diff --git a/changelog/unreleased/pull-2941 b/changelog/unreleased/pull-2941
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4a73c31ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/unreleased/pull-2941
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+Enhancement: Speed up repacking step of prune command
+
+The repack step of the prune command, which moves still used file parts into
+new pack files such that the old ones can be garbage collected later on, now
+processes multiple pack files in parallel. This is especially beneficial for
+high latency backends or when using a fast network connection.
+
+https://github.com/restic/restic/pull/2941
diff --git a/internal/repository/repack.go b/internal/repository/repack.go
index 1a579d00b..7b7ba8141 100644
--- a/internal/repository/repack.go
+++ b/internal/repository/repack.go
@@ -2,18 +2,26 @@ package repository
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/debug"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/errors"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/fs"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/pack"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/restic"
+	"golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
 )
 
+const numRepackWorkers = 8
+
 // Repack takes a list of packs together with a list of blobs contained in
 // these packs. Each pack is loaded and the blobs listed in keepBlobs is saved
 // into a new pack. Returned is the list of obsolete packs which can then
 // be removed.
+//
+// The map keepBlobs is modified by Repack, it is used to keep track of which
+// blobs have been processed.
 func Repack(ctx context.Context, repo restic.Repository, packs restic.IDSet, keepBlobs restic.BlobSet, p *restic.Progress) (obsoletePacks restic.IDSet, err error) {
 	if p != nil {
 		p.Start()
@@ -22,91 +30,161 @@ func Repack(ctx context.Context, repo restic.Repository, packs restic.IDSet, kee
 
 	debug.Log("repacking %d packs while keeping %d blobs", len(packs), len(keepBlobs))
 
-	for packID := range packs {
-		// load the complete pack into a temp file
-		h := restic.Handle{Type: restic.PackFile, Name: packID.String()}
+	wg, ctx := errgroup.WithContext(ctx)
 
-		tempfile, hash, packLength, err := DownloadAndHash(ctx, repo.Backend(), h)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "Repack")
-		}
-
-		debug.Log("pack %v loaded (%d bytes), hash %v", packID, packLength, hash)
-
-		if !packID.Equal(hash) {
-			return nil, errors.Errorf("hash does not match id: want %v, got %v", packID, hash)
-		}
-
-		_, err = tempfile.Seek(0, 0)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "Seek")
-		}
-
-		blobs, err := pack.List(repo.Key(), tempfile, packLength)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		debug.Log("processing pack %v, blobs: %v", packID, len(blobs))
-		var buf []byte
-		for _, entry := range blobs {
-			h := restic.BlobHandle{ID: entry.ID, Type: entry.Type}
-			if !keepBlobs.Has(h) {
-				continue
+	downloadQueue := make(chan restic.ID)
+	wg.Go(func() error {
+		defer close(downloadQueue)
+		for packID := range packs {
+			select {
+			case downloadQueue <- packID:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return ctx.Err()
 			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
 
-			debug.Log("  process blob %v", h)
+	type repackJob struct {
+		tempfile   *os.File
+		hash       restic.ID
+		packLength int64
+	}
+	processQueue := make(chan repackJob)
+	// used to close processQueue once all downloaders have finished
+	var downloadWG sync.WaitGroup
 
-			if uint(cap(buf)) < entry.Length {
-				buf = make([]byte, entry.Length)
-			}
-			buf = buf[:entry.Length]
+	downloader := func() error {
+		defer downloadWG.Done()
+		for packID := range downloadQueue {
+			// load the complete pack into a temp file
+			h := restic.Handle{Type: restic.PackFile, Name: packID.String()}
 
-			n, err := tempfile.ReadAt(buf, int64(entry.Offset))
+			tempfile, hash, packLength, err := DownloadAndHash(ctx, repo.Backend(), h)
 			if err != nil {
-				return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "ReadAt")
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "Repack")
 			}
 
-			if n != len(buf) {
-				return nil, errors.Errorf("read blob %v from %v: not enough bytes read, want %v, got %v",
-					h, tempfile.Name(), len(buf), n)
+			debug.Log("pack %v loaded (%d bytes), hash %v", packID, packLength, hash)
+
+			if !packID.Equal(hash) {
+				return errors.Errorf("hash does not match id: want %v, got %v", packID, hash)
 			}
 
-			nonce, ciphertext := buf[:repo.Key().NonceSize()], buf[repo.Key().NonceSize():]
-			plaintext, err := repo.Key().Open(ciphertext[:0], nonce, ciphertext, nil)
+			select {
+			case processQueue <- repackJob{tempfile, hash, packLength}:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return ctx.Err()
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	downloadWG.Add(numRepackWorkers)
+	for i := 0; i < numRepackWorkers; i++ {
+		wg.Go(downloader)
+	}
+	wg.Go(func() error {
+		downloadWG.Wait()
+		close(processQueue)
+		return nil
+	})
+
+	var keepMutex sync.Mutex
+	worker := func() error {
+		for job := range processQueue {
+			tempfile, packID, packLength := job.tempfile, job.hash, job.packLength
+
+			blobs, err := pack.List(repo.Key(), tempfile, packLength)
 			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
+				return err
 			}
 
-			id := restic.Hash(plaintext)
-			if !id.Equal(entry.ID) {
-				debug.Log("read blob %v/%v from %v: wrong data returned, hash is %v",
-					h.Type, h.ID, tempfile.Name(), id)
-				return nil, errors.Errorf("read blob %v from %v: wrong data returned, hash is %v",
-					h, tempfile.Name(), id)
+			debug.Log("processing pack %v, blobs: %v", packID, len(blobs))
+			var buf []byte
+			for _, entry := range blobs {
+				h := restic.BlobHandle{ID: entry.ID, Type: entry.Type}
+
+				keepMutex.Lock()
+				shouldKeep := keepBlobs.Has(h)
+				keepMutex.Unlock()
+
+				if !shouldKeep {
+					continue
+				}
+
+				debug.Log("  process blob %v", h)
+
+				if uint(cap(buf)) < entry.Length {
+					buf = make([]byte, entry.Length)
+				}
+				buf = buf[:entry.Length]
+
+				n, err := tempfile.ReadAt(buf, int64(entry.Offset))
+				if err != nil {
+					return errors.Wrap(err, "ReadAt")
+				}
+
+				if n != len(buf) {
+					return errors.Errorf("read blob %v from %v: not enough bytes read, want %v, got %v",
+						h, tempfile.Name(), len(buf), n)
+				}
+
+				nonce, ciphertext := buf[:repo.Key().NonceSize()], buf[repo.Key().NonceSize():]
+				plaintext, err := repo.Key().Open(ciphertext[:0], nonce, ciphertext, nil)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+
+				id := restic.Hash(plaintext)
+				if !id.Equal(entry.ID) {
+					debug.Log("read blob %v/%v from %v: wrong data returned, hash is %v",
+						h.Type, h.ID, tempfile.Name(), id)
+					return errors.Errorf("read blob %v from %v: wrong data returned, hash is %v",
+						h, tempfile.Name(), id)
+				}
+
+				keepMutex.Lock()
+				// recheck whether some other worker was faster
+				shouldKeep = keepBlobs.Has(h)
+				if shouldKeep {
+					keepBlobs.Delete(h)
+				}
+				keepMutex.Unlock()
+
+				if !shouldKeep {
+					continue
+				}
+
+				// We do want to save already saved blobs!
+				_, _, err = repo.SaveBlob(ctx, entry.Type, plaintext, entry.ID, true)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+
+				debug.Log("  saved blob %v", entry.ID)
 			}
 
-			// We do want to save already saved blobs!
-			_, _, err = repo.SaveBlob(ctx, entry.Type, plaintext, entry.ID, true)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
+			if err = tempfile.Close(); err != nil {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "Close")
 			}
 
-			debug.Log("  saved blob %v", entry.ID)
+			if err = fs.RemoveIfExists(tempfile.Name()); err != nil {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "Remove")
+			}
+			if p != nil {
+				p.Report(restic.Stat{Blobs: 1})
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
 
-			keepBlobs.Delete(h)
-		}
+	for i := 0; i < numRepackWorkers; i++ {
+		wg.Go(worker)
+	}
 
-		if err = tempfile.Close(); err != nil {
-			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "Close")
-		}
-
-		if err = fs.RemoveIfExists(tempfile.Name()); err != nil {
-			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "Remove")
-		}
-		if p != nil {
-			p.Report(restic.Stat{Blobs: 1})
-		}
+	if err := wg.Wait(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	if err := repo.Flush(ctx); err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/repository/repack_test.go b/internal/repository/repack_test.go
index 519037b0d..87470d815 100644
--- a/internal/repository/repack_test.go
+++ b/internal/repository/repack_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"math/rand"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/index"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/internal/repository"
@@ -195,7 +196,7 @@ func TestRepack(t *testing.T) {
 	repo, cleanup := repository.TestRepository(t)
 	defer cleanup()
 
-	seed := rand.Int63()
+	seed := time.Now().UnixNano()
 	rand.Seed(seed)
 	t.Logf("rand seed is %v", seed)
 
@@ -262,7 +263,7 @@ func TestRepackWrongBlob(t *testing.T) {
 	repo, cleanup := repository.TestRepository(t)
 	defer cleanup()
 
-	seed := rand.Int63()
+	seed := time.Now().UnixNano()
 	rand.Seed(seed)
 	t.Logf("rand seed is %v", seed)
 
@@ -277,5 +278,5 @@ func TestRepackWrongBlob(t *testing.T) {
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("expected repack to fail but got no error")
 	}
-	t.Log(err)
+	t.Logf("found expected error: %v", err)
 }
diff --git a/internal/repository/repository.go b/internal/repository/repository.go
index 5a3d38fec..77299c277 100644
--- a/internal/repository/repository.go
+++ b/internal/repository/repository.go
@@ -758,7 +758,7 @@ type Loader interface {
 
 // DownloadAndHash is all-in-one helper to download content of the file at h to a temporary filesystem location
 // and calculate ID of the contents. Returned (temporary) file is positioned at the beginning of the file;
-// it is reponsibility of the caller to close and delete the file.
+// it is the reponsibility of the caller to close and delete the file.
 func DownloadAndHash(ctx context.Context, be Loader, h restic.Handle) (tmpfile *os.File, hash restic.ID, size int64, err error) {
 	tmpfile, err = fs.TempFile("", "restic-temp-")
 	if err != nil {