diff --git a/.env.template b/.env.template
index 03990820..7468e158 100644
--- a/.env.template
+++ b/.env.template
@@ -50,10 +50,11 @@
 #########################
 
 ## Database URL
-## When using SQLite, this is the path to the DB file, and it defaults to
-## %DATA_FOLDER%/db.sqlite3. If DATA_FOLDER is set to an external location, this
-## must be set to a local sqlite3 file path.
-# DATABASE_URL=data/db.sqlite3
+## When using SQLite, this should use the sqlite:// prefix followed by the path
+## to the DB file. It defaults to sqlite://%DATA_FOLDER%/db.sqlite3.
+## Bare paths without the sqlite:// prefix are supported for backwards compatibility,
+## but only if the database file already exists.
+# DATABASE_URL=sqlite://data/db.sqlite3
 ## When using MySQL, specify an appropriate connection URI.
 ## Details: https://docs.diesel.rs/2.1.x/diesel/mysql/struct.MysqlConnection.html
 # DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:password@host[:port]/database_name
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index 6ff09467..d2f897a2 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ make_config! {
         ///  Data folder |> Main data folder
         data_folder:            String, false,  def,    "data".to_string();
         /// Database URL
-        database_url:           String, false,  auto,   |c| format!("{}/db.sqlite3", c.data_folder);
+        database_url:           String, false,  auto,   |c| format!("sqlite://{}/db.sqlite3", c.data_folder);
         /// Icon cache folder
         icon_cache_folder:      String, false,  auto,   |c| format!("{}/icon_cache", c.data_folder);
         /// Attachments folder
@@ -929,14 +929,17 @@ fn validate_config(cfg: &ConfigItems, on_update: bool) -> Result<(), Error> {
     {
         use crate::db::DbConnType;
         let url = &cfg.database_url;
-        if DbConnType::from_url(url)? == DbConnType::Sqlite && url.contains('/') {
-            let path = std::path::Path::new(&url);
-            if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
-                if !parent.is_dir() {
-                    err!(format!(
-                        "SQLite database directory `{}` does not exist or is not a directory",
-                        parent.display()
-                    ));
+        if DbConnType::from_url(url)? == DbConnType::Sqlite {
+            let file_path = url.strip_prefix("sqlite://").unwrap_or(url);
+            if file_path.contains('/') {
+                let path = std::path::Path::new(file_path);
+                if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
+                    if !parent.is_dir() {
+                        err!(format!(
+                            "SQLite database directory `{}` does not exist or is not a directory",
+                            parent.display()
+                        ));
+                    }
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/db/mod.rs b/src/db/mod.rs
index d2ed9479..7b989e44 100644
--- a/src/db/mod.rs
+++ b/src/db/mod.rs
@@ -272,13 +272,32 @@ impl DbConnType {
             #[cfg(not(postgresql))]
             err!("`DATABASE_URL` is a PostgreSQL URL, but the 'postgresql' feature is not enabled")
 
-        //Sqlite
-        } else {
+        // Sqlite (explicit)
+        } else if url.len() > 7 && &url[..7] == "sqlite:" {
             #[cfg(sqlite)]
             return Ok(DbConnType::Sqlite);
 
             #[cfg(not(sqlite))]
-            err!("`DATABASE_URL` looks like a SQLite URL, but 'sqlite' feature is not enabled")
+            err!("`DATABASE_URL` is a SQLite URL, but the 'sqlite' feature is not enabled")
+
+        // No recognized scheme — assume legacy bare-path SQLite, but the database file must already exist.
+        // This prevents misconfigured URLs (typos, quoted strings) from silently creating a new empty SQLite database.
+        } else {
+            #[cfg(sqlite)]
+            {
+                if std::path::Path::new(url).exists() {
+                    return Ok(DbConnType::Sqlite);
+                }
+                err!(format!(
+                    "`DATABASE_URL` does not match any known database scheme (mysql://, postgresql://, sqlite://) \
+                     and no existing SQLite database was found at '{url}'. \
+                     If you intend to use SQLite, use an explicit `sqlite://` prefix in your `DATABASE_URL`. \
+                     Otherwise, check your DATABASE_URL for typos or quoting issues."
+                ))
+            }
+
+            #[cfg(not(sqlite))]
+            err!("`DATABASE_URL` does not match any known database scheme (mysql://, postgresql://, sqlite://)")
         }
     }
 
@@ -390,11 +409,12 @@ pub fn backup_sqlite() -> Result<String, Error> {
 
     let db_url = CONFIG.database_url();
     if DbConnType::from_url(&CONFIG.database_url()).map(|t| t == DbConnType::Sqlite).unwrap_or(false) {
-        // Since we do not allow any schema for sqlite database_url's like `file:` or `sqlite:` to be set, we can assume here it isn't
-        // This way we can set a readonly flag on the opening mode without issues.
-        let mut conn = diesel::sqlite::SqliteConnection::establish(&format!("sqlite://{db_url}?mode=ro"))?;
+        // Strip the sqlite:// prefix if present to get the raw file path
+        let file_path = db_url.strip_prefix("sqlite://").unwrap_or(&db_url);
+        // Open a read-only connection for the backup
+        let mut conn = diesel::sqlite::SqliteConnection::establish(&format!("sqlite://{file_path}?mode=ro"))?;
 
-        let db_path = std::path::Path::new(&db_url).parent().unwrap();
+        let db_path = std::path::Path::new(file_path).parent().unwrap();
         let backup_file = db_path
             .join(format!("db_{}.sqlite3", chrono::Utc::now().format("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")))
             .to_string_lossy()