diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/cache.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/cache.py
index b819a0c2da..9e0c931a07 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/cache.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/cache.py
@@ -636,7 +636,7 @@ class Cache(NoCache):
                 # Have to be careful about spaces and colons in filenames
                 flist = self.filelist_regex.split(fl)
                 for f in flist:
-                    if not f or "*" in f:
+                    if not f:
                         continue
                     f, exist = f.split(":")
                     if (exist == "True" and not os.path.exists(f)) or (exist == "False" and os.path.exists(f)):
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/__init__.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/__init__.py
index 756f60212f..7ec1fea5d0 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/__init__.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/__init__.py
@@ -1195,8 +1195,6 @@ def get_checksum_file_list(d):
             paths = ud.method.localpaths(ud, d)
             for f in paths:
                 pth = ud.decodedurl
-                if '*' in pth:
-                    f = os.path.join(os.path.abspath(f), pth)
                 if f.startswith(dl_dir):
                     # The local fetcher's behaviour is to return a path under DL_DIR if it couldn't find the file anywhere else
                     if os.path.exists(f):
@@ -1365,9 +1363,6 @@ class FetchMethod(object):
         # We cannot compute checksums for directories
         if os.path.isdir(urldata.localpath):
             return False
-        if urldata.localpath.find("*") != -1:
-            return False
-
         return True
 
     def recommends_checksum(self, urldata):
@@ -1430,11 +1425,6 @@ class FetchMethod(object):
         iterate = False
         file = urldata.localpath
 
-        # Localpath can't deal with 'dir/*' entries, so it converts them to '.',
-        # but it must be corrected back for local files copying
-        if urldata.basename == '*' and file.endswith('/.'):
-            file = '%s/%s' % (file.rstrip('/.'), urldata.path)
-
         try:
             unpack = bb.utils.to_boolean(urldata.parm.get('unpack'), True)
         except ValueError as exc:
@@ -1613,8 +1603,6 @@ class FetchMethod(object):
         """
         if os.path.exists(ud.localpath):
             return True
-        if ud.localpath.find("*") != -1:
-            return True
         return False
 
     def implicit_urldata(self, ud, d):
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/local.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/local.py
index 01d9ff9f8f..25d4557db6 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/local.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/fetch2/local.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import os
 import urllib.request, urllib.parse, urllib.error
 import bb
 import bb.utils
-from   bb.fetch2 import FetchMethod, FetchError
+from   bb.fetch2 import FetchMethod, FetchError, ParameterError
 from   bb.fetch2 import logger
 
 class Local(FetchMethod):
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ class Local(FetchMethod):
         ud.basename = os.path.basename(ud.decodedurl)
         ud.basepath = ud.decodedurl
         ud.needdonestamp = False
+        if "*" in ud.decodedurl:
+            raise bb.fetch2.ParameterError("file:// urls using globbing are no longer supported. Please place the files in a directory and reference that instead.", ud.url)
         return
 
     def localpath(self, urldata, d):
@@ -55,12 +57,6 @@ class Local(FetchMethod):
             logger.debug(2, "Searching for %s in paths:\n    %s" % (path, "\n    ".join(filespath.split(":"))))
             newpath, hist = bb.utils.which(filespath, path, history=True)
             searched.extend(hist)
-        if (not newpath or not os.path.exists(newpath)) and path.find("*") != -1:
-            # For expressions using '*', best we can do is take the first directory in FILESPATH that exists
-            newpath, hist = bb.utils.which(filespath, ".", history=True)
-            searched.extend(hist)
-            logger.debug(2, "Searching for %s in path: %s" % (path, newpath))
-            return searched
         if not os.path.exists(newpath):
             dldirfile = os.path.join(d.getVar("DL_DIR"), path)
             logger.debug(2, "Defaulting to %s for %s" % (dldirfile, path))
@@ -70,8 +66,6 @@ class Local(FetchMethod):
         return searched
 
     def need_update(self, ud, d):
-        if ud.url.find("*") != -1:
-            return False
         if os.path.exists(ud.localpath):
             return False
         return True
@@ -95,9 +89,6 @@ class Local(FetchMethod):
         """
         Check the status of the url
         """
-        if urldata.localpath.find("*") != -1:
-            logger.info("URL %s looks like a glob and was therefore not checked.", urldata.url)
-            return True
         if os.path.exists(urldata.localpath):
             return True
         return False
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/fetch.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/fetch.py
index 61b80bedee..13561cea9b 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/fetch.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/fetch.py
@@ -602,8 +602,8 @@ class FetcherLocalTest(FetcherTest):
         self.assertEqual(tree, ['a', 'dir/c'])
 
     def test_local_wildcard(self):
-        tree = self.fetchUnpack(['file://a', 'file://dir/*'])
-        self.assertEqual(tree, ['a',  'dir/c', 'dir/d', 'dir/subdir/e'])
+        with self.assertRaises(bb.fetch2.ParameterError):
+            tree = self.fetchUnpack(['file://a', 'file://dir/*'])
 
     def test_local_dir(self):
         tree = self.fetchUnpack(['file://a', 'file://dir'])