diff --git a/common/web/types/src/kpj/kpj-file-reader.ts b/common/web/types/src/kpj/kpj-file-reader.ts
index 29ffe8009d9..d005e0a0abb 100644
--- a/common/web/types/src/kpj/kpj-file-reader.ts
+++ b/common/web/types/src/kpj/kpj-file-reader.ts
@@ -117,7 +117,13 @@ export class KPJFileReader {
    * @param source KVKSourceFile
    */
   private boxArrays(source: KPJFile) {
-    boxXmlArray(source.KeymanDeveloperProject?.Files, 'File');
+    if(!source.KeymanDeveloperProject) {
+      return source;
+    }
+    if(!source.KeymanDeveloperProject.Files || typeof source.KeymanDeveloperProject.Files == 'string') {
+      source.KeymanDeveloperProject.Files = {File:[]};
+    }
+    boxXmlArray(source.KeymanDeveloperProject.Files, 'File');
     return source;
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/common/web/types/test/fixtures/kpj/project-missing-file/project_missing_file.kpj b/common/web/types/test/fixtures/kpj/project-missing-file/project_missing_file.kpj
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..38fa0201781
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/web/types/test/fixtures/kpj/project-missing-file/project_missing_file.kpj
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<KeymanDeveloperProject>
+  <Options>
+    <BuildPath>$PROJECTPATH</BuildPath>
+    <CompilerWarningsAsErrors>False</CompilerWarningsAsErrors>
+    <WarnDeprecatedCode>False</WarnDeprecatedCode>
+    <CheckFilenameConventions>False</CheckFilenameConventions>
+    <ProjectType>keyboard</ProjectType>
+  </Options>
+  <Files>
+  </Files>
+</KeymanDeveloperProject>
diff --git a/common/web/types/test/fixtures/kpj/project-missing-file/project_missing_files.kpj b/common/web/types/test/fixtures/kpj/project-missing-file/project_missing_files.kpj
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6033b4de103
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/web/types/test/fixtures/kpj/project-missing-file/project_missing_files.kpj
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<KeymanDeveloperProject>
+  <Options>
+    <BuildPath>$PROJECTPATH</BuildPath>
+    <CompilerWarningsAsErrors>False</CompilerWarningsAsErrors>
+    <WarnDeprecatedCode>False</WarnDeprecatedCode>
+    <CheckFilenameConventions>False</CheckFilenameConventions>
+    <ProjectType>keyboard</ProjectType>
+  </Options>
+</KeymanDeveloperProject>
diff --git a/common/web/types/test/kpj/test-kpj-file-reader.ts b/common/web/types/test/kpj/test-kpj-file-reader.ts
index 12c1e7a134e..cbebdd79207 100644
--- a/common/web/types/test/kpj/test-kpj-file-reader.ts
+++ b/common/web/types/test/kpj/test-kpj-file-reader.ts
@@ -123,4 +123,34 @@ describe('kpj-file-reader', function () {
     assert.isEmpty(f.details);
     assert.lengthOf(f.childFiles, 0);
   });
+
+  it('should load a v1.0 keyboard project with missing <File>', function() {
+    const path = makePathToFixture('kpj', 'project-missing-file', 'project_missing_file.kpj');
+    const input = fs.readFileSync(path);
+    const reader = new KPJFileReader(callbacks);
+    const kpj = reader.read(input);
+    reader.validate(kpj);
+    if(callbacks.messages.length) {
+      callbacks.printMessages();
+    }
+    assert.equal(callbacks.messages.length, 0);
+    assert.lengthOf(kpj.KeymanDeveloperProject.Files.File, 0);
+    const project = reader.transform(path, kpj);
+    assert.equal(callbacks.messages.length, 0);
+    assert.isNotNull(project);
+  });
+
+  it('should load a v1.0 keyboard project with missing <Files>', function() {
+    const path = makePathToFixture('kpj', 'project-missing-file', 'project_missing_files.kpj');
+    const input = fs.readFileSync(path);
+    const reader = new KPJFileReader(callbacks);
+    const kpj = reader.read(input);
+    reader.validate(kpj);
+    assert.equal(callbacks.messages.length, 0);
+    assert.lengthOf(kpj.KeymanDeveloperProject.Files.File, 0);
+    const project = reader.transform(path, kpj);
+    assert.equal(callbacks.messages.length, 0);
+    assert.isNotNull(project);
+  });
+
 });