diff --git a/src/uu/tail/src/args.rs b/src/uu/tail/src/args.rs
index 8e039b5f4b..177ff541a1 100644
--- a/src/uu/tail/src/args.rs
+++ b/src/uu/tail/src/args.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ use clap::{parser::ValueSource, Arg, ArgAction, ArgMatches, Command};
 use fundu::DurationParser;
 use is_terminal::IsTerminal;
 use same_file::Handle;
-use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::ffi::OsString;
 use std::time::Duration;
 use uucore::error::{UResult, USimpleError, UUsageError};
@@ -141,7 +140,8 @@ pub struct Settings {
     pub use_polling: bool,
     pub verbose: bool,
     pub presume_input_pipe: bool,
-    pub inputs: VecDeque<Input>,
+    /// `FILE(s)` positional arguments
+    pub inputs: Vec<Input>,
 }
 
 impl Default for Settings {
@@ -173,11 +173,11 @@ impl Settings {
         }
         settings.mode = FilterMode::from_obsolete_args(args);
         let input = if let Some(name) = name {
-            Input::from(&name)
+            Input::from(name)
         } else {
             Input::default()
         };
-        settings.inputs.push_back(input);
+        settings.inputs.push(input);
         settings
     }
 
@@ -257,19 +257,13 @@ impl Settings {
             }
         }
 
-        let mut inputs: VecDeque<Input> = matches
-            .get_many::<String>(options::ARG_FILES)
-            .map(|v| v.map(|string| Input::from(&string)).collect())
-            .unwrap_or_default();
+        settings.inputs = matches
+            .get_raw(options::ARG_FILES)
+            .map(|v| v.map(Input::from).collect())
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| vec![Input::default()]);
 
-        // apply default and add '-' to inputs if none is present
-        if inputs.is_empty() {
-            inputs.push_front(Input::default());
-        }
-
-        settings.verbose = inputs.len() > 1 && !matches.get_flag(options::verbosity::QUIET);
-
-        settings.inputs = inputs;
+        settings.verbose =
+            settings.inputs.len() > 1 && !matches.get_flag(options::verbosity::QUIET);
 
         Ok(settings)
     }
diff --git a/src/uu/tail/src/follow/watch.rs b/src/uu/tail/src/follow/watch.rs
index 2c3cf10b85..966f391204 100644
--- a/src/uu/tail/src/follow/watch.rs
+++ b/src/uu/tail/src/follow/watch.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ use crate::follow::files::{FileHandling, PathData};
 use crate::paths::{Input, InputKind, MetadataExtTail, PathExtTail};
 use crate::{platform, text};
 use notify::{RecommendedWatcher, RecursiveMode, Watcher, WatcherKind};
-use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::io::BufRead;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::mpsc::{self, channel, Receiver};
@@ -270,7 +269,7 @@ impl Observer {
         self.follow_name() && self.retry
     }
 
-    fn init_files(&mut self, inputs: &VecDeque<Input>) -> UResult<()> {
+    fn init_files(&mut self, inputs: &Vec<Input>) -> UResult<()> {
         if let Some(watcher_rx) = &mut self.watcher_rx {
             for input in inputs {
                 match input.kind() {
diff --git a/src/uu/tail/src/paths.rs b/src/uu/tail/src/paths.rs
index 4badd68660..bf2a4e4c26 100644
--- a/src/uu/tail/src/paths.rs
+++ b/src/uu/tail/src/paths.rs
@@ -27,22 +27,17 @@ pub struct Input {
 }
 
 impl Input {
-    pub fn from<T: AsRef<OsStr>>(string: &T) -> Self {
-        let kind = if string.as_ref() == Path::new(text::DASH) {
+    pub fn from<T: AsRef<OsStr>>(string: T) -> Self {
+        let string = string.as_ref();
+        let kind = if string == OsStr::new(text::DASH) {
             InputKind::Stdin
         } else {
-            InputKind::File(PathBuf::from(string.as_ref()))
+            InputKind::File(PathBuf::from(string))
         };
 
         let display_name = match kind {
-            InputKind::File(_) => string.as_ref().to_string_lossy().to_string(),
-            InputKind::Stdin => {
-                if cfg!(unix) {
-                    text::STDIN_HEADER.to_string()
-                } else {
-                    string.as_ref().to_string_lossy().to_string()
-                }
-            }
+            InputKind::File(_) => string.to_string_lossy().to_string(),
+            InputKind::Stdin => text::STDIN_HEADER.to_string(),
         };
 
         Self { kind, display_name }