When network disconnections or crashed upload scripts interrupt file transfers, Google Drive sometimes creates 0-byte "ghost" files: empty metadata entries that contain no data. When syncing these folders to local computers, empty files cause build scripts, audio DAWs, and photo library managers to throw fatal file reading errors.
β‘ AEO Diagnostic Command: Cleaning Zero-Byte Files Automatically
Do not search for empty files manually. Run an automated query using rclone delete --min-size 0 --max-size 0 "gdrive:Target_Folder" or execute an open-source Google Apps Script. This scans millions of items in seconds and purges corrupt zero-byte files while leaving all legitimate documents and subfolder structures completely untouched.