diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/index.ts b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/index.ts
index f8e123839e2b8..790e42162dc74 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/index.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/index.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export default ({ getService, loadTestFile, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext
   const log = getService('log');
   const esArchiver = getService('esArchiver');
   const kibanaServer = getService('kibanaServer');
+  const { timePicker } = getPageObjects(['timePicker']);
 
   describe('lens app - group 2', () => {
     const esArchive = 'x-pack/test/functional/es_archives/logstash_functional';
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ export default ({ getService, loadTestFile, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext
       });
       await kibanaServer.importExport.load(fixtureDirs.lensBasic);
       await kibanaServer.importExport.load(fixtureDirs.lensDefault);
+      await timePicker.setDefaultAbsoluteRangeViaUiSettings();
     });
 
     after(async () => {
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@ export default ({ getService, loadTestFile, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext
       await kibanaServer.importExport.unload(fixtureDirs.lensBasic);
       await kibanaServer.importExport.unload(fixtureDirs.lensDefault);
       await kibanaServer.savedObjects.cleanStandardList();
+      await timePicker.resetDefaultAbsoluteRangeViaUiSettings();
     });
 
     // total run time ~ 16m 20s
diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/table_dashboard.ts b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/table_dashboard.ts
index 097bd1539ff81..a877211030972 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/table_dashboard.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group2/table_dashboard.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
       await visualize.gotoVisualizationLandingPage();
       await listingTable.searchForItemWithName('lnsXYvis');
       await lens.clickVisualizeListItemTitle('lnsXYvis');
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
       await lens.save('New Table', true, false, false, 'new');
 
diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group5/formula.ts b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group5/formula.ts
index c12551bed35f6..920a538eda260 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group5/formula.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group5/formula.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
       await visualize.gotoVisualizationLandingPage();
       await listingTable.searchForItemWithName('lnsXYvis');
       await lens.clickVisualizeListItemTitle('lnsXYvis');
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
         dimension: 'lnsXY_yDimensionPanel > lns-dimensionTrigger',
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should update and delete a formula', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should insert single quotes and escape when needed to create valid KQL', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should insert single quotes and escape when needed to create valid field name', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
       await dataViews.clickAddFieldFromSearchBar();
       await fieldEditor.setName(`ab' "'`, true, true);
@@ -144,7 +145,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should keep the formula when entering expanded mode', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
@@ -163,7 +164,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should allow an empty formula combined with a valid formula', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
@@ -183,7 +184,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should duplicate a moving average formula and be a valid table with conditional coloring', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
@@ -218,7 +219,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should keep the formula if the user does not fully transition to a quick function', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
@@ -267,7 +268,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should allow numeric only formulas', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
@@ -287,7 +288,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should apply a global filter to the current formula', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsDatatable');
 
       await lens.configureDimension({
diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group6/rollup.ts b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group6/rollup.ts
index 0e37a4672d1a6..e33f3a18fb37a 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group6/rollup.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/group6/rollup.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should allow creation of lens xy chart', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.configureDimension({
         dimension: 'lnsXY_xDimensionPanel > lns-empty-dimension',
         operation: 'date_histogram',
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
       await visualize.gotoVisualizationLandingPage();
       await listingTable.searchForItemWithName('Afancilenstest');
       await lens.clickVisualizeListItemTitle('Afancilenstest');
-
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       expect(await lens.getTitle()).to.eql('Afancilenstest');
 
       // .echLegendItem__title is the only viable way of getting the xy chart's
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ export default function ({ getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProviderContext) {
     it('should allow to switch from regular index to rollup index retaining config', async () => {
       await visualize.navigateToNewVisualization();
       await visualize.clickVisType('lens');
+      await lens.goToTimeRange();
       await lens.switchDataPanelIndexPattern('lens_regular_data');
       await lens.switchToVisualization('lnsLegacyMetric');
       await lens.configureDimension({
diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/index.ts b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/index.ts
index e0e5eca1a0ffc..3f9c2eb1802eb 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/index.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/index.ts
@@ -53,11 +53,11 @@ export default function ({ loadTestFile, getService, getPageObjects }: FtrProvid
 
       await esNode.load(esArchive);
       // changing the timepicker default here saves us from having to set it in Discover (~8s)
-      await timePicker.setDefaultAbsoluteRangeViaUiSettings();
       await kibanaServer.uiSettings.update({
         defaultIndex: indexPatternString,
         'dateFormat:tz': 'UTC',
       });
+      await timePicker.setDefaultAbsoluteRangeViaUiSettings();
       await kibanaServer.importExport.load(fixtureDirs.lensBasic);
       await kibanaServer.importExport.load(fixtureDirs.lensDefault);
     });
diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/metric.ts b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/metric.ts
index c211f5bf49019..b4d8eaa913e0d 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/metric.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/metric.ts
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ import expect from '@kbn/expect';
 import { FtrProviderContext } from '../../../../ftr_provider_context';
 
 export default function ({ getPageObjects, getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
-  const { visEditor, visualize, lens, visChart } = getPageObjects([
+  const { visEditor, visualize, lens, visChart, timePicker } = getPageObjects([
     'visEditor',
     'visualize',
     'visChart',
     'lens',
+    'timePicker',
   ]);
 
   const testSubjects = getService('testSubjects');
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ export default function ({ getPageObjects, getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
       await visualize.navigateToNewAggBasedVisualization();
       await visualize.clickMetric();
       await visualize.clickNewSearch();
+      await timePicker.setDefaultAbsoluteRange();
     });
 
     it('should show the "Edit Visualization in Lens" menu item', async () => {
diff --git a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/xy.ts b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/xy.ts
index 5b9df27008d8b..2596eebce6ed1 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/xy.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/functional/apps/lens/open_in_lens/agg_based/xy.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ export default function ({ getPageObjects, getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
     'visualize',
     'lens',
     'visEditor',
-
     'header',
     'visChart',
   ]);