Zero byte file

A zero byte file or zero length file is a computer file containing no data; that is, it has a length or size of zero bytes.

Zero byte files cannot be loaded or used by most applications. Even a file describing an empty word processor document, an image file with zero by zero dimensions, or an audio file of length zero seconds usually still contains metadata identifying the file format and describing some basic attributes of the file; it results in the file with some positive size. Some very simple formats do not use metadata, such as ASCII text files; these may validly be zero bytes.