diff --git a/components/views/files/controls/Controls.vue b/components/views/files/controls/Controls.vue
index b14148f109..09f1bae7ec 100644
--- a/components/views/files/controls/Controls.vue
+++ b/components/views/files/controls/Controls.vue
@@ -85,14 +85,17 @@ export default Vue.extend({
 
       const originalFiles: File[] = [...event.target.files]
       // todo - for now, index is stored in the bucket. we could try moving it to the thread, then sat.json wouldn't be reserved
-      const protectedNameFiles: File[] = originalFiles.filter(
+      const protectedNameResults: File[] = originalFiles.filter(
         (file) => !(file.name === 'sat.json'),
       )
-      const sameNameResults: File[] = protectedNameFiles.filter(
-        (file: File) => {
-          return !this.$FileSystem.hasChild(file.name)
-        },
+      // filter out files with 0 bytes size
+      const emptyFileResults: File[] = protectedNameResults.filter(
+        (file) => !(file.size === 0),
       )
+      // filter out files with the same name as another file
+      const sameNameResults: File[] = emptyFileResults.filter((file) => {
+        return !this.$FileSystem.hasChild(file.name)
+      })
       const nsfwResults: Promise<{ file: File; nsfw: boolean }>[] =
         sameNameResults.map(async (file: File) => {
           // todo - fix with AP-807. don't scan large files to prevent crash
@@ -149,10 +152,13 @@ export default Vue.extend({
 
       this.$emit('forceRender')
 
-      if (protectedNameFiles.length !== originalFiles.length) {
+      if (originalFiles.length !== protectedNameResults.length) {
         this.errors.push(this.$t('pages.files.errors.reserved_name') as string)
       }
-      if (sameNameResults.length !== protectedNameFiles.length) {
+      if (protectedNameResults.length !== emptyFileResults.length) {
+        this.errors.push(this.$t('pages.files.errors.empty_file') as string)
+      }
+      if (emptyFileResults.length !== sameNameResults.length) {
         this.errors.push(this.$t('pages.files.errors.file_name') as string)
       }
       if (nsfwResults.length !== files.length) {
diff --git a/cypress b/cypress
index a2f34f57fa..6f2ac355fc 160000
--- a/cypress
+++ b/cypress
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit a2f34f57fa7476f2c96824c4d15542b344f06f73
+Subproject commit 6f2ac355fc714de721ff4df5de6d70ac781fe2df
diff --git a/locales/en-US.js b/locales/en-US.js
index 330a2c8ac1..fa4a7787ac 100644
--- a/locales/en-US.js
+++ b/locales/en-US.js
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ export default {
       },
       errors: {
         reserved_name: 'sat.json is a reserved file name',
+        empty_file: 'File needs to have a size of 1 byte or greater',
         file_name: 'File with name already exists in this file system',
       },
     },