The feed is empty: why a feed shows no posts

Updated September 30, 2026 2 min read

Feeder shows This feed is empty when it can read the feed, but the feed has no posts in it. The address works. There is just nothing in the feed yet, or the site doesn't put its posts in it.

Why is the feed empty?

CauseHow to tellWhat to do
A new Google AlertThe address starts with google.com/alerts/feeds/. Google adds a post only when it finds a new page that matches your alert.Follow it anyway. Posts show up when Google finds matches. If nothing comes in a few days, make the alert broader. See Add Google Alerts to Feeder.
A new or quiet site, category or tagThe site has no posts yet, or none in that category or tag.Follow it anyway, or follow the site's main feed.
A search or filter feed with no matchesThe address has a search word or filter in it, such as ?s=, search or query.Change the search word, or follow the site's main feed.
The site moved its posts to a new feedThe site shows new posts in your browser, but this feed has none.Find the site's current feed, as shown below.
The site's feed is brokenThe site has posts, and no other feed on the site has them either.Check the feed with the RSS feed validator and tell the site owner. Until they fix it, follow the website without a feed.

Can I follow an empty feed?

Yes. Select Follow as usual. Feeder checks an empty feed like any other feed and shows new posts when they appear. See How often Feeder checks your feeds for new posts.

How do I find the site's current feed?

  1. Select Add feed in Feeder.
  2. Paste the site's address, not the feed's address. Feeder shows the feeds it finds on the site. See Adding feeds.
  3. Follow a feed that has recent posts.

If the site has no working feed, choose Create a custom RSS feed for this website instead.

Common questions

Is an empty feed the same as a red feed?

No. A red feed means Feeder couldn't download the feed. An empty feed downloads without errors but has no posts. See Why a feed stops updating or turns red.

What if Feeder says the feed is not valid?

Then Feeder downloaded the file but couldn't read it as a feed. See The feed is not valid.

Still stuck? E-mail support@feeder.co with the feed's address.

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