diff --git a/backend.c b/backend.c
index edb03dc..c450679 100644
--- a/backend.c
+++ b/backend.c
@@ -82,10 +82,15 @@ char* smartstrcasestr(const char *haystack, const char *needle){
 
 
 char* parse_cmd(const char *cmd, file *f){
+	char *out;
+	if (f == NULL) {
+		out = malloc(strlen(cmd)+1);
+		memcpy(out, cmd, strlen(cmd)+1);
+		return out;
+	}
 	const char *offset = strstr(cmd, SETTINGS_COMMAND_REPLACE_STR);
 
 	int count = 0;
-	char *out;
 	char *pos;
 	unsigned long i = 0;
 	while(f->file_name[i]) {
diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index 9e078cd..faf4f9a 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -49,6 +49,12 @@ unsigned long get_dir_size(char *path){
 }
 
 void get_dir_content(char *path, dir *dir){
+
+	if (dir->file_count == 0) {
+		return;
+		dir = NULL;
+	}
+
 	struct dirent **entry = NULL;
 	if (file_modifiers & FILE_MODIFIERS_HIDDEN_FILES) { /* print hidden files */
 		scandir(path, &entry, skip_dot, NULL);
diff --git a/interactions.c b/interactions.c
index 01fbe93..a00ddbc 100644
--- a/interactions.c
+++ b/interactions.c
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ yank yank_files = { 0 };
 void FAIL(char *function, char *str){
 	printf("ERROR in function %s: %s", function, str);
 }
+#define continue_if_empty_dir \
+	if (mid_dir.current_file == NULL) { \
+		return; \
+	}
+
 void user_interactions() {
 
 
@@ -165,6 +170,8 @@ void select_all(){
 }
 void move_down(unsigned long passes){
 
+	continue_if_empty_dir;
+
 	mid_dir.current_file += passes;
 	if (mid_dir.current_file > mid_dir.file_list + mid_dir.file_count - 1) { 
 		mid_dir.current_file = mid_dir.file_list + mid_dir.file_count - 1;
@@ -174,6 +181,8 @@ void move_down(unsigned long passes){
 }
 void move_up(unsigned long passes){
 
+	continue_if_empty_dir;
+
 	mid_dir.current_file -= passes; 
 	if (mid_dir.current_file < mid_dir.file_list) {
 		mid_dir.current_file = mid_dir.file_list;
@@ -191,6 +200,8 @@ void move_left(unsigned long passes){
 }
 void move_right(){
 
+	continue_if_empty_dir
+
 	if (mid_dir.current_file->file_type & FILE_TYPE_DIR) {
 		change_dir(mid_dir.current_file->file_name);
 	} else if (mid_dir.current_file->file_type & FILE_TYPE_EXEC) {
diff --git a/threading.c b/threading.c
index c68feb0..b696130 100644
--- a/threading.c
+++ b/threading.c
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ void *thread_mid(){
 				
 			} else { /* the hovered dir is empty */
 				mid_dir.current_file = NULL;
+				mid_dir.file_list = NULL;
 			}
 
 			unsigned long i;
@@ -95,11 +96,13 @@ void *thread_mid(){
 
 		}
 
-		if (mid_dir.current_file > mid_dir.file_list + mid_dir.file_count - 1) {
-			mid_dir.current_file = mid_dir.file_list + mid_dir.file_count - 1;
-		}
-		if (mid_dir.current_file < mid_dir.file_list) {
-			mid_dir.current_file = mid_dir.file_list;
+		if (mid_dir.current_file != NULL) {
+			if (mid_dir.current_file > mid_dir.file_list + mid_dir.file_count - 1) {
+				mid_dir.current_file = mid_dir.file_list + mid_dir.file_count - 1;
+			}
+			if (mid_dir.current_file < mid_dir.file_list) {
+				mid_dir.current_file = mid_dir.file_list;
+			}
 		}
 
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_mid);
@@ -204,20 +207,26 @@ void *thread_rgt(){
 
 		pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_mid);
 
-		char *file_name = malloc(strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
-		file_name = memcpy(file_name, mid_dir.current_file->file_name, strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
+		if (mid_dir.current_file != NULL) {
+			char *file_name = malloc(strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
+			file_name = memcpy(file_name, mid_dir.current_file->file_name, strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
 
-		rgt_dir.file_list = malloc(sizeof(file));
-		memcpy(rgt_dir.file_list, mid_dir.current_file, sizeof(file));
-		rgt_dir.file_list->file_name = file_name;
-		rgt_dir.current_file = rgt_dir.file_list;
-		rgt_dir.file_count = 1;
+			rgt_dir.file_list = malloc(sizeof(file));
+			memcpy(rgt_dir.file_list, mid_dir.current_file, sizeof(file));
+			rgt_dir.file_list->file_name = file_name;
+			rgt_dir.current_file = rgt_dir.file_list;
+			rgt_dir.file_count = 1;
+		} else {
+			rgt_dir.current_file = NULL;
+			rgt_dir.file_list = NULL;
+			rgt_dir.file_count = 0;
+		}
 
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_mid);
 
 
 
-		if (rgt_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IRUSR) {
+		if (rgt_dir.current_file != NULL && rgt_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IRUSR) {
 			if (rgt_dir.current_file->file_type & FILE_TYPE_DIR) {
 				#if SETTINGS_UEBERZUG_IMAGE_PREVIEW != 0
 				images_clear();
@@ -288,13 +297,18 @@ void *thread_top(){
 
 		pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex_mid);
 
-		top_buffer = malloc(strlen(global_path)+1 + strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
-		memcpy(top_buffer, global_path, strlen(global_path));
-		memcpy(top_buffer + strlen(global_path) + 1, mid_dir.current_file->file_name, strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
+		if (mid_dir.current_file != NULL) {
+			top_buffer = malloc(strlen(global_path)+1 + strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
+			memcpy(top_buffer, global_path, strlen(global_path));
+			memcpy(top_buffer + strlen(global_path) + 1, mid_dir.current_file->file_name, strlen(mid_dir.current_file->file_name)+1);
 
+			top_buffer[strlen(global_path)] = '/';
+			top_width = strlen(top_buffer);
+		} else {
+			top_buffer = malloc(strlen(global_path)+1);
+			memcpy(top_buffer, global_path, strlen(global_path)+1);
+		}
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex_mid);
-		top_buffer[strlen(global_path)] = '/';
-		top_width = strlen(top_buffer);
 
 
 		/* rendering */
@@ -404,17 +418,19 @@ void *thread_btm(){
 
 		memcpy(btm_buffer + buffer_width - ui_btm_right_block_size, ui_btm_right_block, ui_btm_right_block_size);
 
-		btm_buffer[0] = (S_ISLNK(mid_dir.current_file->permissions)) ? 'l': 
-				(S_ISDIR(mid_dir.current_file->permissions)  ? 'd': '-');
-		btm_buffer[1] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IRUSR) ? 'r' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[2] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IWUSR) ? 'w' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[3] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IXUSR) ? 'x' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[4] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IRGRP) ? 'r' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[5] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IWGRP) ? 'w' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[6] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IXGRP) ? 'x' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[7] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IROTH) ? 'r' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[8] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IWOTH) ? 'w' : '-';
-		btm_buffer[9] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IXOTH) ? 'x' : '-';
+		if (mid_dir.current_file != NULL) {
+			btm_buffer[0] = (S_ISLNK(mid_dir.current_file->permissions)) ? 'l': 
+					(S_ISDIR(mid_dir.current_file->permissions)  ? 'd': '-');
+			btm_buffer[1] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IRUSR) ? 'r' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[2] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IWUSR) ? 'w' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[3] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IXUSR) ? 'x' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[4] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IRGRP) ? 'r' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[5] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IWGRP) ? 'w' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[6] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IXGRP) ? 'x' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[7] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IROTH) ? 'r' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[8] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IWOTH) ? 'w' : '-';
+			btm_buffer[9] = (mid_dir.current_file->permissions & S_IXOTH) ? 'x' : '-';
+		}