diff --git a/src/AudacityApp.cpp b/src/AudacityApp.cpp
index 86e456126..e78f92184 100644
--- a/src/AudacityApp.cpp
+++ b/src/AudacityApp.cpp
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ It handles initialization and termination by subclassing wxApp.
 #include "AudacityLogger.h"
 #include "AboutDialog.h"
 #include "AColor.h"
+#include "AudacityFileConfig.h"
 #include "AudioIO.h"
 #include "Benchmark.h"
 #include "Clipboard.h"
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ void PopulatePreferences()
    {
       const wxString fullPath{fn.GetFullPath()};
 
-      FileConfig ini(wxEmptyString,
+      AudacityFileConfig ini(wxEmptyString,
                      wxEmptyString,
                      fullPath,
                      wxEmptyString,
@@ -1245,9 +1246,15 @@ bool AudacityApp::OnInit()
 #endif
 
    // Initialize preferences and language
-   wxFileName configFileName(FileNames::DataDir(), wxT("audacity.cfg"));
-   InitPreferences( configFileName );
-   PopulatePreferences();
+   {
+      wxFileName configFileName(FileNames::DataDir(), wxT("audacity.cfg"));
+      auto appName = wxTheApp->GetAppName();
+      InitPreferences( std::make_unique<AudacityFileConfig>(
+         appName, wxEmptyString,
+         configFileName.GetFullPath(),
+         wxEmptyString, wxCONFIG_USE_LOCAL_FILE) );
+      PopulatePreferences();
+   }
 
 #if defined(__WXMSW__) && !defined(__WXUNIVERSAL__) && !defined(__CYGWIN__)
    this->AssociateFileTypes();
diff --git a/src/AudacityFileConfig.cpp b/src/AudacityFileConfig.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b6e4d7bb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/AudacityFileConfig.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+/**********************************************************************
+
+Audacity: A Digital Audio Editor
+
+AudacityFileConfig.cpp
+
+Paul Licameli split from Prefs.cpp
+
+**********************************************************************/
+
+#include "AudacityFileConfig.h"
+
+AudacityFileConfig::~AudacityFileConfig() = default;
diff --git a/src/AudacityFileConfig.h b/src/AudacityFileConfig.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..48762d66e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/AudacityFileConfig.h
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/**********************************************************************
+
+Audacity: A Digital Audio Editor
+
+@file AudacityFileConfig.h
+@brief Extend FileConfig with application-specific behavior
+
+Paul Licameli split from Prefs.h
+
+**********************************************************************/
+
+#ifndef __AUDACITY_FILE_CONFIG__
+#define __AUDACITY_FILE_CONFIG__
+
+#include "widgets/FileConfig.h" // to inherit
+
+/// \brief Our own specialisation of FileConfig.  It is essentially a renaming.
+class AUDACITY_DLL_API AudacityFileConfig final : public FileConfig
+{
+public:
+   using FileConfig::FileConfig;
+
+   ~AudacityFileConfig() override;
+};
+#endif
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 7c8e1c84f..cfcc2cb23 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -78,6 +78,8 @@ list( APPEND SOURCES
       $<$<BOOL:${wxIS_MAC}>:AudacityApp.mm>
       AudacityException.cpp
       AudacityException.h
+      AudacityFileConfig.cpp
+      AudacityFileConfig.h
       AudacityHeaders.cpp
       AudacityHeaders.h
       AudacityLogger.cpp
diff --git a/src/PluginManager.cpp b/src/PluginManager.cpp
index 3000df355..26741201b 100644
--- a/src/PluginManager.cpp
+++ b/src/PluginManager.cpp
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ for shared and private configs - which need to move out.
 #include "audacity/EffectInterface.h"
 #include "audacity/ModuleInterface.h"
 
+#include "AudacityFileConfig.h"
 #include "FileNames.h"
 #include "ModuleManager.h"
 #include "PlatformCompatibility.h"
@@ -1929,7 +1930,8 @@ bool PluginManager::DropFile(const wxString &fileName)
 void PluginManager::Load()
 {
    // Create/Open the registry
-   FileConfig registry(wxEmptyString, wxEmptyString, FileNames::PluginRegistry());
+   AudacityFileConfig registry(
+      {}, {}, FileNames::PluginRegistry());
 
    // If this group doesn't exist then we have something that's not a registry.
    // We should probably warn the user, but it's pretty unlikely that this will happen.
@@ -2270,7 +2272,8 @@ void PluginManager::LoadGroup(FileConfig *pRegistry, PluginType type)
 void PluginManager::Save()
 {
    // Create/Open the registry
-   FileConfig registry(wxEmptyString, wxEmptyString, FileNames::PluginRegistry());
+   AudacityFileConfig registry(
+      {}, {}, FileNames::PluginRegistry());
 
    // Clear it out
    registry.DeleteAll();
@@ -2777,7 +2780,7 @@ FileConfig *PluginManager::GetSettings()
 {
    if (!mSettings)
    {
-      mSettings = std::make_unique<FileConfig>(wxEmptyString, wxEmptyString, FileNames::PluginSettings());
+      mSettings = std::make_unique<AudacityFileConfig>(wxEmptyString, wxEmptyString, FileNames::PluginSettings());
 
       // Check for a settings version that we can understand
       if (mSettings->HasEntry(SETVERKEY))
@@ -2805,7 +2808,7 @@ FileConfig *PluginManager::GetSettings()
 
 bool PluginManager::HasGroup(const RegistryPath & group)
 {
-   FileConfig *settings = GetSettings();
+   auto settings = GetSettings();
 
    bool res = settings->HasGroup(group);
    if (res)
diff --git a/src/Prefs.cpp b/src/Prefs.cpp
index 18572a13e..6f02f668d 100755
--- a/src/Prefs.cpp
+++ b/src/Prefs.cpp
@@ -62,9 +62,9 @@
 #include "Internat.h"
 #include "MemoryX.h"
 
-std::unique_ptr<AudacityPrefs> ugPrefs {};
+std::unique_ptr<FileConfig> ugPrefs {};
 
-AudacityPrefs *gPrefs = NULL;
+FileConfig *gPrefs = nullptr;
 int gMenusDirty = 0;
 
 wxDEFINE_EVENT(EVT_PREFS_UPDATE, wxCommandEvent);
@@ -171,33 +171,10 @@ static void CopyEntriesRecursive(wxString path, wxConfigBase *src, wxConfigBase
 }
 #endif
 
-AudacityPrefs::AudacityPrefs(const wxString& appName,
-               const wxString& vendorName,
-               const wxString& localFilename,
-               const wxString& globalFilename,
-               long style,
-               const wxMBConv& conv) :
-   FileConfig(appName,
-              vendorName,
-              localFilename,
-              globalFilename,
-              style,
-              conv)
+void InitPreferences( std::unique_ptr<FileConfig> uPrefs )
 {
-}
-
-
-
-void InitPreferences( const wxFileName &configFileName )
-{
-   wxString appName = wxTheApp->GetAppName();
-
-   ugPrefs = std::make_unique<AudacityPrefs>
-      (appName, wxEmptyString,
-       configFileName.GetFullPath(),
-       wxEmptyString, wxCONFIG_USE_LOCAL_FILE);
-   gPrefs = ugPrefs.get();
-
+   gPrefs = uPrefs.get();
+   ugPrefs = std::move(uPrefs);
    wxConfigBase::Set(gPrefs);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/Prefs.h b/src/Prefs.h
index 35df9d1b7..985670aad 100644
--- a/src/Prefs.h
+++ b/src/Prefs.h
@@ -40,28 +40,13 @@
 
 class wxFileName;
 
-void InitPreferences( const wxFileName &configFileName );
+void InitPreferences( std::unique_ptr<FileConfig> uPrefs );
 void FinishPreferences();
 
-class AudacityPrefs;
-
-
-extern AUDACITY_DLL_API AudacityPrefs *gPrefs;
+extern AUDACITY_DLL_API FileConfig *gPrefs;
 extern int gMenusDirty;
 
 
-/// \brief Our own specialisation of wxFileConfig.  It is essentially a renaming.
-class  AUDACITY_DLL_API AudacityPrefs : public FileConfig
-{
-public:
-   AudacityPrefs(const wxString& appName = {},
-               const wxString& vendorName = {},
-               const wxString& localFilename = {},
-               const wxString& globalFilename = {},
-               long style = wxCONFIG_USE_LOCAL_FILE | wxCONFIG_USE_GLOBAL_FILE,
-               const wxMBConv& conv = wxConvAuto());
-};
-
 struct ByColumns_t{};
 extern ByColumns_t ByColumns;