diff --git a/src/public/app/widgets/backlinks.js b/src/public/app/widgets/backlinks.js
index f7ba2e08f..bb11b8bf6 100644
--- a/src/public/app/widgets/backlinks.js
+++ b/src/public/app/widgets/backlinks.js
@@ -103,17 +103,19 @@ export default class BacklinksWidget extends NoteContextAwareWidget {
     async refreshWithNote(note) {
         this.clearItems();
 
-        const targetRelationCount = note.getTargetRelations().length;
-        if (targetRelationCount === 0) {
+        // can't use froca since that would count only relations from loaded notes
+        const resp = await server.get(`notes/${this.noteId}/backlink-count`);
+
+        if (!resp || !resp.count) {
             this.$ticker.hide();
+            return;
         }
-        else {
-            this.$ticker.show();
-            this.$count.text(
-                `${targetRelationCount} backlink`
-                + (targetRelationCount === 1 ? '' : 's')
-            );
-        }
+
+        this.$ticker.show();
+        this.$count.text(
+            `${resp.count} backlink`
+            + (resp.count === 1 ? '' : 's')
+        );
     }
 
     clearItems() {
@@ -136,18 +138,22 @@ export default class BacklinksWidget extends NoteContextAwareWidget {
         await froca.getNotes(backlinks.map(bl => bl.noteId)); // prefetch all
 
         for (const backlink of backlinks) {
-            this.$items.append(await linkService.createNoteLink(backlink.noteId, {
+            const $item = $("<div>");
+
+            $item.append(await linkService.createNoteLink(backlink.noteId, {
                 showNoteIcon: true,
                 showNotePath: true,
                 showTooltip: false
             }));
 
             if (backlink.relationName) {
-                this.$items.append($("<p>").text("relation: " + backlink.relationName));
+                $item.append($("<p>").text("relation: " + backlink.relationName));
             }
             else {
-                this.$items.append(...backlink.excerpts);
+                $item.append(...backlink.excerpts);
             }
+
+            this.$items.append($item);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/routes/api/notes.js b/src/routes/api/notes.js
index 49c35607d..6b43bec7f 100644
--- a/src/routes/api/notes.js
+++ b/src/routes/api/notes.js
@@ -302,6 +302,21 @@ function uploadModifiedFile(req) {
     note.setContent(fileContent);
 }
 
+function getBacklinkCount(req) {
+    const {noteId} = req.params;
+
+    const note = becca.getNote(noteId);
+
+    if (!note) {
+        return [404, "Not found"];
+    }
+    else {
+        return {
+            count: note.getTargetRelations().length
+        };
+    }
+}
+
 module.exports = {
     getNote,
     updateNote,
@@ -316,5 +331,6 @@ module.exports = {
     duplicateSubtree,
     eraseDeletedNotesNow,
     getDeleteNotesPreview,
-    uploadModifiedFile
+    uploadModifiedFile,
+    getBacklinkCount
 };
diff --git a/src/routes/routes.js b/src/routes/routes.js
index d0f69e39c..923f9c078 100644
--- a/src/routes/routes.js
+++ b/src/routes/routes.js
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ function register(app) {
     apiRoute(DELETE, '/api/notes/:noteId/revisions/:noteRevisionId', noteRevisionsApiRoute.eraseNoteRevision);
     route(GET, '/api/notes/:noteId/revisions/:noteRevisionId/download', [auth.checkApiAuthOrElectron], noteRevisionsApiRoute.downloadNoteRevision);
     apiRoute(PUT, '/api/notes/:noteId/restore-revision/:noteRevisionId', noteRevisionsApiRoute.restoreNoteRevision);
+    apiRoute(GET, '/api/notes/:noteId/backlink-count', notesApiRoute.getBacklinkCount);
     apiRoute(POST, '/api/notes/relation-map', notesApiRoute.getRelationMap);
     apiRoute(POST, '/api/notes/erase-deleted-notes-now', notesApiRoute.eraseDeletedNotesNow);
     apiRoute(PUT, '/api/notes/:noteId/change-title', notesApiRoute.changeTitle);