 'cloudwatch',
-      typeName: 'Cloudwatch',
-      user: '',
-      basicAuth: false,
-      basicAuthUser: '',
-      isDefault: true,
-      readOnly: false,
-      withCredentials: false,
-      secureJsonFields: {
-        accessKey: false,
-        secretKey: false,
-      },
-      jsonData: {
-        assumeRoleArn: '',
-        externalId: '',
-        database: '',
-        customMetricsNamespaces: '',
-        authType: AwsAuthType.Keys,
-        defaultRegion: 'us-east-2',
-        timeField: '@timestamp',
-      },
-      secureJsonData: {
-        secretKey: '',
-        accessKey: '',
-      },
+jest.mock('./XrayLinkConfig', () => ({
+  XrayLinkConfig: () => <></>,
+}));
+
+jest.mock('@grafana/runtime', () => ({
+  ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime'),
+  getBackendSrv: () => ({
+    put: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({ datasource: ds.datasource }),
+  }),
+}));
+
+const props: Props = {
+  options: {
+    id: 1,
+    uid: 'z',
+    orgId: 1,
+    typeLogoUrl: '',
+    name: 'CloudWatch',
+    access: 'proxy',
+    url: '',
+    database: '',
+    type: 'cloudwatch',
+    typeName: 'Cloudwatch',
+    user: '',
+    basicAuth: false,
+    basicAuthUser: '',
+    isDefault: true,
+    readOnly: false,
+    withCredentials: false,
+    secureJsonFields: {
+      accessKey: false,
+      secretKey: false,
     },
-    onOptionsChange: jest.fn(),
-  };
+    jsonData: {
+      assumeRoleArn: '',
+      externalId: '',
+      database: '',
+      customMetricsNamespaces: '',
+      authType: AwsAuthType.Keys,
+      defaultRegion: 'us-east-2',
+      timeField: '@timestamp',
+    },
+    secureJsonData: {
+      secretKey: '',
+      accessKey: '',
+    },
+  },
+  onOptionsChange: jest.fn(),
+};
 
-  Object.assign(props, propOverrides);
+const setup = (propOverrides?: object) => {
+  const newProps = { ...props, ...propOverrides };
 
-  return shallow(<ConfigEditor {...props} />);
+  return shallow(<ConfigEditor {...newProps} />);
 };
 
 describe('Render', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.resetAllMocks();
+  });
   it('should render component', () => {
     const wrapper = setup();
 
@@ -107,4 +128,15 @@ describe('Render', () => {
     });
     expect(wrapper).toMatchSnapshot();
   });
+
+  it('should load log groups when multiselect is opened', async () => {
+    (window as any).grafanaBootData = {
+      settings: {},
+    };
+
+    render(<ConfigEditor {...props} />);
+    const multiselect = await screen.findByLabelText('Log Groups');
+    selectEvent.openMenu(multiselect);
+    expect(await screen.findByText('logGroup-foo')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.tsx b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.tsx
index 7d54e625375..7eb6a4567cd 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/ConfigEditor.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ import {
   DataSourcePluginOptionsEditorProps,
   onUpdateDatasourceJsonDataOption,
   updateDatasourcePluginJsonDataOption,
+  updateDatasourcePluginOption,
 } from '@grafana/data';
+import { getBackendSrv } from '@grafana/runtime';
 import { Input, InlineField } from '@grafana/ui';
 import { notifyApp } from 'app/core/actions';
 import { createWarningNotification } from 'app/core/copy/appNotification';
@@ -17,16 +19,43 @@ import { store } from 'app/store/store';
 import { CloudWatchDatasource } from '../datasource';
 import { CloudWatchJsonData, CloudWatchSecureJsonData } from '../types';
 
+import { LogGroupSelector } from './LogGroupSelector';
 import { XrayLinkConfig } from './XrayLinkConfig';
 
 export type Props = DataSourcePluginOptionsEditorProps<CloudWatchJsonData, CloudWatchSecureJsonData>;
 
 export const ConfigEditor: FC<Props> = (props: Props) => {
   const { options } = props;
+  const { defaultLogGroups, logsTimeout, defaultRegion } = options.jsonData;
+  const [saved, setSaved] = useState(!!options.version && options.version > 1);
 
-  const datasource = useDatasource(options.name);
+  const datasource = useDatasource(options.name, saved);
   useAuthenticationWarning(options.jsonData);
-  const logsTimeoutError = useTimoutValidation(props.options.jsonData.logsTimeout);
+  const logsTimeoutError = useTimoutValidation(logsTimeout);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setSaved(false);
+  }, [
+    props.options.jsonData.assumeRoleArn,
+    props.options.jsonData.authType,
+    props.options.jsonData.defaultRegion,
+    props.options.jsonData.endpoint,
+    props.options.jsonData.externalId,
+    props.options.jsonData.profile,
+    props.options.secureJsonData?.accessKey,
+    props.options.secureJsonData?.secretKey,
+  ]);
+
+  const saveOptions = async (): Promise<void> => {
+    if (saved) {
+      return;
+    }
+    await getBackendSrv()
+      .put(`/api/datasources/${options.id}`, options)
+      .then((result: { datasource: any }) => {
+        updateDatasourcePluginOption(props, 'version', result.datasource.version);
+      });
+    setSaved(true);
+  };
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -52,7 +81,7 @@ export const ConfigEditor: FC<Props> = (props: Props) => {
         <InlineField
           label="Timeout"
           labelWidth={28}
-          tooltip='Custom timout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as "15m" "30s" "2000ms" etc.'
+          tooltip='Custom timeout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as "15m" "30s" "2000ms" etc.'
           invalid={Boolean(logsTimeoutError)}
         >
           <Input
@@ -63,6 +92,23 @@ export const ConfigEditor: FC<Props> = (props: Props) => {
             title={'The timeout must be a valid duration string, such as "15m" "30s" "2000ms" etc.'}
           />
         </InlineField>
+        <InlineField
+          label="Default Log Groups"
+          labelWidth={28}
+          tooltip="Optionally, specify default log groups for CloudWatch Logs queries."
+        >
+          <LogGroupSelector
+            region={defaultRegion ?? ''}
+            selectedLogGroups={defaultLogGroups ?? []}
+            datasource={datasource}
+            onChange={(logGroups) => {
+              updateDatasourcePluginJsonDataOption(props, 'defaultLogGroups', logGroups);
+            }}
+            onOpenMenu={saveOptions}
+            width={60}
+            saved={saved}
+          />
+        </InlineField>
       </div>
 
       <XrayLinkConfig
@@ -91,10 +137,14 @@ function useAuthenticationWarning(jsonData: CloudWatchJsonData) {
   }, [jsonData.authType, jsonData.database, jsonData.profile]);
 }
 
-function useDatasource(datasourceName: string) {
+function useDatasource(datasourceName: string, saved: boolean) {
   const [datasource, setDatasource] = useState<CloudWatchDatasource>();
 
   useEffect(() => {
+    // reload the datasource when it's saved
+    if (!saved) {
+      return;
+    }
     getDatasourceSrv()
       .loadDatasource(datasourceName)
       .then((datasource) => {
@@ -102,7 +152,7 @@ function useDatasource(datasourceName: string) {
         // So a "as" type assertion here is a necessary evil.
         setDatasource(datasource as CloudWatchDatasource);
       });
-  }, [datasourceName]);
+  }, [datasourceName, saved]);
 
   return datasource;
 }
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogGroupSelector.test.tsx b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogGroupSelector.test.tsx
index 519b4ebed3c..91ebf4d32eb 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogGroupSelector.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogGroupSelector.test.tsx
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ describe('LogGroupSelector', () => {
       'DeliciousGroup',
       'DeliciousGroup2',
       'DeliciousGroup3',
-
       'VelvetGroup',
       'VelvetGroup2',
       'VelvetGroup3',
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.test.tsx b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.test.tsx
index b3dc5a0654a..5ad1dcbdad7 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.test.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { render, screen, fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { render, screen, fireEvent, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
 import _, { DebouncedFunc } from 'lodash'; // eslint-disable-line lodash/import-scope
 import React from 'react';
 import { act } from 'react-dom/test-utils';
@@ -34,4 +34,25 @@ describe('CloudWatchLogsQueryField', () => {
     });
     expect(onRunQuery).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
+
+  it('loads defaultLogGroups', async () => {
+    const onRunQuery = jest.fn();
+    const ds = setupMockedDataSource();
+    ds.datasource.defaultLogGroups = ['foo'];
+
+    render(
+      <CloudWatchLogsQueryField
+        absoluteRange={{ from: 1, to: 10 }}
+        exploreId={ExploreId.left}
+        datasource={ds.datasource}
+        query={{} as any}
+        onRunQuery={onRunQuery}
+        onChange={() => {}}
+      />
+    );
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(screen.getByText('foo')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.tsx b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.tsx
index ab1815eda45..259b9aeb6b5 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/LogsQueryField.tsx
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@ export class CloudWatchLogsQueryField extends React.PureComponent<CloudWatchLogs
   }
 
   componentDidMount = () => {
-    const { query, onChange } = this.props;
+    const { query, datasource, onChange } = this.props;
 
     if (onChange) {
-      onChange({ ...query, logGroupNames: query.logGroupNames ?? [] });
+      onChange({ ...query, logGroupNames: query.logGroupNames ?? datasource.defaultLogGroups });
     }
   };
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ export class CloudWatchLogsQueryField extends React.PureComponent<CloudWatchLogs
             inputEl={
               <LogGroupSelector
                 region={region}
-                selectedLogGroups={logGroupNames ?? []}
+                selectedLogGroups={logGroupNames ?? datasource.defaultLogGroups}
                 datasource={datasource}
                 onChange={function (logGroups: string[]): void {
                   onChange({ ...query, logGroupNames: logGroups });
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/__snapshots__/ConfigEditor.test.tsx.snap b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/__snapshots__/ConfigEditor.test.tsx.snap
index b082deb3683..7df7869b6a1 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/__snapshots__/ConfigEditor.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/components/__snapshots__/ConfigEditor.test.tsx.snap
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ exports[`Render should disable access key id field 1`] = `
       invalid={false}
       label="Timeout"
       labelWidth={28}
-      tooltip="Custom timout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
+      tooltip="Custom timeout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
     >
       <Input
         onChange={[Function]}
@@ -82,6 +82,20 @@ exports[`Render should disable access key id field 1`] = `
         width={60}
       />
     </InlineField>
+    <InlineField
+      label="Default Log Groups"
+      labelWidth={28}
+      tooltip="Optionally, specify default log groups for CloudWatch Logs queries."
+    >
+      <LogGroupSelector
+        onChange={[Function]}
+        onOpenMenu={[Function]}
+        region="us-east-2"
+        saved={false}
+        selectedLogGroups={Array []}
+        width={60}
+      />
+    </InlineField>
   </div>
   <XrayLinkConfig
     onChange={[Function]}
@@ -156,7 +170,7 @@ exports[`Render should render component 1`] = `
       invalid={false}
       label="Timeout"
       labelWidth={28}
-      tooltip="Custom timout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
+      tooltip="Custom timeout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
     >
       <Input
         onChange={[Function]}
@@ -166,6 +180,20 @@ exports[`Render should render component 1`] = `
         width={60}
       />
     </InlineField>
+    <InlineField
+      label="Default Log Groups"
+      labelWidth={28}
+      tooltip="Optionally, specify default log groups for CloudWatch Logs queries."
+    >
+      <LogGroupSelector
+        onChange={[Function]}
+        onOpenMenu={[Function]}
+        region="us-east-2"
+        saved={false}
+        selectedLogGroups={Array []}
+        width={60}
+      />
+    </InlineField>
   </div>
   <XrayLinkConfig
     onChange={[Function]}
@@ -245,7 +273,7 @@ exports[`Render should show access key and secret access key fields 1`] = `
       invalid={false}
       label="Timeout"
       labelWidth={28}
-      tooltip="Custom timout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
+      tooltip="Custom timeout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
     >
       <Input
         onChange={[Function]}
@@ -255,6 +283,20 @@ exports[`Render should show access key and secret access key fields 1`] = `
         width={60}
       />
     </InlineField>
+    <InlineField
+      label="Default Log Groups"
+      labelWidth={28}
+      tooltip="Optionally, specify default log groups for CloudWatch Logs queries."
+    >
+      <LogGroupSelector
+        onChange={[Function]}
+        onOpenMenu={[Function]}
+        region="us-east-2"
+        saved={false}
+        selectedLogGroups={Array []}
+        width={60}
+      />
+    </InlineField>
   </div>
   <XrayLinkConfig
     onChange={[Function]}
@@ -334,7 +376,7 @@ exports[`Render should show arn role field 1`] = `
       invalid={false}
       label="Timeout"
       labelWidth={28}
-      tooltip="Custom timout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
+      tooltip="Custom timeout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
     >
       <Input
         onChange={[Function]}
@@ -344,6 +386,20 @@ exports[`Render should show arn role field 1`] = `
         width={60}
       />
     </InlineField>
+    <InlineField
+      label="Default Log Groups"
+      labelWidth={28}
+      tooltip="Optionally, specify default log groups for CloudWatch Logs queries."
+    >
+      <LogGroupSelector
+        onChange={[Function]}
+        onOpenMenu={[Function]}
+        region="us-east-2"
+        saved={false}
+        selectedLogGroups={Array []}
+        width={60}
+      />
+    </InlineField>
   </div>
   <XrayLinkConfig
     onChange={[Function]}
@@ -423,7 +479,7 @@ exports[`Render should show credentials profile name field 1`] = `
       invalid={false}
       label="Timeout"
       labelWidth={28}
-      tooltip="Custom timout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
+      tooltip="Custom timeout for CloudWatch Logs insights queries which have max concurrency limits. Default is 15 minutes. Must be a valid duration string, such as \\"15m\\" \\"30s\\" \\"2000ms\\" etc."
     >
       <Input
         onChange={[Function]}
@@ -433,6 +489,20 @@ exports[`Render should show credentials profile name field 1`] = `
         width={60}
       />
     </InlineField>
+    <InlineField
+      label="Default Log Groups"
+      labelWidth={28}
+      tooltip="Optionally, specify default log groups for CloudWatch Logs queries."
+    >
+      <LogGroupSelector
+        onChange={[Function]}
+        onOpenMenu={[Function]}
+        region="us-east-2"
+        saved={false}
+        selectedLogGroups={Array []}
+        width={60}
+      />
+    </InlineField>
   </div>
   <XrayLinkConfig
     onChange={[Function]}
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/datasource.ts b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/datasource.ts
index 52bb8404d8b..94352bc26dd 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/datasource.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/datasource.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ export class CloudWatchDatasource
 
   tracingDataSourceUid?: string;
   logsTimeout: string;
+  defaultLogGroups: string[];
 
   type = 'cloudwatch';
   standardStatistics = ['Average', 'Maximum', 'Minimum', 'Sum', 'SampleCount'];
@@ -127,6 +128,7 @@ export class CloudWatchDatasource
     this.languageProvider = new CloudWatchLanguageProvider(this);
     this.tracingDataSourceUid = instanceSettings.jsonData.tracingDatasourceUid;
     this.logsTimeout = instanceSettings.jsonData.logsTimeout || '15m';
+    this.defaultLogGroups = instanceSettings.jsonData.defaultLogGroups || [];
     this.sqlCompletionItemProvider = new SQLCompletionItemProvider(this, this.templateSrv);
     this.metricMathCompletionItemProvider = new MetricMathCompletionItemProvider(this, this.templateSrv);
     this.variables = new CloudWatchVariableSupport(this);
@@ -176,7 +178,14 @@ export class CloudWatchDatasource
     logQueries: CloudWatchLogsQuery[],
     options: DataQueryRequest<CloudWatchQuery>
   ): Observable<DataQueryResponse> => {
-    const validLogQueries = logQueries.filter((item) => item.logGroupNames?.length);
+    const queryParams = logQueries.map((target: CloudWatchLogsQuery) => ({
+      queryString: target.expression || '',
+      refId: target.refId,
+      logGroupNames: target.logGroupNames || this.defaultLogGroups,
+      region: this.replace(this.getActualRegion(target.region), options.scopedVars, true, 'region'),
+    }));
+
+    const validLogQueries = queryParams.filter((item) => item.logGroupNames?.length);
     if (logQueries.length > validLogQueries.length) {
       return of({ data: [], error: { message: 'Log group is required' } });
     }
@@ -186,13 +195,6 @@ export class CloudWatchDatasource
       return of({ data: [], state: LoadingState.Done });
     }
 
-    const queryParams = logQueries.map((target: CloudWatchLogsQuery) => ({
-      queryString: target.expression || '',
-      refId: target.refId,
-      logGroupNames: target.logGroupNames,
-      region: this.replace(this.getActualRegion(target.region), options.scopedVars, true, 'region'),
-    }));
-
     const startTime = new Date();
     const timeoutFunc = () => {
       return Date.now() >= startTime.valueOf() + rangeUtil.intervalToMs(this.logsTimeout);
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/types.ts b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/types.ts
index d9428d8581a..668dad3e861 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/types.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/datasource/cloudwatch/types.ts
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ export interface CloudWatchJsonData extends AwsAuthDataSourceJsonData {
   logsTimeout?: string;
   // Used to create links if logs contain traceId.
   tracingDatasourceUid?: string;
+  defaultLogGroups?: string[];
 }
 
 export interface CloudWatchSecureJsonData extends AwsAuthDataSourceSecureJsonData {