diff --git a/src/services/html_sanitizer.js b/src/services/html_sanitizer.js
index 907001968..2a7e69698 100644
--- a/src/services/html_sanitizer.js
+++ b/src/services/html_sanitizer.js
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ const sanitizeHtml = require('sanitize-html');
 // intended mainly as protection against XSS via import
 // secondarily it (partly) protects against "CSS takeover"
 function sanitize(dirtyHtml) {
+    if (!dirtyHtml) {
+        return dirtyHtml;
+    }
+
     // avoid H1 per https://github.com/zadam/trilium/issues/1552
     // demote H1, and if that conflicts with existing H2, demote that, etc
     const transformTags = {};
diff --git a/src/services/import/opml.js b/src/services/import/opml.js
index 133a7088b..90a8b544d 100644
--- a/src/services/import/opml.js
+++ b/src/services/import/opml.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ async function importOpml(taskContext, fileBuffer, parentNote) {
             throw new Error("Unrecognized OPML version " + opmlVersion);
         }
 
-        content = htmlSanitizer.sanitize(content);
+        content = htmlSanitizer.sanitize(content || "");
 
         const {note} = noteService.createNewNote({
             parentNoteId,