diff --git a/src/lib-storage/index/dbox-multi/mdbox-sync.c b/src/lib-storage/index/dbox-multi/mdbox-sync.c
index 04bc59dcd9..e41910c955 100644
--- a/src/lib-storage/index/dbox-multi/mdbox-sync.c
+++ b/src/lib-storage/index/dbox-multi/mdbox-sync.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "mailbox-recent-flags.h"
 
 
+/* returns -1 on error, 1 on success, 0 if guid is empty/missing */
 static int
 dbox_sync_verify_expunge_guid(struct mdbox_sync_context *ctx, uint32_t seq,
 			      const guid_128_t guid_128)
@@ -34,9 +35,13 @@ dbox_sync_verify_expunge_guid(struct mdbox_sync_context *ctx, uint32_t seq,
 	mail_index_lookup_uid(ctx->sync_view, seq, &uid);
 	mail_index_lookup_ext(ctx->sync_view, seq,
 			      ctx->mbox->guid_ext_id, &data, NULL);
+
+	if ((data == NULL) || guid_128_is_empty(data))
+		return 0;
+
 	if (guid_128_is_empty(guid_128) ||
 	    memcmp(data, guid_128, GUID_128_SIZE) == 0)
-		return 0;
+		return 1;
 
 	mailbox_set_critical(&ctx->mbox->box,
 		"Expunged GUID mismatch for UID %u: %s vs %s",
@@ -49,14 +54,16 @@ static int mdbox_sync_expunge(struct mdbox_sync_context *ctx, uint32_t seq,
 			      const guid_128_t guid_128)
 {
 	uint32_t map_uid;
+	int ret;
 
 	if (seq_range_array_add(&ctx->expunged_seqs, seq)) {
 		/* already marked as expunged in this sync */
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-	if (dbox_sync_verify_expunge_guid(ctx, seq, guid_128) < 0)
-		return -1;
+	ret = dbox_sync_verify_expunge_guid(ctx, seq, guid_128);
+	if (ret <= 0)
+		return ret;
 	if (mdbox_mail_lookup(ctx->mbox, ctx->sync_view, seq, &map_uid) < 0)
 		return -1;
 	if (mdbox_map_update_refcount(ctx->map_trans, map_uid, -1) < 0)
@@ -107,7 +114,10 @@ static int dbox_sync_mark_expunges(struct mdbox_sync_context *ctx)
 		mail_index_lookup_uid(ctx->sync_view, seq, &uid);
 		mail_index_lookup_ext(ctx->sync_view, seq,
 				      ctx->mbox->guid_ext_id, &data, NULL);
-		mail_index_expunge_guid(trans, seq, data);
+		if ((data == NULL) || guid_128_is_empty(data))
+			mail_index_expunge(trans, seq);
+		else
+			mail_index_expunge_guid(trans, seq, data);
 	}
 	if (mail_index_transaction_commit(&trans) < 0)
 		return -1;