diff --git a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/API.ts b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/API.ts
index e44d151ea986..806c469cba2b 100644
--- a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/API.ts
+++ b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/API.ts
@@ -346,18 +346,19 @@ export default class API {
   readFile = async (
     path: string,
     sha?: string | null,
-    { parseText = true, branch = this.branch } = {},
+    { parseText = true, branch = this.branch, lfs = false } = {},
   ): Promise<string | Blob> => {
     const fetchContent = async () => {
       const content = await this.request({
         url: `${this.repoURL}/repository/files/${encodeURIComponent(path)}/raw`,
-        params: { ref: branch },
+        params: { ref: branch, ...(lfs ? { lfs: true } : {}) },
         cache: 'no-store',
       }).then<Blob | string>(parseText ? this.responseToText : this.responseToBlob);
       return content;
     };
 
-    const content = await readFile(sha, fetchContent, localForage, parseText);
+    const cacheKey = sha && lfs ? `${sha}.lfs` : sha;
+    const content = await readFile(cacheKey, fetchContent, localForage, parseText);
     return content;
   };
 
diff --git a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/API.spec.js b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/API.spec.js
index ea6c6d9ac6ff..e02ebf48dc19 100644
--- a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/API.spec.js
+++ b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/API.spec.js
@@ -145,6 +145,41 @@ describe('GitLab API', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('readFile', () => {
+    test('does not request GitLab LFS content by default', async () => {
+      const api = new API({ repo: 'foo/bar' });
+
+      api.request = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
+      api.responseToText = jest.fn().mockReturnValue('file content');
+
+      await expect(api.readFile('static/uploads/image.png', null)).resolves.toBe('file content');
+
+      expect(api.request).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        url: '/projects/foo%2Fbar/repository/files/static%2Fuploads%2Fimage.png/raw',
+        params: { ref: 'master' },
+        cache: 'no-store',
+      });
+    });
+
+    test('requests GitLab LFS content when requested', async () => {
+      const api = new API({ repo: 'foo/bar' });
+      const blob = new Blob(['image content']);
+
+      api.request = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
+      api.responseToBlob = jest.fn().mockReturnValue(blob);
+
+      await expect(
+        api.readFile('static/uploads/image.png', null, { parseText: false, lfs: true }),
+      ).resolves.toBe(blob);
+
+      expect(api.request).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        url: '/projects/foo%2Fbar/repository/files/static%2Fuploads%2Fimage.png/raw',
+        params: { ref: 'master', lfs: true },
+        cache: 'no-store',
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('getStatuses', () => {
     test('should get preview statuses', async () => {
       const api = new API({ repo: 'repo' });
diff --git a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/gitlab.spec.js b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/gitlab.spec.js
index 4953ac3e4a0d..8176e7dc892b 100644
--- a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/gitlab.spec.js
+++ b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/__tests__/gitlab.spec.js
@@ -419,6 +419,77 @@ describe('gitlab backend', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('media files', () => {
+    it('requests GitLab LFS content for media display files', async () => {
+      backend = resolveBackend(defaultConfig);
+      const blob = new Blob(['image content']);
+      const readFile = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(blob);
+      backend.implementation.api = { readFile };
+      global.URL.createObjectURL = jest.fn().mockReturnValue('blob:http://localhost/image');
+
+      await expect(
+        backend.implementation.getMediaDisplayURL({
+          id: 'image-sha',
+          path: 'static/uploads/image.png',
+        }),
+      ).resolves.toBe('blob:http://localhost/image');
+
+      expect(readFile).toHaveBeenCalledWith('static/uploads/image.png', 'image-sha', {
+        parseText: false,
+        lfs: true,
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('requests GitLab LFS content when downloading media files', async () => {
+      backend = resolveBackend(defaultConfig);
+      const blob = new Blob(['image content']);
+      const readFile = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(blob);
+      backend.implementation.api = { readFile };
+      global.URL.createObjectURL = jest.fn().mockReturnValue('blob:http://localhost/image');
+
+      await expect(
+        backend.implementation.getMediaFile('static/uploads/image.png'),
+      ).resolves.toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          displayURL: 'blob:http://localhost/image',
+          path: 'static/uploads/image.png',
+          name: 'image.png',
+        }),
+      );
+
+      expect(readFile).toHaveBeenCalledWith('static/uploads/image.png', null, {
+        parseText: false,
+        lfs: true,
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('requests GitLab LFS content when loading unpublished entry media files', async () => {
+      backend = resolveBackend(defaultConfig);
+      const blob = new Blob(['image content']);
+      const readFile = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(blob);
+      backend.implementation.api = { readFile };
+      global.URL.createObjectURL = jest.fn().mockReturnValue('blob:http://localhost/image');
+
+      await expect(
+        backend.implementation.loadMediaFile('cms/posts/example', {
+          path: 'static/uploads/image.png',
+        }),
+      ).resolves.toEqual(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          displayURL: 'blob:http://localhost/image',
+          path: 'static/uploads/image.png',
+          name: 'image.png',
+        }),
+      );
+
+      expect(readFile).toHaveBeenCalledWith('static/uploads/image.png', null, {
+        branch: 'cms/posts/example',
+        parseText: false,
+        lfs: true,
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('listEntries', () => {
     sharedSetup();
 
diff --git a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/implementation.ts b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/implementation.ts
index e629316e1572..3cfa3692be92 100644
--- a/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/implementation.ts
+++ b/packages/decap-cms-backend-gitlab/src/implementation.ts
@@ -265,16 +265,23 @@ export default class GitLab implements Implementation {
 
   getMediaDisplayURL(displayURL: DisplayURL) {
     this._mediaDisplayURLSem = this._mediaDisplayURLSem || semaphore(MAX_CONCURRENT_DOWNLOADS);
-    return getMediaDisplayURL(
-      displayURL,
-      this.api!.readFile.bind(this.api!),
-      this._mediaDisplayURLSem,
-    );
+    const readMediaFile = (
+      path: string,
+      id: string | null | undefined,
+      { parseText }: { parseText: boolean },
+    ) => this.api!.readFile(path, id, { parseText, lfs: true });
+
+    return getMediaDisplayURL(displayURL, readMediaFile, this._mediaDisplayURLSem);
   }
 
   async getMediaFile(path: string) {
     const name = basename(path);
-    const blob = await getMediaAsBlob(path, null, this.api!.readFile.bind(this.api!));
+    const readMediaFile = (
+      path: string,
+      id: string | null | undefined,
+      { parseText }: { parseText: boolean },
+    ) => this.api!.readFile(path, id, { parseText, lfs: true });
+    const blob = await getMediaAsBlob(path, null, readMediaFile);
     const fileObj = blobToFileObj(name, blob);
     const url = URL.createObjectURL(fileObj);
     const id = await getBlobSHA(blob);
@@ -354,7 +361,7 @@ export default class GitLab implements Implementation {
       path: string,
       id: string | null | undefined,
       { parseText }: { parseText: boolean },
-    ) => this.api!.readFile(path, id, { branch, parseText });
+    ) => this.api!.readFile(path, id, { branch, parseText, lfs: true });
 
     return getMediaAsBlob(file.path, null, readFile).then(blob => {
       const name = basename(file.path);