diff --git a/spoolman/database/database.py b/spoolman/database/database.py
index 6f9c7559..782df215 100644
--- a/spoolman/database/database.py
+++ b/spoolman/database/database.py
@@ -152,7 +152,9 @@ class Database:
             busy_since = busy_since or time.monotonic()
             if time.monotonic() - busy_since > BACKUP_LOCK_TIMEOUT_SECONDS:
                 raise sqlite3.OperationalError(
-                    f"Database stayed locked for over {BACKUP_LOCK_TIMEOUT_SECONDS} seconds, giving up on the backup.",
+                    f"Database {self.connection_url.database} stayed locked for over "
+                    f"{BACKUP_LOCK_TIMEOUT_SECONDS} seconds, giving up on the backup. "
+                    "Is another program holding it open?",
                 )
 
         if self.connection_url.database == target_path:
@@ -164,9 +166,12 @@ class Database:
         # transaction manager that commits on exit, it does not close the connection. Leaving the
         # handles open leaks them on every backup, and on Windows it makes the caller's unlink/move
         # of the file we just wrote fail with "used by another process" (POSIX unlink hides this).
+        # nolock=1: the target is a scratch file nothing else opens, so it needs no file locks. Backup
+        # folders on network shares often refuse SQLite's locks (CIFS without nobrl, NFS without
+        # lockd), which failed every backup with a "locked" database that was not locked at all (#1246).
         with (
             closing(sqlite3.connect(self.connection_url.database)) as src,
-            closing(sqlite3.connect(target_path)) as dst,
+            closing(sqlite3.connect(f"{Path(target_path).absolute().as_uri()}?nolock=1", uri=True)) as dst,
         ):
             src.backup(dst, pages=1, progress=progress)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_backup_rotation.py b/tests/test_backup_rotation.py
index 09065c60..d447dd6e 100644
--- a/tests/test_backup_rotation.py
+++ b/tests/test_backup_rotation.py
@@ -157,3 +157,33 @@ def test_backup_gives_up_on_a_lock_that_never_clears(
             db.backup_and_rotate(backups)
         holder.execute("ROLLBACK")
     assert not (backups / f"{BACKUP_NAME}.pending").exists()
+
+
+def test_backup_needs_no_lock_on_the_target(db: Database, backups: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+    """Backup folders on network shares often refuse file locks, which failed every backup (#1246).
+
+    Simulate that by holding an exclusive lock on the target from the moment it is created.
+    """
+    monkeypatch.setattr(database, "BACKUP_LOCK_TIMEOUT_SECONDS", 0.5)
+    pending = backups / f"{BACKUP_NAME}.pending"
+    real_connect = sqlite3.connect
+    holders: list[sqlite3.Connection] = []
+
+    def connect(*args: object, **kwargs: object) -> sqlite3.Connection:
+        conn = real_connect(*args, **kwargs)
+        if pending.exists() and not holders:
+            holders.append(real_connect(pending, isolation_level=None))
+            holders[0].execute("BEGIN EXCLUSIVE")
+        return conn
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(sqlite3, "connect", connect)
+    try:
+        result = db.backup_and_rotate(backups)
+    finally:
+        for holder in holders:
+            holder.close()
+
+    assert holders, "the target was never locked, so this test proves nothing"
+    assert result.created is True
+    with closing(real_connect(backups / BACKUP_NAME)) as conn:
+        assert conn.execute("SELECT note FROM spool").fetchall() == [("original",)]