diff --git a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx
index c44e1faeb8e7f..053fca7d5773b 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx
+++ b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx
@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@ export function FilterItem(props: Props) {
           setIndexPatternExists(false);
         });
     } else {
-      setIndexPatternExists(false);
+      // Allow filters without an index pattern and don't validate them.
+      setIndexPatternExists(true);
     }
   }, [props.filter.meta.index]);
 
@@ -244,6 +245,9 @@ export function FilterItem(props: Props) {
    * This function makes this behavior explicit, but it needs to be revised.
    */
   function isFilterApplicable() {
+    // Any filter is applicable if no index patterns were provided to FilterBar.
+    if (!props.indexPatterns.length) return true;
+
     const ip = getIndexPatternFromFilter(filter, indexPatterns);
     if (ip) return true;
 
diff --git a/test/functional/apps/dashboard/dashboard_filter_bar.js b/test/functional/apps/dashboard/dashboard_filter_bar.js
index 6bc34a8b998a4..c931e6763f483 100644
--- a/test/functional/apps/dashboard/dashboard_filter_bar.js
+++ b/test/functional/apps/dashboard/dashboard_filter_bar.js
@@ -217,6 +217,11 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }) {
         const hasWarningFieldFilter = await filterBar.hasFilter('extension', 'warn', true);
         expect(hasWarningFieldFilter).to.be(true);
       });
+
+      it('filter without an index pattern is rendred as a warning, if the dashboard has an index pattern', async function () {
+        const noIndexPatternFilter = await filterBar.hasFilter('banana', 'warn', true);
+        expect(noIndexPatternFilter).to.be(true);
+      });
     });
   });
 }
diff --git a/test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/dashboard/current/kibana/data.json.gz b/test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/dashboard/current/kibana/data.json.gz
index a052aad9450f5..ae78761fef0d3 100644
Binary files a/test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/dashboard/current/kibana/data.json.gz and b/test/functional/fixtures/es_archiver/dashboard/current/kibana/data.json.gz differ