diff --git a/openflexure_microscope/config.py b/openflexure_microscope/config.py
index cf4c990a..659b7287 100644
--- a/openflexure_microscope/config.py
+++ b/openflexure_microscope/config.py
@@ -54,17 +54,11 @@ class OpenflexureSettingsFile:
         expand (bool): Expand paths to valid auxillary config files.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, config_path: str = None, expand: bool = True):
+    def __init__(self, config_path: str = None):
         global DEFAULT_CONFIG, USER_CONFIG_FILE_PATH
 
-        self.expandable_keys = {
-            "camera_settings": None,
-            "stage_settings": None,
-        }  #: Dictionary of keys that can be passed as a file path string and expanded automatically
-
         # Set arguments
         self.config_path = config_path or USER_CONFIG_FILE_PATH
-        self.expand = expand
 
         # Initialise basic config file with defaults if it doesn't exist
         initialise_file(self.config_path, populate=DEFAULT_CONFIG)
@@ -76,11 +70,6 @@ class OpenflexureSettingsFile:
         # Unexpanded config dictionary (used at load/save time)
         loaded_config = load_json_file(self.config_path)
 
-        # If the loaded config is in contracted format
-        if self.expand:
-            # Expand self.raw_config into self._config
-            loaded_config = self.expand_config(loaded_config)
-
         logging.debug("Reading settings from disk")
         return loaded_config
 
@@ -88,12 +77,8 @@ class OpenflexureSettingsFile:
         """
         Save config to a file on-disk, and splits into auxillary config files if available.
         """
-        # If the loaded config was in contracted format
-        if self.expand:
-            # Contract self._config into self.raw_config
-            save_settings = self.contract_config(config)
-        else:
-            save_settings = config
+
+        save_settings = config
 
         if backup:
             if os.path.isfile(self.config_path):
@@ -109,68 +94,9 @@ class OpenflexureSettingsFile:
 
         return settings
 
-    def expand_config(self, config_dict):
-        """
-        Search a config dictionary for paths to valid auxillary config files,
-        and expand into the config dictionary if available.
-
-        Args:
-            config_dict (dict): Dictionary of config data to expand
-        """
-        return_config = {}
-        if not config_dict:
-            config_dict = {}
-        # For each value in the raw loaded config
-        for key, value in config_dict.items():
-            # If it's a valid expandable parameter
-            if key in self.expandable_keys and type(value) is str:
-
-                logging.debug("Expanding {}".format(value))
-
-                # Store expansion path
-                self.expandable_keys[key] = config_dict[key]
-                # Create the expansion file if it doesn't yet exist
-                initialise_file(value)
-                # Load the expansion file into _config
-                return_config[key] = load_json_file(value) or {}
-            else:
-                return_config[key] = value
-
-        return return_config
-
-    def contract_config(self, config_dict):
-        """
-        Split a config dictionary into auxillary config files, if available.
-
-        Args:
-            config_dict (dict): Dictionary of config data to contract/split
-        """
-        return_config = {}
-        # For each value in the expanded config
-        for key, value in config_dict.items():
-            # If it's a valid expandable parameter
-            if (
-                key in self.expandable_keys
-                and self.expandable_keys[key] is not None
-                and type(value) is dict
-            ):
-
-                logging.debug("Saving to {}".format(self.expandable_keys[key]))
-                # Create the file if it doesn't exist
-                initialise_file(self.expandable_keys[key])
-                # Save the expanded config dictionary to the file
-                save_json_file(self.expandable_keys[key], value)
-                # Replace the expanded dictionary with a file path
-                return_config[key] = self.expandable_keys[key]
-            else:
-                return_config[key] = value
-
-        return return_config
-
 
 # HANDLE BASIC LOADING AND SAVING OF SETTINGS FILES
 
-
 def load_json_file(config_path) -> dict:
     """
     Open a .json config file
@@ -262,4 +188,4 @@ with open(DEFAULT_CONFIG_FILE_PATH, "r") as default_rc:
     DEFAULT_CONFIG = default_rc.read()
 
 # Create the default user settings object
-user_settings = OpenflexureSettingsFile(config_path=USER_CONFIG_FILE_PATH, expand=True)
+user_settings = OpenflexureSettingsFile(config_path=USER_CONFIG_FILE_PATH)