diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot-docs/src/docs/asciidoc/features/external-config.adoc b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot-docs/src/docs/asciidoc/features/external-config.adoc
index 125fad8767..c2529d50af 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot-docs/src/docs/asciidoc/features/external-config.adoc
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot-docs/src/docs/asciidoc/features/external-config.adoc
@@ -141,7 +141,10 @@ They must be defined as an environment property (typically an OS environment var
 
 If `spring.config.location` contains directories (as opposed to files), they should end in `/`.
 At runtime they will be appended with the names generated from `spring.config.name` before being loaded.
-Files specified in `spring.config.location` are used as-is.
+Files specified in `spring.config.location` are imported directly.
+
+NOTE: Both directory and file location values are also expanded to check for <<boot-features-external-config-files-profile-specific,profile-specific files>>.
+For example, if you have a `spring.config.location` of `classpath:myconfig.properties`, you will also find appropriate `classpath:myconfig-<profile>.properties` files are loaded.
 
 In most situations, each configprop:spring.config.location[] item you add will reference a single file or directory.
 Locations are processed in the order that they are defined and later ones can override the values of earlier ones.
@@ -281,6 +284,7 @@ For example, you might have the following in your classpath `application.propert
 This will trigger the import of a `dev.properties` file in current directory (if such a file exists).
 Values from the imported `dev.properties` will take precedence over the file that triggered the import.
 In the above example, the `dev.properties` could redefine `spring.application.name` to a different value.
+
 An import will only be imported once no matter how many times it is declared.
 The order an import is defined inside a single document within the properties/yaml file doesn't matter.
 For instance, the two examples below produce the same result:
@@ -308,6 +312,9 @@ In both of the above examples, the values from the `my.properties` file will tak
 Several locations can be specified under a single `spring.config.import` key.
 Locations will be processed in the order that they are defined, with later imports taking precedence.
 
+NOTE: When appropriate, <<boot-features-external-config-files-profile-specific, Profile-specific variants>> are also considered for import.
+The example above would import both `my.properties` as well as any `my-<profile>.properties` variants.
+
 [TIP]
 ====
 Spring Boot includes pluggable API that allows various different location addresses to be supported.
diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/StandardConfigDataLocationResolver.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/StandardConfigDataLocationResolver.java
index a14293ce58..4ec0ea2d89 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/StandardConfigDataLocationResolver.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/StandardConfigDataLocationResolver.java
@@ -145,9 +145,6 @@ public class StandardConfigDataLocationResolver
 	@Override
 	public List<StandardConfigDataResource> resolveProfileSpecific(ConfigDataLocationResolverContext context,
 			ConfigDataLocation location, Profiles profiles) {
-		if (context.getParent() != null) {
-			return null;
-		}
 		return resolve(getProfileSpecificReferences(context, location.split(), profiles));
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/ConfigDataEnvironmentPostProcessorIntegrationTests.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/ConfigDataEnvironmentPostProcessorIntegrationTests.java
index 3a5a969f12..fb0b2c9b80 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/ConfigDataEnvironmentPostProcessorIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/context/config/ConfigDataEnvironmentPostProcessorIntegrationTests.java
@@ -611,13 +611,13 @@ class ConfigDataEnvironmentPostProcessorIntegrationTests {
 		assertThat(context.getEnvironment().getProperty("my.value")).isEqualTo("iwasimported");
 	}
 
-	@Test
+	@Test // gh-26858
 	void runWhenImportWithProfileVariantOrdersPropertySourcesCorrectly() {
 		this.application.setAdditionalProfiles("dev");
 		ConfigurableApplicationContext context = this.application
 				.run("--spring.config.location=classpath:application-import-with-profile-variant.properties");
 		assertThat(context.getEnvironment().getProperty("my.value"))
-				.isEqualTo("application-import-with-profile-variant-dev");
+				.isEqualTo("application-import-with-profile-variant-imported-dev");
 	}
 
 	@Test