# Using the default Amazon Linux AMI for Amazon EMR
<a name="emr-default-ami"></a>

Each Amazon EMR release version uses a default Amazon Linux AMI for Amazon EMR unless you specify a custom AMI. Starting with Amazon EMR 5.36, Amazon EMR 6.6, and Amazon EMR 7.0 releases the default behavior for updating Amazon Linux 2 (AL2 for EMR 5.x and 6.x, AL2023 for EMR 7.x) in an Amazon EMR default AMI is to automatically apply the latest Amazon Linux release for the default Amazon EMR AMI.

## Automatic Amazon Linux updates for Amazon EMR releases
<a name="emr-default-ami-autoupdate"></a>

When you launch a cluster with *the latest patch release* of Amazon EMR 7.0 or higher, 6.6 or higher, or 5.36 or higher, Amazon EMR uses the latest Amazon Linux release for the default Amazon EMR AMI. For example:
+ Where there is an `x.x.0` and an `x.x.1` release, the `x.x.0` release stops getting AMI updates when `x.x.1` launches.
+ Similarly, `x.x.1` stops getting AMI updates when `x.x.2` launches.
+ Later, when `x.y.0` releases, `x.x.[latest]` continues to receive AMI updates alongside `x.y.[latest]`.

To see if you're using the latest patch release as denoted by the number after the second decimal point (`6.8.1`) for an Amazon EMR release, refer to the available releases in the [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ReleaseGuide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ReleaseGuide), check the **Amazon EMR release** dropdown when you create a cluster in the console, or use the [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/APIReference/API_ListReleaseLabels.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/APIReference/API_ListReleaseLabels.html) API or [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/emr/list-release-labels.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/emr/list-release-labels.html) CLI action. To get updates when we launch a new Amazon EMR release, subscribe to the RSS feed on the [What's new?](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ReleaseGuide/emr-whatsnew.html) page in the Release Guide.

If you want to, you can choose to launch your cluster with the Amazon Linux version that the Amazon EMR release first shipped with. For information on how to specify the Amazon Linux release for your cluster, see [Change the Amazon Linux release when you create an EMR cluster](emr-custom-ami-change-al-release.md).

## Default Amazon Linux versions
<a name="emr-default-ami-list"></a>

**Topics**
+ [Default AMIs for Amazon EMR 7.0 and higher](#emr-default-ami-7)
+ [Default AMIs for Amazon EMR 6.6 and higher](#emr-default-ami-6)
+ [Default AMIs for Amazon EMR 5.x](#emr-default-ami-5)

### Default AMIs for Amazon EMR 7.0 and higher
<a name="emr-default-ami-7"></a>

The following table lists Amazon Linux information for the latest patch version of Amazon EMR releases 7.0 and higher.


| OsReleaseLabel (AL version) | AL kernel version | Available date | AWS Regions | 
| --- | --- | --- | --- | 
| 2023.10.20260302.1 | 6.1.163-186.299.amzn2023 | March 13, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.10.20260216.1 | 6.1.161-183.298.amzn2023 | February 25, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.10.20260120.4 | 6.1.159-182.297.amzn2023 | February 18, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.9.20251208.0 | 6.1.158-180.294.amzn2023 | January 13, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.9.20251117.1 | 6.1.158-178.288.amzn2023 | December 16, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.9.20251027.0 | 6.1.156-177.286.amzn2023 | November 10, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.9.20250929.0 | 6.1.153-175.280.amzn2023 | October 13, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.8.20250818.0 | 6.1.147-172.266.amzn2023 | September 17, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.8.20250808.1 | 6.1.147-172.266.amzn2023 | August 28, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.8.20250721.2 | 6.1.144-170.251.amzn2023 | August 14, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.7.20250623.1 | 6.1.141-155.222.amzn2023 | July 21, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.7.20250609.0 | 6.1.140-154.222.amzn2023 | July 14, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.7.20250527.1 | 6.1.134-152.225.amzn2023 | Jun 19, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.7.20250512.0 | 6.1.134-152.225.amzn2023 | Jun 04, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.7.20250428.1 | 6.1.134-150.224.amzn2023 | May 23, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.7.20250414.0 | 6.1.132-147.221.amzn2023 | May 12, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.7.20250331.0 | 6.1.131-143.221.amzn2023 | April 18, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.6.20250303.0 | 6.1.129-138.220.amzn2023 | March 27, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.6.20250218.2 | 6.1.128-136.201.amzn2023 | March 08, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.6.20250211.0 | 6.1.127-135.201.amzn2023 | February 26, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.6.20250123.4 | 6.1.124-134.200.amzn2023 | January 27, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.6.20250115.0 | 6.1.119-129.201.amzn2023 | January 23, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.6.20241121.0 | 6.1.115-126.197.amzn2023 | December 12, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.5.20241031.0 | 6.1.112-124.190.amzn2023 | November 15, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.5.20241001.1  | 6.1.109-118.189.amzn2023 | October 4, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.5.20240819.0 | 6.1.102-111.182.amzn2023 | August 20, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.5.20240730.0 | 6.1.97-104.177.amzn2023 | August 2, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.5.20240722.0 | 6.1.97-104.177.amzn2023 | July 24, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.5.20240708.0 | 6.1.96-102.177.amzn2023 | July 23, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.3.20240304.0 | 6.1.79-99.164.amzn2023 | March 12, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.3.20240219.0 | 6.1.77-99.164.amzn2023 | March 1, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.3.20240205.0 | 6.1.75-99.163.amzn2023 | February 19, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.3.20240122.0 | 6.1.72-96.166.amzn2023 | February 5, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.3.20240108.0 | 6.1.72-96.166.amzn2023 | January 24, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2023.3.20231211.4 | 6.1.66-91.160.amzn2023 | December 19, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 

### Default AMIs for Amazon EMR 6.6 and higher
<a name="emr-default-ami-6"></a>

The following table lists Amazon Linux information for the latest patch version of Amazon EMR releases 6.6.x and higher.


| OsReleaseLabel (AL version) | AL kernel version | Available date | AWS Regions | 
| --- | --- | --- | --- | 
| 2.0.20260302.0 | 4.14.355-280.714.amzn2 | March 13, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20260216.0 | 4.14.355-280.714.amzn2 | February 25, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20260120.1 | 4.14.355-280.713.amzn2 | February 18, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20251208.0 | 4.14.355-280.710.amzn2 | January 13, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20251121.0 | 4.14.355-280.708.amzn2 | December 16, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20251027.1 | 4.14.355-280.706.amzn2 | November 10, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250929.2 | 4.14.355-280.695.amzn2 | October 13, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250818.2 | 4.14.355-280.672.amzn2 | September 17, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250808.1 | 4.14.355-280.664.amzn2 | August 28, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250610.0 | 4.14.355-277.647.amzn2 | July 14, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250527.1 | 4.14.355-277.647.amzn2 | Jun 19, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250512.0 | 4.14.355-277.643.amzn2 | Jun 04, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250428.0 | 4.14.355-276.639.amzn2 | May 23, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250414.0 | 4.14.355-276.618.amzn2 | May 12, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250321.0 | 4.14.355 | April 09, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250305.0 | 4.14.355 | March 18, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250220.0 | 4.14.355 | March 08, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250201.0 | 4.14.355 | February 28, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250123.4 | 4.14.355 | January 27, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250116.0 | 4.14.355 | January 23, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20241217.0 | 4.14.355 | January 8, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20241001.0 | 4.14.352 | October 4, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240816.0 | 4.14.350 | August 21, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240809.0 | 4.14.349 | August 20, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240719.0 | 4.14.348 | July 25, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240709.1 | 4.14.348 | July 23, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240223.0 | 4.14.336 | March 8, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240131.0 | 4.14.336 | February 14, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240124.0 | 4.14.336 | February 7, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240109.0 | 4.14.334 | January 24, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20231218.0 | 4.14.330 | January 2, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20231206.0 | 4.14.330 | December 22, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20231116.0 | 4.14.328 | December 11, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20231101.0 | 4.14.327 | November 17, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20231020.1 | 4.14.326 | November 07, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20231012.1 | 4.14.326 | October 26, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230926.0 | 4.14.322 | October 19, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.202308906.0 | 4.14.322 | October 04, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230822.0 | 4.14.322 | August 30, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230808.0 | 4.14.320 | August 24, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230727.0 | 4.14.320 | August 14, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230719.0 | 4.14.320 | August 2, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230628.0 | 4.14.318 | July 12, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230612.0 | 4.14.314 | June 23, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230504.1 | 4.14.313 | May 16, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230418.0 | 4.14.311 | May 3, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230404.1 | 4.14.311 | April 18, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230404.0 | 4.14.311 | April 10, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230320.0 | 4.14.309 | March 30, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230307.0 | 4.14.305 | March 15, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230207.0 | 4.14.304 | March 3, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230119.1 | 4.14.301 | February 9, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20221210.1 | 4.14.301 | January 12, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20221103.3 | 4.14.296 | December 5, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20221004.0 | 4.14.294 | November 2, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220912.1 | 4.14.291 | October 7, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220805.0 | 4.14.287 | August 30, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220719.0 | 4.14.287 | August 10, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220426.0 | 4.14.281 | June 10, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220406.1 | 4.14.275 | May 2, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 

### Default AMIs for Amazon EMR 5.x
<a name="emr-default-ami-5"></a>

The following table lists Amazon Linux information for the latest patch version of Amazon EMR 5.x releases 5.36 and higher.


| OsReleaseLabel (AL version) | AL kernel version | Available date | AWS Regions | 
| --- | --- | --- | --- | 
| 2.0.20260302.0 | 4.14.355-280.714.amzn2 | March 13, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20260216.0 | 4.14.355-280.714.amzn2 | February 25, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20260120.1 | 4.14.355-280.713.amzn2 | February 18, 2026 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20251208.0 | 4.14.355-280.710.amzn2 | January 13, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20251121.0 | 4.14.355-280.708.amzn2 | December 16, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20251027.1 | 4.14.355-280.706.amzn2 | November 10, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250929.2 | 4.14.355-280.695.amzn2 | October 13, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250818.2 | 4.14.355-280.672.amzn2 | September 17, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250808.1 | 4.14.355-280.664.amzn2 | August 28, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250428.0 | 4.14.355-276.639.amzn2 | May 23, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250321.0 | 4.14.355 | April 09, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250305.0 | 4.14.355 | March 18, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250220.0 | 4.14.355 | March 08, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250201.0 | 4.14.355 | February 28, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250123.4 | 4.14.355 | January 27, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20250116.0 | 4.14.355 | January 23, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20241217.0 | 4.14.355 | January 8, 2025 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240816.0 | 4.14.350 | August 21, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240809.0 | 4.14.349 | August 20, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240719.0 | 4.14.348 | July 25, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20240709.1 | 4.14.348 | July 23, 2024 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html)  | 
| 2.0.20230504.1 | 4.14.313 | May 16, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230418.0 | 4.14.311 | May 3, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230404.1 | 4.14.311 | April 18, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230404.0 | 4.14.311 | April 10, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230320.0 | 4.14.309 | March 30, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230307.0 | 4.14.305 | March 15, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20230207.0 | 4.14.304 | March 3, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20221210.1 | 4.14.301 | January 12, 2023 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20221103.3 | 4.14.296 | December 5, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20221004.0 | 4.14.294 | November 2, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220912.1 | 4.14.291 | October 7, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220719.0 | 4.14.287 | August 10, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 
| 2.0.20220426.0 | 4.14.281 | June 14, 2022 | [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-default-ami.html) | 

## Software update considerations
<a name="emr-default-ami-managing"></a>

Take note of the following default software update behaviors:

**Amazon EMR 7.x — Amazon Linux 2023**

Amazon EMR releases 7.0 and higher run on Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023). Your clusters only contain security updates that were available in the version of AL2023 AMI that you chose when you created them. At launch time, EMR cluster instances will not install the latest security updates from the enabled package repositories. To receive the latest security updates, we recommend that you periodically recreate your cluster. For more information on AL2023, see [Updating Amazon Linux 2023](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/linux/al2023/ug/updating.html) in the *Amazon Linux 2023 User Guide*.

**Amazon EMR 5.36\$1 and 6.6\$1 — Amazon Linux 2**

Amazon EMR releases 5.36 and higher, and 6.6 and higher, run on Amazon Linux 2 (AL2). Your clusters only contain security updates that were available in the version of AL2 AMI that you chose when you created them. At launch time, EMR cluster instances will not install the latest security updates from the enabled package repositories. To receive the latest security updates, we recommend that you periodically recreate your cluster. For more information on AL2, see [Manage software on your AL2 instance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//linux/al2/ug/managing-software.html) in the *Amazon Linux 2 User Guide*.

**Amazon EMR 3.x, 4.x, 5.0.0 to 5.35.0, and 6.0.0 to 6.5.0 — Amazon Linux AMI locked to Amazon EMR release version**

For Amazon EMR releases 3.x, 4.x, 5.0.0 to 5.35.0, and 6.0.0 to 6.5.0, the default AMI is based on the most up-to-date Amazon Linux AMI available at the time of the Amazon EMR release. The AMI is tested for compatibility with the big data applications and Amazon EMR features included in that release version.

When an Amazon EC2 instance boots for the first time in a cluster that is based on the default Amazon Linux (AL) or AL2 AMI for Amazon EMR, it checks for software updates that apply to the release version in the enabled package repositories for AL and Amazon EMR. As with other Amazon EC2 instances that run AL or AL2 AMIs, critical and important security updates from these repositories are automatically installed.

Also note that, in your networking configuration, you must allow HTTP and HTTPS egress to Amazon Linux repositories in Amazon S3. Otherwise, security updates will fail. For more information, see [Amazon Linux - Package repository](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/amazon-linux-ami-basics.html#package-repository) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*. By default, other software packages and kernel updates that require a reboot, including NVIDIA and CUDA, are excluded from the automatic download at first boot.

**Important**  
Amazon EMR releases 3.x, 4.x, 5.0.0 to 5.35.0, and 6.0.0 to 6.5.0 use the default Amazon Linux behavior, and do not automatically download and install important and critical kernel updates that require a reboot. This is the same behavior as other Amazon EC2 instances that run the default AL or AL2 AMIs. If new Amazon Linux software updates that require a reboot (such as kernel, NVIDIA, and CUDA updates) become available after an Amazon EMR release becomes available, EMR cluster instances that run the default AMI do not automatically download and install those updates. To get kernel updates, you can use the [latest Amazon Linux AMI](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/finding-an-ami.html) as described in [Using a custom AMI to provide more flexibility for Amazon EMR cluster configuration](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-custom-ami.html).

**The cluster launches with or without updates**

Be aware that if software updates can't be installed because package repositories are unreachable at first cluster boot, the cluster instance still completes its launch. For instance, repositories may be unreachable because S3 is temporarily unavailable, or you might have VPC or firewall rules configured to block access.

**Don't run `sudo yum update`**

When you connect to a cluster instance using SSH, the first few lines of screen output provide a link to the release notes for the Amazon Linux AMI that the instance uses, a notice of the most recent Amazon Linux AMI version, a notice of the number of packages available for update from the enabled repositories, and a directive to run `sudo yum update`.

**Important**  
We strongly recommend that you do not run `sudo yum update` on cluster instances, either while connected with SSH or when you use a bootstrap action. This might cause incompatibilities because all packages are installed indiscriminately.

## Software update best practices
<a name="emr-default-ami-best-practices"></a>

**Best practices for managing software updates**
+ If you use a lower release version of Amazon EMR, consider and test a migration to the latest release before updating software packages.
+ If you migrate to a higher release version or you upgrade software packages, test the implementation in a non-production environment first. The option to clone clusters with the Amazon EMR console is helpful for this.
+ Evaluate software updates for your applications and for your version of Amazon Linux AMI on an individual basis. Only test and install packages in production environments that you determine to be absolutely necessary for your security posture, application functionality, or performance.
+ Watch the [Amazon Linux Security Center](https://alas.aws.amazon.com/) for updates.
+ Avoid installing packages by connecting to individual cluster instances using SSH. Instead, use a bootstrap action to install and update packages on all cluster instances as necessary. This requires that you terminate a cluster and relaunch it. For more information, see [Create bootstrap actions to install additional software with an Amazon EMR cluster](emr-plan-bootstrap.md).