diff --git a/internal/backend/location/location_test.go b/internal/backend/location/location_test.go
index f8d05ca78..3160a2af7 100644
--- a/internal/backend/location/location_test.go
+++ b/internal/backend/location/location_test.go
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 			Config: s3.Config{
 				Endpoint:    "eu-central-1",
 				Bucket:      "bucketname",
-				Prefix:      "restic",
+				Prefix:      "",
 				Connections: 5,
 			},
 		},
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 			Config: s3.Config{
 				Endpoint:    "hostname.foo",
 				Bucket:      "bucketname",
-				Prefix:      "restic",
+				Prefix:      "",
 				Connections: 5,
 			},
 		},
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 			Config: s3.Config{
 				Endpoint:    "eu-central-1",
 				Bucket:      "repo",
-				Prefix:      "restic",
+				Prefix:      "",
 				Connections: 5,
 			},
 		},
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 			Config: s3.Config{
 				Endpoint:    "hostname.foo",
 				Bucket:      "repo",
-				Prefix:      "restic",
+				Prefix:      "",
 				Connections: 5,
 			},
 		},
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 			Config: s3.Config{
 				Endpoint:    "hostname.foo",
 				Bucket:      "repo",
-				Prefix:      "restic",
+				Prefix:      "",
 				UseHTTP:     true,
 				Connections: 5,
 			},
diff --git a/internal/backend/s3/config.go b/internal/backend/s3/config.go
index 5a2b0c107..1760f48c2 100644
--- a/internal/backend/s3/config.go
+++ b/internal/backend/s3/config.go
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ func init() {
 	options.Register("s3", Config{})
 }
 
-const defaultPrefix = "restic"
-
 // ParseConfig parses the string s and extracts the s3 config. The two
 // supported configuration formats are s3://host/bucketname/prefix and
 // s3:host/bucketname/prefix. The host can also be a valid s3 region
@@ -71,15 +69,15 @@ func ParseConfig(s string) (interface{}, error) {
 }
 
 func createConfig(endpoint string, p []string, useHTTP bool) (interface{}, error) {
-	var prefix string
-	switch {
-	case len(p) < 1:
+	if len(p) < 1 {
 		return nil, errors.New("s3: invalid format, host/region or bucket name not found")
-	case len(p) == 1 || p[1] == "":
-		prefix = defaultPrefix
-	default:
+	}
+
+	var prefix string
+	if len(p) > 1 && p[1] != "" {
 		prefix = path.Clean(p[1])
 	}
+
 	cfg := NewConfig()
 	cfg.Endpoint = endpoint
 	cfg.UseHTTP = useHTTP
diff --git a/internal/backend/s3/config_test.go b/internal/backend/s3/config_test.go
index 8e5f3a420..77a31fda3 100644
--- a/internal/backend/s3/config_test.go
+++ b/internal/backend/s3/config_test.go
@@ -9,13 +9,13 @@ var configTests = []struct {
 	{"s3://eu-central-1/bucketname", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "eu-central-1",
 		Bucket:      "bucketname",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},
 	{"s3://eu-central-1/bucketname/", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "eu-central-1",
 		Bucket:      "bucketname",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},
 	{"s3://eu-central-1/bucketname/prefix/directory", Config{
@@ -33,13 +33,13 @@ var configTests = []struct {
 	{"s3:eu-central-1/foobar", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "eu-central-1",
 		Bucket:      "foobar",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},
 	{"s3:eu-central-1/foobar/", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "eu-central-1",
 		Bucket:      "foobar",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},
 	{"s3:eu-central-1/foobar/prefix/directory", Config{
@@ -57,26 +57,26 @@ var configTests = []struct {
 	{"s3:https://hostname:9999/foobar", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "hostname:9999",
 		Bucket:      "foobar",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},
 	{"s3:https://hostname:9999/foobar/", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "hostname:9999",
 		Bucket:      "foobar",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},
 	{"s3:http://hostname:9999/foobar", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "hostname:9999",
 		Bucket:      "foobar",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		UseHTTP:     true,
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},
 	{"s3:http://hostname:9999/foobar/", Config{
 		Endpoint:    "hostname:9999",
 		Bucket:      "foobar",
-		Prefix:      "restic",
+		Prefix:      "",
 		UseHTTP:     true,
 		Connections: 5,
 	}},