# Configure AMI distribution with an EC2 launch template
To help ensure a consistent launch experience for your Image Builder AMI in target accounts and Regions, you can specify an Amazon EC2 launch template in your distribution settings, using `launchTemplateConfigurations`. When `launchTemplateConfigurations` are present during the distribution process, Image Builder creates a new version of the launch template that includes all of the original settings from the template, and the new AMI ID from the build. For more information about launching an EC2 instance using a launch template, see [Launch EC2 instances using a launch template](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/launch-instances-from-launch-template.html) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*.
**Note**
When you include a launch template to enable Windows Fast Launch in your image, the launch template must include the following tag so that Image Builder can enable Windows Fast Launch on your behalf.
`CreatedBy: EC2 Image Builder`
When you configure `launchTemplateConfigurations`, the following rules apply:
+ Identify the launch template by `launchTemplateId`. Within the launch template configurations for a Region, a launch template ID can appear at most once.
+ `setDefaultVersion` controls whether Image Builder makes the new launch template version the default version. This optional field defaults to `true`. To create the new version without changing the launch template's default version, set this field to `false`.
+ Use `accountId` to update a launch template that another account owns. If you omit it, Image Builder updates the launch template in your account. To update a launch template in another account, Image Builder assumes the `EC2ImageBuilderDistributionCrossAccountRole` in that account, in the Region of the distribution. For more information, see [Set up cross-account AMI distribution with Image Builder](cross-account-dist.md). The new launch template version references the AMI that your account owns in that Region.
Image Builder rejects the distribution configuration unless the account is listed in `targetAccountIds` or in the `userIds` of `launchPermission` for that Region, or the AMI is public. Launch permission that you grant through `organizationArns` or `organizationalUnitArns` doesn't meet this requirement.
+ You can configure up to five launch template configurations per Region. This is a default service quota that you can request to increase. For more information, see [EC2 Image Builder endpoints and quotas](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/imagebuilder.html).
## Add an EC2 launch template to AMI distribution settings in the console
To provide a launch template with your output AMI, follow these steps in the console:
1. Open the EC2 Image Builder console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/imagebuilder/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/imagebuilder/).
1. Choose **Distribution settings** from the navigation pane. This shows a list of the distribution settings that are created under your account.
1. At the top of the **Distribution settings** page, choose **Create distribution settings**. This opens the **Create distribution settings** page.
1. In the **Image type** section, choose the **Amazon Machine Image (AMI)** **Output type**. This is the default setting.
1. In the **General** section, enter the **Name** of the distribution settings resource that you want to create (*required*).
1. In the **Region settings** section, select the name of an EC2 launch template from the list. If there are no launch templates in your account, choose **Create new launch template**, which opens the **Launch Templates** in the **EC2 Dashboard**.
Select the **Set the default version** check box to update the launch template default version to the new version that Image Builder creates with your output AMI.
To add another launch template to the selected Region, choose **Add launch template configuration**.
To remove a launch template, choose **Remove**.
1. Continue specifying any additional settings that you require, and choose **Create settings** to create your new distribution settings resource.
## Add an EC2 launch template to AMI distribution settings from the AWS CLI
This section describes how to configure a distribution settings file with a launch template, and use the **create-image** command in the AWS CLI to build and distribute an Image Builder AMI and a new version of the launch template that uses it.
1.
**Configure a distribution settings file**
Before you can create an Image Builder AMI with a launch template, using the AWS CLI, you must create a distribution configuration JSON structure that specifies the `launchTemplateConfigurations` settings. You must specify at least one `launchTemplateConfigurations` entry in the source Region.
The following sample file, named `create-distribution-config-launch-template.json`, shows a few possible scenarios for launch template configuration in the source Region.
```
{
"name": "NewDistributionConfiguration",
"description": "This is just a test",
"distributions": [
{
"region": "us-west-2",
"amiDistributionConfiguration": {
"name": "test-{{imagebuilder:buildDate}}-{{imagebuilder:buildVersion}}",
"description": "description"
},
"launchTemplateConfigurations": [
{
"launchTemplateId": "lt-0a1bcde2fgh34567",
"accountId": "935302948087",
"setDefaultVersion": true
},
{
"launchTemplateId": "lt-0aaa1bcde2ff3456"
},
{
"launchTemplateId": "lt-12345678901234567",
"accountId": "123456789012"
}
]
}
],
"clientToken": "clientToken1"
}
```
1.
**Create the distribution settings**
To create an Image Builder distribution settings resource using the [create-distribution-configuration](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/imagebuilder/create-distribution-configuration.html) command in the AWS CLI, provide the following parameters in the command:
+ Enter the name of the distribution in the `--name` parameter.
+ Attach the distribution configuration JSON file you created in the `--cli-input-json` parameter.
```
aws imagebuilder create-distribution-configuration --name {{my distribution name}}--cli-input-json file://{{create-distribution-config-launch-template.json}}
```
**Note**
You must include the `file://` notation at the beginning of the JSON file path.
The path for the JSON file should follow the appropriate convention for the base operating system where you are running the command. For example, Windows uses the backslash (\\) to refer to the directory path, while Linux and macOS use the forward slash (/).
*You can also provide JSON directly in the command, using the `--distributions` parameter.*