diff --git a/Containers/borgbackup/backupscript.sh b/Containers/borgbackup/backupscript.sh
index b7b96147..77fbf9b3 100644
--- a/Containers/borgbackup/backupscript.sh
+++ b/Containers/borgbackup/backupscript.sh
@@ -187,19 +187,17 @@ if [ "$BORG_MODE" = backup ]; then
 
     # Exclude the nextcloud log and audit log for GDPR reasons
     BORG_EXCLUDE=(--exclude "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud/data/nextcloud.log*" --exclude "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud/data/audit.log" --exclude "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/lost+found")
-    BORG_INCLUDE=()
 
-    # Exclude datadir if .noaiobackup file was found
-    # shellcheck disable=SC2144
-    if [ -f "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/.noaiobackup" ]; then
-        BORG_EXCLUDE+=(--exclude "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/")
-        BORG_INCLUDE+=(--pattern="+/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/.noaiobackup")
-        echo "⚠️⚠️⚠️ '.noaiobackup' file was found in Nextcloud's data directory. Excluding the data directory from backup!"
-    # Exclude preview folder if .noaiobackup file was found
-    elif [ -f /nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/.noaiobackup ]; then
-        BORG_EXCLUDE+=(--exclude "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/")
-        BORG_INCLUDE+=(--pattern="+/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/.noaiobackup")
-        echo "⚠️⚠️⚠️ '.noaiobackup' file was found in the preview directory. Excluding the preview directory from backup!"
+    # Exclude any directory containing .noaiobackup marker (marker itself is kept in backup)
+    BORG_EXCLUDE+=(--exclude-if-present=.noaiobackup --keep-exclude-tags)
+
+    # Log which directories will be excluded due to .noaiobackup markers
+    NOAIOBACKUP_MARKERS=$(find /nextcloud_aio_volumes -name ".noaiobackup" -type f 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ -n "$NOAIOBACKUP_MARKERS" ]; then
+        echo "The following directories will be excluded from backup due to .noaiobackup markers:"
+        echo "$NOAIOBACKUP_MARKERS" | while read -r marker; do
+            echo "  - $(dirname "$marker")"
+        done
     fi
 
     # Make sure that there is always a borg.config file before creating a new backup
@@ -212,7 +210,7 @@ if [ "$BORG_MODE" = backup ]; then
     # Create the backup
     echo "Starting the backup..."
     get_start_time
-    if ! borg create "${BORG_OPTS[@]}" "${BORG_INCLUDE[@]}" "${BORG_EXCLUDE[@]}" "::$CURRENT_DATE-nextcloud-aio" "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/" --exclude-from /borg_excludes; then
+    if ! borg create "${BORG_OPTS[@]}" "${BORG_EXCLUDE[@]}" "::$CURRENT_DATE-nextcloud-aio" "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/" --exclude-from /borg_excludes; then
         echo "Deleting the failed backup archive..."
         borg delete --stats "::$CURRENT_DATE-nextcloud-aio"
         echo "Backup failed!"
@@ -329,27 +327,17 @@ if [ "$BORG_MODE" = restore ]; then
     fi
     echo "Restoring '$SELECTED_ARCHIVE'..."
 
+    # Initialize exclude arrays - will be populated dynamically based on .noaiobackup markers in backup
     ADDITIONAL_RSYNC_EXCLUDES=()
     ADDITIONAL_BORG_EXCLUDES=()
     ADDITIONAL_FIND_EXCLUDES=()
-    # Exclude datadir if .noaiobackup file was found
-    # shellcheck disable=SC2144
-    if [ -f "/nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/.noaiobackup" ]; then
-        # Keep these 3 in sync. Beware, the pattern syntax and the paths differ
-        ADDITIONAL_RSYNC_EXCLUDES=(--exclude "nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/**")
-        ADDITIONAL_BORG_EXCLUDES=(--exclude "sh:nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/**")
-        ADDITIONAL_FIND_EXCLUDES=(-o -regex 'nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data\(/.*\)?')
-        echo "⚠️⚠️⚠️ '.noaiobackup' file was found in Nextcloud's data directory. Excluding the data directory from restore!"
-        echo "You might run into problems due to this afterwards as potentially this makes the directory go out of sync with the database."
-        echo "You might be able to fix this by running 'occ files:scan --all' and 'occ maintenance:repair' and 'occ files:scan-app-data' after the restore."
-        echo "See https://github.com/nextcloud/all-in-one#how-to-run-occ-commands"
-    # Exclude previews from restore if selected to speed up process or exclude preview folder if .noaiobackup file was found
-    elif [ -n "$RESTORE_EXCLUDE_PREVIEWS" ] || [ -f /nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/.noaiobackup ]; then
-        # Keep these 3 in sync. Beware, the pattern syntax and the paths differ
-        ADDITIONAL_RSYNC_EXCLUDES=(--exclude "nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/**")
-        ADDITIONAL_BORG_EXCLUDES=(--exclude "sh:nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/**")
-        ADDITIONAL_FIND_EXCLUDES=(-o -regex 'nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_[^/]*/preview\(/.*\)?')
-        echo "⚠️⚠️⚠️ Excluding previews from restore!"
+
+    # Handle RESTORE_EXCLUDE_PREVIEWS env var (excludes previews even without .noaiobackup marker)
+    if [ -n "$RESTORE_EXCLUDE_PREVIEWS" ]; then
+        ADDITIONAL_RSYNC_EXCLUDES+=(--exclude "nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/**")
+        ADDITIONAL_BORG_EXCLUDES+=(--exclude "sh:nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_*/preview/**")
+        ADDITIONAL_FIND_EXCLUDES+=(-o -regex 'nextcloud_aio_volumes/nextcloud_aio_nextcloud_data/appdata_[^/]*/preview\(/.*\)?')
+        echo "RESTORE_EXCLUDE_PREVIEWS is set. Excluding previews from restore!"
         echo "You might run into problems due to this afterwards as potentially this makes the directory go out of sync with the database."
         echo "You might be able to fix this by running 'occ files:scan-app-data preview' after the restore."
         echo "See https://github.com/nextcloud/all-in-one#how-to-run-occ-commands"
@@ -386,10 +374,26 @@ if [ "$BORG_MODE" = restore ]; then
             exit 1
         fi
 
-        # Restore everything except the configuration file
-        #
-        # These exclude patterns need to be kept in sync with the borg_excludes file and the find excludes in this file,
-        # which use a different syntax (patterns appear in 3 places in total)
+        # Find .noaiobackup markers in the BACKUP and build exclude list dynamically
+        NOAIOBACKUP_FOUND=0
+        while IFS= read -r marker; do
+            if [ -n "$marker" ]; then
+                NOAIOBACKUP_FOUND=1
+                # Get relative path from nextcloud_aio_volumes
+                rel_dir="${marker#/tmp/borg/nextcloud_aio_volumes/}"
+                rel_dir="$(dirname "$rel_dir")"
+                ADDITIONAL_RSYNC_EXCLUDES+=(--exclude "${rel_dir}/**")
+                echo "Excluding '$rel_dir' from restore due to .noaiobackup marker in backup"
+            fi
+        done < <(find /tmp/borg/nextcloud_aio_volumes -name ".noaiobackup" -type f 2>/dev/null)
+
+        if [ "$NOAIOBACKUP_FOUND" = 1 ]; then
+            echo "You might run into problems due to excluded directories as potentially this makes the directory go out of sync with the database."
+            echo "You might be able to fix this by running 'occ files:scan --all' and 'occ maintenance:repair' and 'occ files:scan-app-data' after the restore."
+            echo "See https://github.com/nextcloud/all-in-one#how-to-run-occ-commands"
+        fi
+
+        # Restore everything except the configuration file and excluded directories
         if ! rsync --stats --archive --human-readable -vv --delete \
         --exclude "nextcloud_aio_apache/caddy/**" \
         --exclude "nextcloud_aio_mastercontainer/caddy/**" \
@@ -427,6 +431,27 @@ if [ "$BORG_MODE" = restore ]; then
         # then we do still need to delete local files which are not present in the archive.
         #
         # Older backups may still contain files we've since excluded, so we have to exclude on extract as well.
+
+        # Find .noaiobackup markers in the archive and build exclude lists dynamically
+        NOAIOBACKUP_FOUND=0
+        while IFS= read -r marker; do
+            if [ -n "$marker" ]; then
+                NOAIOBACKUP_FOUND=1
+                dir="$(dirname "$marker")"
+                ADDITIONAL_BORG_EXCLUDES+=(--exclude "sh:${dir}/**")
+                # Escape special regex chars and build pattern for recursive matching
+                escaped_dir=$(printf '%s' "$dir" | sed 's/[[\.*^$()+?{|]/\\&/g')
+                ADDITIONAL_FIND_EXCLUDES+=(-o -regex "${escaped_dir}\\(/.*\\)?")
+                echo "Excluding '$dir' from restore due to .noaiobackup marker in backup"
+            fi
+        done < <(borg list "::$SELECTED_ARCHIVE" --short | grep '\.noaiobackup$')
+
+        if [ "$NOAIOBACKUP_FOUND" = 1 ]; then
+            echo "You might run into problems due to excluded directories as potentially this makes the directory go out of sync with the database."
+            echo "You might be able to fix this by running 'occ files:scan --all' and 'occ maintenance:repair' and 'occ files:scan-app-data' after the restore."
+            echo "See https://github.com/nextcloud/all-in-one#how-to-run-occ-commands"
+        fi
+
         cd /  # borg extract has no destination arg and extracts to CWD
         if ! borg extract "::$SELECTED_ARCHIVE" --progress --exclude-from /borg_excludes "${ADDITIONAL_BORG_EXCLUDES[@]}" --pattern '+nextcloud_aio_volumes/**'
         then
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index 66059954..c80aff29 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -1076,18 +1076,23 @@ Afterwards apply the correct permissions with `sudo chown root:root /root/backup
 1. Add the following new line to the crontab if not already present: `0 20 * * 7 /root/backup-script.sh` which will run the script at 20:00 on Sundays each week. 
 1. save and close the crontab (when using nano are the shortcuts for this `Ctrl + o` -> `Enter` and close the editor with `Ctrl + x`).
 
-### How to exclude Nextcloud's data directory or the preview folder from backup?
-In order to speed up the backups and to keep the backup archives small, you might want to exclude Nextcloud's data directory or its preview folder from backup. 
+### How to exclude directories from backup?
+In order to speed up the backups and to keep the backup archives small, you might want to exclude certain directories from backup (e.g. Nextcloud's data directory or the preview folder).
 
 > [!WARNING]
-> However please note that you will run into problems if the database and the data directory or preview folder get out of sync. **So please only read further, if you have an additional external backup of the data directory!** See [this guide](#how-to-enable-automatic-updates-without-creating-a-backup-beforehand) for example.
+> Please note that you will run into problems if the database and excluded directories get out of sync. **So please only read further, if you have an additional external backup of those directories!** See [this guide](#how-to-enable-automatic-updates-without-creating-a-backup-beforehand) for example.
 
 > [!TIP]
 > A better option is to use the external storage app inside Nextcloud as the data connected via the external storage app is not backed up by AIO's backup solution. See [this documentation](https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/latest/admin_manual/configuration_files/external_storage_configuration_gui.html) on how to configure the app.
 
-If you still want to proceed, you can exclude the data directory by simply creating a `.noaiobackup` file in the root directory of the specified `NEXTCLOUD_DATADIR` target. The same logic is implemented for the preview folder that is located inside the data directory, inside the `appdata_*/preview` folder. So simply create a `.noaiobackup` file in there if you want to exclude the preview folder.
+If you still want to proceed, you can exclude **any directory** from backup by creating a `.noaiobackup` file inside it. For example:
+- To exclude the entire data directory: create `.noaiobackup` in the root of your `NEXTCLOUD_DATADIR`
+- To exclude the preview folder: create `.noaiobackup` in `appdata_*/preview` inside the data directory
+- To exclude any other directory: create `.noaiobackup` in that directory
 
-After doing a restore via the AIO interface, you might run into problems due to the data directory and database being out of sync. You might be able to fix this by running `occ files:scan --all` and `occ maintenance:repair` and `occ files:scan-app-data`. See https://github.com/nextcloud/all-in-one#how-to-run-occ-commands. If only the preview folder is excluded, the command `occ files:scan-app-data preview` should be used.
+The `.noaiobackup` marker file itself is kept in the backup, so during restore, directories that were excluded from backup will automatically be skipped (preserving your local data in those directories).
+
+After doing a restore via the AIO interface, you might run into problems due to excluded directories and the database being out of sync. You might be able to fix this by running `occ files:scan --all` and `occ maintenance:repair` and `occ files:scan-app-data`. See https://github.com/nextcloud/all-in-one#how-to-run-occ-commands. If only the preview folder is excluded, the command `occ files:scan-app-data preview` should be used.
 
 ### How to stop/start/update containers or trigger the daily backup from a script externally?
 > [!WARNING]