diff --git a/app/lib/database/utils.js b/app/lib/database/utils.js
index 6c5d86b5e..472af733b 100644
--- a/app/lib/database/utils.js
+++ b/app/lib/database/utils.js
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@ import XRegExp from 'xregexp';
 
 // Matches letters from any alphabet and numbers
 const likeStringRegex = new XRegExp('[^\\p{L}\\p{Nd}]', 'g');
-export const sanitizeLikeString = str => str.replace(likeStringRegex, '_');
+export const sanitizeLikeString = str => str?.replace(likeStringRegex, '_');
 
 export const sanitizer = r => r;
diff --git a/app/lib/database/utils.test.js b/app/lib/database/utils.test.js
index dd1e3996e..cbeae7b8a 100644
--- a/app/lib/database/utils.test.js
+++ b/app/lib/database/utils.test.js
@@ -4,9 +4,14 @@ import * as utils from './utils';
 describe('sanitizeLikeStringTester', () => {
 	// example chars that shouldn't return
 	const disallowedChars = ',./;[]!@#$%^&*()_-=+~';
-
 	const sanitizeLikeStringTester = str => expect(utils.sanitizeLikeString(`${ str }${ disallowedChars }`)).toBe(`${ str }${ '_'.repeat(disallowedChars.length) }`);
 
+	test('render empty', () => {
+		expect(utils.sanitizeLikeString(null)).toBe(undefined);
+		expect(utils.sanitizeLikeString('')).toBe('');
+		expect(utils.sanitizeLikeString(undefined)).toBe(undefined);
+	});
+
 	// Testing a couple of different alphabets
 	test('render test (latin)', () => {
 		sanitizeLikeStringTester('test123');