diff --git a/client/crash_report_database_mac.mm b/client/crash_report_database_mac.mm
index 7a9154b8..3bba2b63 100644
--- a/client/crash_report_database_mac.mm
+++ b/client/crash_report_database_mac.mm
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ class CrashReportDatabaseMac : public CrashReportDatabase {
 CrashReportDatabaseMac::CrashReportDatabaseMac(const base::FilePath& path)
     : CrashReportDatabase(),
       base_dir_(path),
-      settings_(base_dir_.Append(kSettings)),
+      settings_(),
       xattr_new_names_(false),
       initialized_() {
 }
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ bool CrashReportDatabaseMac::Initialize(bool may_create) {
       return false;
   }
 
-  if (!settings_.Initialize())
+  if (!settings_.Initialize(base_dir_.Append(kSettings)))
     return false;
 
   // Do an xattr operation as the last step, to ensure the filesystem has
diff --git a/client/crash_report_database_win.cc b/client/crash_report_database_win.cc
index 538eff5f..d6699e1b 100644
--- a/client/crash_report_database_win.cc
+++ b/client/crash_report_database_win.cc
@@ -610,11 +610,7 @@ class CrashReportDatabaseWin : public CrashReportDatabase {
 };
 
 CrashReportDatabaseWin::CrashReportDatabaseWin(const base::FilePath& path)
-    : CrashReportDatabase(),
-      base_dir_(path),
-      settings_(base_dir_.Append(kSettings)),
-      initialized_() {
-}
+    : CrashReportDatabase(), base_dir_(path), settings_(), initialized_() {}
 
 CrashReportDatabaseWin::~CrashReportDatabaseWin() {
 }
@@ -634,7 +630,7 @@ bool CrashReportDatabaseWin::Initialize(bool may_create) {
   if (!CreateDirectoryIfNecessary(base_dir_.Append(kReportsDirectory)))
     return false;
 
-  if (!settings_.Initialize())
+  if (!settings_.Initialize(base_dir_.Append(kSettings)))
     return false;
 
   INITIALIZATION_STATE_SET_VALID(initialized_);
diff --git a/client/settings.cc b/client/settings.cc
index 15d16f2e..8d4dbec8 100644
--- a/client/settings.cc
+++ b/client/settings.cc
@@ -59,16 +59,14 @@ struct Settings::Data {
   UUID client_id;
 };
 
-Settings::Settings(const base::FilePath& file_path)
-    : file_path_(file_path),
-      initialized_() {
-}
+Settings::Settings() = default;
 
-Settings::~Settings() {
-}
+Settings::~Settings() = default;
 
-bool Settings::Initialize() {
+bool Settings::Initialize(const base::FilePath& file_path) {
+  DCHECK(initialized_.is_uninitialized());
   initialized_.set_invalid();
+  file_path_ = file_path;
 
   Data settings;
   if (!OpenForWritingAndReadSettings(&settings).is_valid())
diff --git a/client/settings.h b/client/settings.h
index b64f74fb..488080c1 100644
--- a/client/settings.h
+++ b/client/settings.h
@@ -44,10 +44,18 @@ struct ScopedLockedFileHandleTraits {
 //! should be retrieved via CrashReportDatabase::GetSettings().
 class Settings {
  public:
-  explicit Settings(const base::FilePath& file_path);
+  Settings();
   ~Settings();
 
-  bool Initialize();
+  //! \brief Initializes the settings data store.
+  //!
+  //! This method must be called only once, and must be successfully called
+  //! before any other method in this class may be called.
+  //!
+  //! \param[in] path The location to store the settings data.
+  //! \return `true` if the data store was initialized successfully, otherwise
+  //!     `false` with an error logged.
+  bool Initialize(const base::FilePath& path);
 
   //! \brief Retrieves the immutable identifier for this client, which is used
   //!     on a server to locate all crash reports from a specific Crashpad
diff --git a/client/settings_test.cc b/client/settings_test.cc
index ca961a23..3a5730bd 100644
--- a/client/settings_test.cc
+++ b/client/settings_test.cc
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ namespace {
 
 class SettingsTest : public testing::Test {
  public:
-  SettingsTest() : settings_(settings_path()) {}
+  SettingsTest() = default;
 
   base::FilePath settings_path() {
     return temp_dir_.path().Append(FILE_PATH_LITERAL("settings"));
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class SettingsTest : public testing::Test {
  protected:
   // testing::Test:
   void SetUp() override {
-    ASSERT_TRUE(settings()->Initialize());
+    ASSERT_TRUE(settings()->Initialize(settings_path()));
   }
 
  private:
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ TEST_F(SettingsTest, ClientID) {
   EXPECT_TRUE(settings()->GetClientID(&client_id));
   EXPECT_NE(client_id, UUID());
 
-  Settings local_settings(settings_path());
-  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize());
+  Settings local_settings;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize(settings_path()));
   UUID actual;
   EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.GetClientID(&actual));
   EXPECT_EQ(actual, client_id);
@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ TEST_F(SettingsTest, UploadsEnabled) {
   EXPECT_TRUE(settings()->GetUploadsEnabled(&enabled));
   EXPECT_TRUE(enabled);
 
-  Settings local_settings(settings_path());
-  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize());
+  Settings local_settings;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize(settings_path()));
   enabled = false;
   EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.GetUploadsEnabled(&enabled));
   EXPECT_TRUE(enabled);
@@ -107,8 +107,8 @@ TEST_F(SettingsTest, LastUploadAttemptTime) {
   EXPECT_TRUE(settings()->GetLastUploadAttemptTime(&actual));
   EXPECT_EQ(actual, expected);
 
-  Settings local_settings(settings_path());
-  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize());
+  Settings local_settings;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize(settings_path()));
   actual = -1;
   EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.GetLastUploadAttemptTime(&actual));
   EXPECT_EQ(actual, expected);
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ TEST_F(SettingsTest, LastUploadAttemptTime) {
 TEST_F(SettingsTest, BadFileOnInitialize) {
   InitializeBadFile();
 
-  Settings settings(settings_path());
-  EXPECT_TRUE(settings.Initialize());
+  Settings settings;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(settings.Initialize(settings_path()));
 }
 
 TEST_F(SettingsTest, BadFileOnGet) {
@@ -131,8 +131,8 @@ TEST_F(SettingsTest, BadFileOnGet) {
   EXPECT_TRUE(settings()->GetClientID(&client_id));
   EXPECT_NE(client_id, UUID());
 
-  Settings local_settings(settings_path());
-  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize());
+  Settings local_settings;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize(settings_path()));
   UUID actual;
   EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.GetClientID(&actual));
   EXPECT_EQ(actual, client_id);
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ TEST_F(SettingsTest, UnlinkFile) {
       << ErrnoMessage("unlink");
 #endif
 
-  Settings local_settings(settings_path());
-  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize());
+  Settings local_settings;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.Initialize(settings_path()));
   UUID new_client_id;
   EXPECT_TRUE(local_settings.GetClientID(&new_client_id));
   EXPECT_NE(new_client_id, client_id);