diff --git a/server/core/settings.py b/server/core/settings.py
index cb52b42f..c2b0e7f4 100644
--- a/server/core/settings.py
+++ b/server/core/settings.py
@@ -233,15 +233,16 @@ if not DEBUG:
 # AWS S3
 # http://django-storages.readthedocs.io/en/latest/backends/amazon-S3.html
 
-# AWS_QUERYSTRING_AUTH = False
-# AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = os.environ.get('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID')
-# AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = os.environ.get('AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY')
-# AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME = os.environ.get('AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME')
-# AWS_S3_FILE_OVERWRITE = False
+USE_AWS = bool_value(os.environ.get('USE_AWS'))
+AWS_QUERYSTRING_AUTH = False
+AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = os.environ.get('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID')
+AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = os.environ.get('AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY')
+AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME = os.environ.get('AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME')
+AWS_S3_FILE_OVERWRITE = False
 
 # use with cloudfront
 # AWS_S3_CUSTOM_DOMAIN = '%s.s3.amazonaws.com' % AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME
-if bool_value(os.environ.get('USE_AWS')):
+if USE_AWS:
     DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = "storages.backends.s3boto3.S3Boto3Storage"
     # use with cloudfront
     # MEDIA_URL = "https://%s/" % AWS_S3_CUSTOM_DOMAIN
diff --git a/server/core/urls.py b/server/core/urls.py
index 091880f6..731a404c 100644
--- a/server/core/urls.py
+++ b/server/core/urls.py
@@ -20,10 +20,11 @@ urlpatterns = [
     url(r'^api/', include('api.urls', namespace="api")),
 ]
 
+if settings.DEBUG and not settings.USE_AWS:
+    urlpatterns += static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)
+
 if settings.DEBUG:
-    urlpatterns += static(
-        settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT) + static(settings.STATIC_URL,
-                                                                        document_root=settings.STATIC_ROOT)
+    urlpatterns += static(settings.STATIC_URL, document_root=settings.STATIC_ROOT)
 
 # actually we use the cms in headless mode but need the url pattern to get the wagtail_serve function
 urlpatterns += [url(r'pages/', include(wagtail_urls)), ]