diff --git a/docs/importing-media-store.md b/docs/importing-media-store.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7aa6c5b59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/importing-media-store.md
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Importing `media_store` data files from an existing installation (optional)
+
+Run this if you'd like to import your `media_store` files from a previous installation of Matrix Synapse.
+
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before doing the actual data restore, **you need to upload your media store directory to the server** (any path is okay).
+
+If you are [Storing Matrix media files on Amazon S3](configuring-playbook-s3.md) (optional), restoring with this tool is not possible right now.
+As an alternative, you can perform a manual restore using the [AWS CLI tool](https://aws.amazon.com/cli/) (e.g. `aws s3 sync /path/to/server/media_store/. s3://name-of-bucket/`)
+
+**Note for Mac users**: Due to case-sensitivity issues on certain Mac filesystems (HFS or HFS+), filename corruption may occur if you copy a `media_store` directory to your Mac. If you're transferring a `media_store` directory between 2 servers, make sure you do it directly (from server to server with a tool such as [rsync](https://rsync.samba.org/)), and not by downloading the files to your Mac.
+
+
+## Importing
+
+Run this command (make sure to replace `<server-path-to-media_store>` with a path on your server):
+
+	ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts setup.yml --extra-vars='server_path_media_store=<server-path-to-media_store>' --tags=import-media-store
+
+**Note**: `<server-path-to-media_store>` must be a file path to a `media_store` directory on the server (not on your local machine!).
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/importing-postgres.md b/docs/importing-postgres.md
index 9b679bdb3..7fd1ba977 100644
--- a/docs/importing-postgres.md
+++ b/docs/importing-postgres.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Importing an existing Postgres database from another installation (optional)
 
 Run this if you'd like to import your database from a previous installation of Matrix Synapse.
-(don't forget to import your `media_store` files as well - see [the restoring media store guide](restoring-media-store.md)).
+(don't forget to import your `media_store` files as well - see [the importing-media-store guide](importing-media-store.md)).
 
 
 ## Prerequisites
diff --git a/docs/importing-sqlite.md b/docs/importing-sqlite.md
index ff60fa324..af705a79f 100644
--- a/docs/importing-sqlite.md
+++ b/docs/importing-sqlite.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Importing an existing SQLite database from another installation (optional)
 
 Run this if you'd like to import your database from a previous default installation of Matrix Synapse.
-(don't forget to import your `media_store` files as well - see [the restoring media store guide](restoring-media-store.md)).
+(don't forget to import your `media_store` files as well - see [the importing-media-store guide](importing-media-store.md)).
 
 While this playbook always sets up PostgreSQL, by default a Matrix Synapse installation would run
 using an SQLite database.
diff --git a/docs/installing.md b/docs/installing.md
index 46700ac87..8ca368596 100644
--- a/docs/installing.md
+++ b/docs/installing.md
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ After installing, but before starting the services, you may want to do additiona
 
 - [Importing an existing Postgres database (from another installation)](importing-postgres.md) (optional)
 
-- [Restoring `media_store` data files from an existing installation](restoring-media-store.md) (optional)
+- [Importing `media_store` data files from an existing installation](importing-media-store.md) (optional)
 
 
 ## Starting the services
diff --git a/docs/restoring-media-store.md b/docs/restoring-media-store.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 62bddcd9a..000000000
--- a/docs/restoring-media-store.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-# Restoring `media_store` data files from an existing installation (optional)
-
-Run this if you'd like to import your `media_store` files from a previous installation of Matrix Synapse.
-
-Run this command (make sure to replace `<local-path-to-media_store>` with a path on your local machine):
-
-	ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts setup.yml --extra-vars='local_path_media_store=<local-path-to-media_store>' --tags=import-media-store
-
-**Note**: `<local-path-to-media_store>` must be a file path to a `media_store` directory on your local machine (not on the server!). This directory's contents are then copied to the server.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/roles/matrix-server/tasks/import/import_media_store.yml b/roles/matrix-server/tasks/import/import_media_store.yml
index 57dd15cdd..641798352 100644
--- a/roles/matrix-server/tasks/import/import_media_store.yml
+++ b/roles/matrix-server/tasks/import/import_media_store.yml
@@ -1,49 +1,54 @@
 ---
 
+# Pre-checks
+
 - name: Fail if playbook called incorrectly
-  fail: msg="The `local_path_media_store` variable needs to be provided to this playbook, via --extra-vars"
-  when: "local_path_media_store is not defined or local_path_media_store.startswith('<')"
+  fail: msg="The `server_path_media_store` variable needs to be provided to this playbook, via --extra-vars"
+  when: "server_path_media_store is not defined or server_path_media_store.startswith('<')"
+
+- name: Fail if media store is on Amazon S3
+  fail: msg="Your media store is on Amazon S3. Due to technical limitations, restoring is not supported."
+  when: "matrix_s3_media_store_enabled"
 
 - name: Check if the provided media store directory exists
-  stat: path="{{ local_path_media_store }}"
-  delegate_to: 127.0.0.1
-  become: false
-  register: local_path_media_store_stat
+  stat: path="{{ server_path_media_store }}"
+  register: server_path_media_store_stat
 
-- name: Fail if provided media store directory doesn't exist on the local machine
-  fail: msg="{{ local_path_media_store }} cannot be found on the local machine"
-  when: "not local_path_media_store_stat.stat.exists or not local_path_media_store_stat.stat.isdir"
+- name: Fail if provided media store directory doesn't exist on the server
+  fail: msg="{{ server_path_media_store }} cannot be found on the server"
+  when: "not server_path_media_store_stat.stat.exists or not server_path_media_store_stat.stat.isdir"
 
 - name: Check if media store contains local_content
-  stat: path="{{ local_path_media_store }}/local_content"
-  delegate_to: 127.0.0.1
-  become: false
-  register: local_path_media_store_local_content_stat
+  stat: path="{{ server_path_media_store }}/local_content"
+  register: server_path_media_store_local_content_stat
 
 - name: Check if media store contains remote_content
-  stat: path="{{ local_path_media_store }}/remote_content"
-  delegate_to: 127.0.0.1
-  become: false
-  register: local_path_media_store_remote_content_stat
+  stat: path="{{ server_path_media_store }}/remote_content"
+  register: server_path_media_store_remote_content_stat
 
 - name: Fail if media store directory doesn't look okay (lacking remote and local content)
-  fail: msg="{{ local_path_media_store }} contains neither local_content nor remote_content. It's most likely a mistake and is not a media store directory."
-  when: "not local_path_media_store_local_content_stat.stat.exists and not local_path_media_store_remote_content_stat.stat.exists"
+  fail: msg="{{ server_path_media_store }} contains neither local_content nor remote_content directories. It's most likely a mistake and is not a media store directory."
+  when: "not server_path_media_store_local_content_stat.stat.exists and not server_path_media_store_remote_content_stat.stat.exists"
+
+
+# Actual import work
 
 - name: Ensure matrix-synapse is stopped
   service: name=matrix-synapse state=stopped daemon_reload=yes
   register: stopping_result
 
-- name: Ensure provided media store directory is copied to the server
+# This can only work with local files, not if the media store is on Amazon S3,
+# as it won't be accessible in such a case.
+- name: Ensure provided media store directory is synchronized
   synchronize:
-    src: "{{ local_path_media_store }}/"
+    src: "{{ server_path_media_store }}/"
     dest: "{{ matrix_synapse_media_store_path }}"
     delete: yes
     # It's wasteful to preserve owner/group now. We chown below anyway.
     owner: no
     group: no
-    times: "{{ False if matrix_s3_media_store_enabled else True }}"
-    perms: "{{ False if matrix_s3_media_store_enabled else True }}"
+    times: yes
+  delegate_to: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"
 
 # This is for the generic case and fails in other cases (remote file systems),
 # because in such cases the base path (matrix_synapse_media_store_path) is a mount point.