diff --git a/core/modules/file/tests/src/Functional/FileManagedAccessTest.php b/core/modules/file/tests/src/Functional/FileManagedAccessTest.php
index d5c115d..b749ea2 100644
--- a/core/modules/file/tests/src/Functional/FileManagedAccessTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/file/tests/src/Functional/FileManagedAccessTest.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ public function testFileAccess() {
     $file->save();
 
     // Create authenticated user to check file access.
-    $account = $this->createUser(['access content']);
+    $account = $this->createUser(['access site reports', 'access content']);
 
     $this->assertTrue($file->access('view', $account), 'Public file is viewable to authenticated user');
     $this->assertTrue($file->access('download', $account), 'Public file is downloadable to authenticated user');
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public function testFileAccess() {
     $file->save();
 
     // Create authenticated user to check file access.
-    $account = $this->createUser(['access content']);
+    $account = $this->createUser(['access site reports', 'access content']);
 
     $this->assertFalse($file->access('view', $account), 'Private file is not viewable to authenticated user');
     $this->assertFalse($file->access('download', $account), 'Private file is not downloadable to authenticated user');
diff --git a/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php b/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
index 2f21be6..d2064fa 100644
--- a/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
+++ b/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
@@ -66,28 +66,11 @@ public function denormalize($data, $class, $format = NULL, array $context = [])
 
     $entity = $this->entityManager->getStorage('file')->create($data);
 
-
-    // Remove links from data array.
-    unset($data['_links']);
-    // Get embedded resources and remove from data array.
-    $embedded = [];
-    if (isset($data['_embedded'])) {
-      $embedded = $data['_embedded'];
-      unset($data['_embedded']);
-    }
-
-    // Flatten the embedded values.
-    foreach ($embedded as $relation => $field) {
-      $field_ids = $this->linkManager->getRelationInternalIds($relation);
-      if (!empty($field_ids)) {
-        $field_name = $field_ids['field_name'];
-        $data[$field_name] = $field;
-      }
-    }
-
     // Pass the names of the fields whose values can be merged.
     // @todo https://www.drupal.org/node/2456257 remove this.
+    unset($data['_links'], $data['_embedded']);
     $entity->_restSubmittedFields = array_keys($data);
+
     return $entity;
   }
 
diff --git a/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileHalJsonAnonTest.php b/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileHalJsonAnonTest.php
index 0d667a6..9351fef 100644
--- a/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileHalJsonAnonTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/hal/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileHalJsonAnonTest.php
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 use Drupal\Tests\hal\Functional\EntityResource\HalEntityNormalizationTrait;
 use Drupal\Tests\rest\Functional\AnonResourceTestTrait;
 use Drupal\Tests\rest\Functional\EntityResource\File\FileResourceTestBase;
-use Drupal\user\Entity\User;
 
 /**
  * @group hal
diff --git a/core/modules/rest/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileResourceTestBase.php b/core/modules/rest/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileResourceTestBase.php
index 5302c20..ef97646 100644
--- a/core/modules/rest/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileResourceTestBase.php
+++ b/core/modules/rest/tests/src/Functional/EntityResource/File/FileResourceTestBase.php
@@ -32,8 +32,6 @@
   ];
 
   /**
-   * Additional user to prevent access to file by uid.
-   *
    * @var \Drupal\user\UserInterface
    */
   protected $author;
@@ -59,11 +57,7 @@ protected function setUpAuthorization($method) {
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   protected function createEntity() {
-    $this->author = User::create([
-      'name' => 'Unknown' . $this->randomMachineName(8),
-      'status' => 1,
-    ]);
-    $this->author->save();
+    $this->author = User::load(1);
 
     $file = File::create();
     $file->setOwnerId($this->author->id());