diff --git a/scripts/test.ps1 b/scripts/test.ps1
index 338e5e39eb..ed2bea934b 100644
--- a/scripts/test.ps1
+++ b/scripts/test.ps1
@@ -82,8 +82,11 @@ Get-ChildItem "Env:\dotnet_*"
 & "$env:DOTNET_ROOT\dotnet.exe" --info
 
 "`n`n---- x86 dotnet"
-& "${env:DOTNET_ROOT(x86)}\dotnet.exe" --info
-    
+# avoid erroring out because we don't have the sdk for x86 that global.json requires
+try {
+    & "${env:DOTNET_ROOT(x86)}\dotnet.exe" --info 2> $null
+} catch {}
+
 
 # Dotnet build doesn't support --packages yet. See https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/2712
 $env:NUGET_PACKAGES = $env:TP_PACKAGES_DIR
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs
index 24f5ff8959..8b1476124a 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs
@@ -488,6 +488,10 @@ public bool ResultsDirectorySet
         public bool CollectSourceInformationSet { get; private set; } = false;
 
         /// <summary>
+        /// Default filter to use to filter tests
+        /// </summary>
+        public string TestCaseFilter { get; private set; }
+
         /// Path to dotnet executable to be used to invoke testhost.dll. Specifying this will skip looking up testhost.exe and will force usage of the testhost.dll. 
         /// </summary>
         public string DotnetHostPath { get; private set; }
@@ -576,6 +580,13 @@ public override XmlElement ToXml()
                 root.AppendChild(targetDevice);
             }
 
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.TestCaseFilter))
+            {
+                XmlElement testCaseFilter = doc.CreateElement(nameof(TestCaseFilter));
+                testCaseFilter.InnerXml = this.TestCaseFilter;
+                root.AppendChild(testCaseFilter);
+            }
+            
             if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.DotnetHostPath))
             {
                 XmlElement dotnetHostPath = doc.CreateElement(nameof(DotnetHostPath));
@@ -879,6 +890,11 @@ public static RunConfiguration FromXml(XmlReader reader)
                             runConfiguration.TargetDevice = reader.ReadElementContentAsString();
                             break;
 
+                        case "TestCaseFilter":
+                            XmlRunSettingsUtilities.ThrowOnHasAttributes(reader);
+                            runConfiguration.TestCaseFilter = reader.ReadElementContentAsString();
+                            break;
+                            
                         case "DotNetHostPath":
                             XmlRunSettingsUtilities.ThrowOnHasAttributes(reader);
                             runConfiguration.DotnetHostPath = reader.ReadElementContentAsString();
diff --git a/src/vstest.console/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessor.cs b/src/vstest.console/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessor.cs
index 92866c7ec8..4b7d903567 100644
--- a/src/vstest.console/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessor.cs
+++ b/src/vstest.console/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessor.cs
@@ -142,6 +142,12 @@ public void Initialize(string argument)
                     this.commandLineOptions.InIsolation = true;
                     this.runSettingsManager.UpdateRunSettingsNode(InIsolationArgumentExecutor.RunSettingsPath, "true");
                 }
+
+                var testCaseFilter = this.runSettingsManager.QueryRunSettingsNode("RunConfiguration.TestCaseFilter");
+                if (testCaseFilter != null)
+                {
+                    this.commandLineOptions.TestCaseFilterValue = testCaseFilter;
+                }
             }
             catch (XmlException exception)
             {
diff --git a/src/vstest.console/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessor.cs b/src/vstest.console/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessor.cs
index 3f10e0143d..8eb75e0f05 100644
--- a/src/vstest.console/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessor.cs
+++ b/src/vstest.console/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessor.cs
@@ -117,12 +117,23 @@ public TestCaseFilterArgumentExecutor(CommandLineOptions options)
         /// <param name="argument">Argument that was provided with the command.</param>
         public void Initialize(string argument)
         {
-            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(argument))
+            var defaultFilter = this.commandLineOptions.TestCaseFilterValue;
+            var hasDefaultFilter = !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(defaultFilter);
+            
+            if (!hasDefaultFilter && string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(argument))
             {
                 throw new CommandLineException(string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentUICulture, CommandLineResources.TestCaseFilterValueRequired));
             }
 
-            this.commandLineOptions.TestCaseFilterValue = argument;
+            if (!hasDefaultFilter)
+            {
+                this.commandLineOptions.TestCaseFilterValue = argument;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                // Merge default filter an provided filter by AND operator to have both the default filter and custom filter applied.
+                this.commandLineOptions.TestCaseFilterValue = $"({defaultFilter})&({argument})";
+            }
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/vstest.console/TestPlatformHelpers/TestRequestManager.cs b/src/vstest.console/TestPlatformHelpers/TestRequestManager.cs
index 08699a5f82..778006ebf5 100644
--- a/src/vstest.console/TestPlatformHelpers/TestRequestManager.cs
+++ b/src/vstest.console/TestPlatformHelpers/TestRequestManager.cs
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ public void DiscoverTests(DiscoveryRequestPayload discoveryPayload, ITestDiscove
 
             var runConfiguration = XmlRunSettingsUtilities.GetRunConfigurationNode(runsettings);
             var batchSize = runConfiguration.BatchSize;
+            var testCaseFilterFromRunsettings = runConfiguration.TestCaseFilter;
 
             if (requestData.IsTelemetryOptedIn)
             {
@@ -160,10 +161,12 @@ public void DiscoverTests(DiscoveryRequestPayload discoveryPayload, ITestDiscove
                 this.LogCommandsTelemetryPoints(requestData);
             }
 
+            
+
             // create discovery request
             var criteria = new DiscoveryCriteria(discoveryPayload.Sources, batchSize, this.commandLineOptions.TestStatsEventTimeout, runsettings)
             {
-                TestCaseFilter = this.commandLineOptions.TestCaseFilterValue
+                TestCaseFilter = this.commandLineOptions.TestCaseFilterValue ?? testCaseFilterFromRunsettings
             };
 
             // Make sure to run the run request inside a lock as the below section is not thread-safe
diff --git a/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessorTests.cs b/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessorTests.cs
index bc3d6ef0fa..838f76fc6e 100644
--- a/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessorTests.cs
+++ b/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/RunSettingsArgumentProcessorTests.cs
@@ -363,6 +363,30 @@ public void InitializeShouldNotSetInIsolataionToTrueIfEnvironmentVariablesNotSpe
             Assert.IsNull(this.settingsProvider.QueryRunSettingsNode(InIsolationArgumentExecutor.RunSettingsPath));
         }
 
+        [TestMethod]
+        public void InitializeShouldUpdateTestCaseFilterIfProvided()
+        {
+            // Arrange.
+            var fileName = "C:\\temp\\r.runsettings";
+            var filter = "TestCategory=Included";
+            var settingsXml = $"<RunSettings><RunConfiguration><TestCaseFilter>{filter}</TestCaseFilter></RunConfiguration></RunSettings>";
+
+            var executor = new TestableRunSettingsArgumentExecutor(
+                CommandLineOptions.Instance,
+                this.settingsProvider,
+                settingsXml);
+
+            // Setup mocks.
+            var mockFileHelper = new Mock<IFileHelper>();
+            mockFileHelper.Setup(fh => fh.Exists(It.IsAny<string>())).Returns(true);
+            executor.FileHelper = mockFileHelper.Object;
+
+            // Act.
+            executor.Initialize(fileName);
+
+            // Assert.
+            Assert.AreEqual(filter, CommandLineOptions.Instance.TestCaseFilterValue);
+        }
         #endregion
 
         #region Testable Implementations
diff --git a/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessorTests.cs b/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessorTests.cs
index d684c7109c..7bd0c9292d 100644
--- a/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessorTests.cs
+++ b/test/vstest.console.UnitTests/Processors/TestCaseFilterArgumentProcessorTests.cs
@@ -64,13 +64,29 @@ public void ExecutorInitializeWithNullOrEmptyTestCaseFilterShouldThrowCommandLin
         }
 
         [TestMethod]
-        public void ExecutorInitializeWithValidTestCaseFilterShouldAddTestCaseFilterToCommandLineOptions()
+        public void ExecutorInitializeWithNullOrEmptyTestCaseFilterShouldNotThrowWhenTestFilterWasSpecifiedByPreviousStep()
+        {            
+            var options = CommandLineOptions.Instance;
+            options.TestCaseFilterValue = "Test=FilterFromPreviousStep";
+            TestCaseFilterArgumentExecutor executor = new TestCaseFilterArgumentExecutor(options);
+
+            executor.Initialize(null);
+        }
+
+        [TestMethod]
+        public void ExecutorInitializeWithTestCaseFilterShouldMergeWithTheValueProvidedByPreviousStep()
         {
             var options = CommandLineOptions.Instance;
+            var defaultValue = "Test=FilterFromPreviousStep";
+            options.TestCaseFilterValue = defaultValue;
+            Assert.AreEqual(defaultValue, options.TestCaseFilterValue);
             TestCaseFilterArgumentExecutor executor = new TestCaseFilterArgumentExecutor(options);
 
-            executor.Initialize("Debug");
-            Assert.AreEqual("Debug", options.TestCaseFilterValue);
+            var value = "Test=NewFilter";
+            executor.Initialize(value);
+
+            var expectedValue = $"({defaultValue})&({value})";
+            Assert.AreEqual(expectedValue, options.TestCaseFilterValue);
         }
 
         [TestMethod]