# "Empty file skipped", file not empty

**URL:** <https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154>\
**Category:** DEVONthink\
**Tags:** bug-report, sync\
**Created:** [January 29, 2026, 11:22am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154 "2026-01-29T11:22:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/chrillek/32/29340_2.png) [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 11:22am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/1 "2026-01-29T11:22:14Z")

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I see “Empty file skipped” messages on my Mac for a single imported PDF file. Which is _not_ empty. I can drag/drop it to the desktop and everything is there. The document is marked with the cloud icon on macOS.

On the iPad (DTTG4), the file is empty. On the iPhone (DTTG3) clicking on it results in a not finishing load attempt.

I verified the sync store (thoroughly) and the database (thoroughly). Both came back as healthy. The modification date of the file on the Mac is very recent, which makes no sense – I didn’ touch it since ages.

Any ideas besides “delete the file and reimport it”?

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**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 11:38am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/2 "2026-01-29T11:38:47Z")

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The sync received an empty file, skipped it and therefore your database doesn’t contain an empty one (as expected). On which device did you import it using which DEVONthink (To Go) version?

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**Author:** ![chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/chrillek/32/29340_2.png) [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 11:44am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/3 "2026-01-29T11:44:27Z")

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I imported it in DT 3, about 8 years ago. The issue surfaced after I removed the database from the iPad (DTTG4) and reloaded it from the sync store. This was needed to fix the broken smart groups on the iPad.

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**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 12:04pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/4 "2026-01-29T12:04:24Z")

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This seems to be an issue of this old sync store. Cleaning and uploading it again might be a good idea.

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**Author:** ![chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/chrillek/32/29340_2.png) [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 12:28pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/5 "2026-01-29T12:28:36Z")

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So, I turned off sync on the other devices and cleaned the sync store on my Mac. Turned all databases on again. That solved the _original_ problem. Now I have another missing document (“Can’t be downloaded”).

That is, the protocol tells me about _2_ documents in another database. The smart group selecting “pending” documents for this database contains only _one_. This one is available on the iPhone – should I turn on sync there again and hope that it will trickle over to the Mac?

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**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 12:47pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/6 "2026-01-29T12:47:13Z")

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Modify the document on the iPhone or duplicate it.

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**Author:** ![chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/chrillek/32/29340_2.png) [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 12:59pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/7 "2026-01-29T12:59:00Z")

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I set a red mark on it (on the iPhone, DTTG3). Nothing got synced. Then I checked and noticed that sync stopped for all databases except the global inbox on the iPhone yesterday. So, I turned the database off and on in the sync store (again on the iPhone). Now I have it _twice_.

It’s getting curiouser and curiouser.

**Edit** Just started a support ticket.

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**Author:** ![eboehnisch](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/eboehnisch/32/38699_2.png) [@eboehnisch](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/eboehnisch)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/8 "2026-01-29T14:39:18Z")

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Just curious: Does DEVONthink To Go 3.8.15 for you behave like being registered or like being in a zombie-like semi-registered state and all databases except for the global inbox are sort of greyed out?

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**Author:** ![chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/chrillek/32/29340_2.png) [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/9 "2026-01-29T15:15:04Z")

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No, nothing is greyed out. And a single database (removed from the iPhone and then downloaded again) syncs again. The others don’t.

But _no_ database, except the global inbox, appears in the iOS file manager. That was different before.

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**Author:** ![eboehnisch](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/eboehnisch/32/38699_2.png) [@eboehnisch](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/eboehnisch)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/10 "2026-01-29T15:17:09Z")

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Yes. I see the problem. Look to DEVONthink To Go 3.8.16’s coming on the first light of the second day, at dawn look to the east.

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**Author:** ![chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/chrillek/32/29340_2.png) [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/empty-file-skipped-file-not-empty/86154/11 "2026-01-29T15:23:02Z")

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Eagerly. Thanks!