diff --git a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsRepository.java b/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsRepository.java
index 24f3a248264..657df50c09b 100644
--- a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsRepository.java
+++ b/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsRepository.java
@@ -52,8 +52,6 @@ import org.elasticsearch.repositories.blobstore.BlobStoreRepository;
 
 public final class HdfsRepository extends BlobStoreRepository implements FileContextFactory {
 
-    public final static String TYPE = "hdfs";
-
     private final BlobPath basePath;
     private final ByteSizeValue chunkSize;
     private final boolean compress;
@@ -77,7 +75,7 @@ public final class HdfsRepository extends BlobStoreRepository implements FileCon
         this.chunkSize = repositorySettings.settings().getAsBytesSize("chunk_size", settings.getAsBytesSize("chunk_size", null));
         this.compress = repositorySettings.settings().getAsBoolean("compress", settings.getAsBoolean("compress", false));
     }
-    
+
     @Override
     protected void doStart() {
         if (!Strings.hasText(uri)) {
@@ -183,13 +181,6 @@ public final class HdfsRepository extends BlobStoreRepository implements FileCon
         cfg.setClassLoader(this.getClass().getClassLoader());
         cfg.reloadConfiguration();
 
-        String confLocation = repositorySettings.settings().get("conf_location", settings.get("conf_location"));
-        if (Strings.hasText(confLocation)) {
-            for (String entry : Strings.commaDelimitedListToStringArray(confLocation)) {
-                addConfigLocation(cfg, entry.trim());
-            }
-        }
-
         Map<String, String> map = repositorySettings.settings().getByPrefix("conf.").getAsMap();
         for (Entry<String, String> entry : map.entrySet()) {
             cfg.set(entry.getKey(), entry.getValue());
@@ -214,46 +205,6 @@ public final class HdfsRepository extends BlobStoreRepository implements FileCon
         }
     }
 
-    @SuppressForbidden(reason = "Where is this reading configuration files from? It should use Environment for ES conf dir")
-    private void addConfigLocation(Configuration cfg, String confLocation) {
-        URL cfgURL = null;
-        // it's an URL
-        if (!confLocation.contains(":")) {
-            cfgURL = cfg.getClassLoader().getResource(confLocation);
-
-            // fall back to file
-            if (cfgURL == null) {
-                java.nio.file.Path path = PathUtils.get(confLocation);
-                if (!Files.isReadable(path)) {
-                    throw new IllegalArgumentException(
-                            String.format(Locale.ROOT,
-                                    "Cannot find classpath resource or file 'conf_location' [%s] defined for hdfs snapshot/restore",
-                                    confLocation));
-                }
-                String pathLocation = path.toUri().toString();
-                logger.debug("Adding path [{}] as file [{}]", confLocation, pathLocation);
-                confLocation = pathLocation;
-            }
-            else {
-                logger.debug("Resolving path [{}] to classpath [{}]", confLocation, cfgURL);
-            }
-        }
-        else {
-            logger.debug("Adding path [{}] as URL", confLocation);
-        }
-
-        if (cfgURL == null) {
-            try {
-                cfgURL = new URL(confLocation);
-            } catch (MalformedURLException ex) {
-                throw new IllegalArgumentException(String.format(Locale.ROOT,
-                        "Invalid 'conf_location' URL [%s] defined for hdfs snapshot/restore", confLocation), ex);
-            }
-        }
-
-        cfg.addResource(cfgURL);
-    }
-
     @Override
     protected BlobStore blobStore() {
         return blobStore;
diff --git a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsTests.java b/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsTests.java
index b132296ce12..9e833ad6c72 100644
--- a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsTests.java
+++ b/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/hdfs/HdfsTests.java
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ public class HdfsTests extends ESIntegTestCase {
                         .put("uri", "hdfs:///")
                         .put("conf.fs.AbstractFileSystem.hdfs.impl", TestingFs.class.getName())
                         .put("path", "foo")
-                        .put("conf", "additional-cfg.xml, conf-2.xml")
                         .put("chunk_size", randomIntBetween(100, 1000) + "k")
                         .put("compress", randomBoolean())
                         ).get();
@@ -143,7 +142,7 @@ public class HdfsTests extends ESIntegTestCase {
             // expected
         }
     }
-    
+
     public void testNonHdfsUri() {
         Client client = client();
         try {
@@ -191,4 +190,4 @@ public class HdfsTests extends ESIntegTestCase {
     private long count(Client client, String index) {
         return client.prepareSearch(index).setSize(0).get().getHits().totalHits();
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/resources/additional-cfg.xml b/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/resources/additional-cfg.xml
deleted file mode 100644
index b1b6611e924..00000000000
--- a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/resources/additional-cfg.xml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0"?>
-<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="configuration.xsl"?>
-<configuration>
-  <property>
-    <name>foo</name>
-    <value>foo</value>
-  </property>
-  <property>
-    <name>paradise</name>
-    <value>lost</value>
-  </property>
-</configuration>
diff --git a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/resources/conf-2.xml b/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/resources/conf-2.xml
deleted file mode 100644
index b1b6611e924..00000000000
--- a/plugins/repository-hdfs/src/test/resources/conf-2.xml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0"?>
-<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="configuration.xsl"?>
-<configuration>
-  <property>
-    <name>foo</name>
-    <value>foo</value>
-  </property>
-  <property>
-    <name>paradise</name>
-    <value>lost</value>
-  </property>
-</configuration>