diff --git a/filebeat/docs/modules/aws.asciidoc b/filebeat/docs/modules/aws.asciidoc
index 32d3eab6c9b..a1652498c96 100644
--- a/filebeat/docs/modules/aws.asciidoc
+++ b/filebeat/docs/modules/aws.asciidoc
@@ -197,6 +197,29 @@ Required when using temporary security credentials.
 *`var.role_arn`*::
 AWS IAM Role to assume.
 
+[float]
+=== config behaviour
+Beware that in case both `var.queue_url` and `var.bucket_arn` are not set
+instead of failing to start Filebeat with a config validation error, only the
+specific fileset input will be stopped and a warning printed:
+```
+2021-08-26T14:33:03.661-0600 WARN [aws-s3] awss3/config.go:54 neither queue_url nor bucket_arn were provided, input aws-s3 will stop
+2021-08-26T14:33:10.668-0600 INFO [input.aws-s3] compat/compat.go:111 Input aws-s3 starting {"id": "29F3565F5B2A7070"}
+2021-08-26T14:33:10.668-0600 INFO [input.aws-s3] compat/compat.go:124 Input 'aws-s3' stopped {"id": "29F3565F5B2A7070"}
+```
+
+This behaviour is required in order to reduce destruction of existing Filebeat setup
+where not all AWS module's filesets are defined and will change in next major release.
+
+Setting `enabled: false` in the unused fileset will silence the warning and it is
+the suggested setup. For example (assuming `cloudtrail` as unused fileset):
+```
+- module: aws
+  cloudtrail:
+    enabled: false
+
+```
+
 [float]
 === cloudtrail fileset
 
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config.go
index 4e887003477..404997ddc60 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/libbeat/common/cfgtype"
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/libbeat/common/match"
+	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/libbeat/logp"
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/libbeat/reader/parser"
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/libbeat/reader/readfile"
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/libbeat/reader/readfile/encoding"
@@ -50,7 +51,8 @@ func defaultConfig() config {
 
 func (c *config) Validate() error {
 	if c.QueueURL == "" && c.BucketARN == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("queue_url or bucket_arn must provided")
+		logp.NewLogger(inputName).Warnf("neither queue_url nor bucket_arn were provided, input %s will stop", inputName)
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	if c.QueueURL != "" && c.BucketARN != "" {
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config_test.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config_test.go
index 9fdf4c1dffb..cd75d4df19c 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config_test.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/awss3/config_test.go
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ func TestConfig(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 			"",
-			func(queueURL, s3Bucketr string) config {
+			func(queueURL, s3Bucket string) config {
 				c := makeConfig(queueURL, "")
 				regex := match.MustCompile("/CloudTrail/")
 				c.FileSelectors = []fileSelectorConfig{
@@ -112,8 +112,10 @@ func TestConfig(t *testing.T) {
 				"queue_url":  "",
 				"bucket_arn": "",
 			},
-			"queue_url or bucket_arn must provided",
-			nil,
+			"",
+			func(queueURL, s3Bucket string) config {
+				return makeConfig("", "")
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			"error on both queueURL and s3Bucket",
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/module/aws/_meta/docs.asciidoc b/x-pack/filebeat/module/aws/_meta/docs.asciidoc
index a36b1bd599b..f852da55a41 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/module/aws/_meta/docs.asciidoc
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/module/aws/_meta/docs.asciidoc
@@ -192,6 +192,29 @@ Required when using temporary security credentials.
 *`var.role_arn`*::
 AWS IAM Role to assume.
 
+[float]
+=== config behaviour
+Beware that in case both `var.queue_url` and `var.bucket_arn` are not set
+instead of failing to start Filebeat with a config validation error, only the
+specific fileset input will be stopped and a warning printed:
+```
+2021-08-26T14:33:03.661-0600 WARN [aws-s3] awss3/config.go:54 neither queue_url nor bucket_arn were provided, input aws-s3 will stop
+2021-08-26T14:33:10.668-0600 INFO [input.aws-s3] compat/compat.go:111 Input aws-s3 starting {"id": "29F3565F5B2A7070"}
+2021-08-26T14:33:10.668-0600 INFO [input.aws-s3] compat/compat.go:124 Input 'aws-s3' stopped {"id": "29F3565F5B2A7070"}
+```
+
+This behaviour is required in order to reduce destruction of existing Filebeat setup
+where not all AWS module's filesets are defined and will change in next major release.
+
+Setting `enabled: false` in the unused fileset will silence the warning and it is
+the suggested setup. For example (assuming `cloudtrail` as unused fileset):
+```
+- module: aws
+  cloudtrail:
+    enabled: false
+
+```
+
 [float]
 === cloudtrail fileset