diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1c864ca1..00509e4e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,12 +1,37 @@
 # novelWriter Changelog
 
+## Version 1.6.2 [2022-03-20]
+
+### Release Notes
+
+This is a bugfix release that fixes a couple of minor issues. Projects containing one or more empty
+documents would trigger a rebuild of the index each time the project was opened. This has now been
+fixed. Another fix resolves an error message being written to the console logging output when a new
+document was created. Both errors were harmless.
+
+### Detailed Changelog
+
+**Bugfixes**
+
+* Fixed an issue where projects containing empty documents would trigger an index rebuild on open,
+  but the empty document would be skipped due to a check that skips empty documents. As a
+  consequence, the index would be rebuilt each time the project was opened. Empty documents are now
+  added to the index, resolving this issue. Issue #1020. PR #1022.
+* Fixed an issue where the shasum calculation would be performed when a new document was created,
+  which would fail as the file did not yet exist. The error was handled, but an error message was
+  printed to the console log. The shasum is now no longer called if the file doesn't already exist.
+  Issue #1021. PR #1023.
+
+----
+
 ## Version 1.6.1 [2022-03-16]
 
 ### Release Notes
 
-This is a bugfix and patch release that fixes two recursion/loop issues. One can cause a crash if
-the window is resized rapidly, and one can cause a hang with certain search parameters in the
-editor's search box. The Latin American Spanish translation has also been updated.
+This is a bugfix and patch release that fixes two recursion/loop issues. One would potentially
+cause a crash if the window was resized rapidly, and one would cause a hang with certain search
+parameters in the editor's search box. The Latin American Spanish translation has also been
+updated.
 
 ### Detailed Changelog
 
diff --git a/novelwriter/assets/text/release_notes.htm b/novelwriter/assets/text/release_notes.htm
index 6c4a7d99..0850e30c 100644
--- a/novelwriter/assets/text/release_notes.htm
+++ b/novelwriter/assets/text/release_notes.htm
@@ -41,9 +41,17 @@ not compatible.</p>
 
 <h3>Patch 1.6.1 &ndash; 16 March 2022</h3>
 
-<p>This is a bugfix and patch release that fixes two recursion/loop issues. One can cause a crash
-if the window is resized rapidly, and one can cause a hang with certain search parameters in the
-editor's search box. The Latin American Spanish translation has also been updated.</p>
+<p>This is a bugfix and patch release that fixes two recursion/loop issues. One would potentially
+cause a crash if the window was resized rapidly, and one would cause a hang with certain search
+parameters in the editor's search box. The Latin American Spanish translation has also been
+updated.</p>
+
+<h3>Patch 1.6.2 &ndash; 20 March 2022</h3>
+
+<p>This is a bugfix release that fixes a couple of minor issues. Projects containing one or more
+empty documents would trigger a rebuild of the index each time the project was opened. This has now
+been fixed. Another fix resolves an error message being written to the console logging output when
+a new document was created. Both errors were harmless.</p>
 
 </body>
 </html>
diff --git a/novelwriter/core/document.py b/novelwriter/core/document.py
index 71916af8..2334c77c 100644
--- a/novelwriter/core/document.py
+++ b/novelwriter/core/document.py
@@ -89,9 +89,10 @@ class NWDoc():
 
         theText = ""
         self._docMeta = {}
-        self._prevHash = sha256sum(docPath)
+        self._prevHash = None
 
         if os.path.isfile(docPath):
+            self._prevHash = sha256sum(docPath)
             try:
                 with open(docPath, mode="r", encoding="utf-8") as inFile:
                     # Check the first <= 10 lines for metadata
diff --git a/novelwriter/core/index.py b/novelwriter/core/index.py
index fa4f01dd..b05fa952 100644
--- a/novelwriter/core/index.py
+++ b/novelwriter/core/index.py
@@ -112,8 +112,7 @@ class NWIndex():
 
         theDoc = NWDoc(self.theProject, tHandle)
         theText = theDoc.readDocument()
-        if theText:
-            self.scanText(tHandle, theText)
+        self.scanText(tHandle, theText if theText is not None else "")
 
         return True
 
@@ -217,18 +216,19 @@ class NWIndex():
         if theItem.itemType != nwItemType.FILE:
             logger.info("Not indexing non-file item '%s'", tHandle)
             return False
+
+        # Run word counter for the whole text
+        cC, wC, pC = countWords(theText)
+        self._fileMeta[tHandle] = ["H0", cC, wC, pC]
+
+        # If the file's meta data is missing, or the file is out of the
+        # main project, we don't index the content
         if theItem.itemLayout == nwItemLayout.NO_LAYOUT:
             logger.info("Not indexing no-layout item '%s'", tHandle)
             return False
         if theItem.itemParent is None:
             logger.info("Not indexing orphaned item '%s'", tHandle)
             return False
-
-        # Run word counter for the whole text
-        cC, wC, pC = countWords(theText)
-        self._fileMeta[tHandle] = ["H0", cC, wC, pC]
-
-        # If the file is archived or in trash, we don't index the content
         if self.theProject.projTree.isTrashRoot(theItem.itemParent):
             logger.debug("Not indexing trash item '%s'", tHandle)
             return False