diff --git a/src/addressbook.cpp b/src/addressbook.cpp
index 245fa6a..3ea68dd 100644
--- a/src/addressbook.cpp
+++ b/src/addressbook.cpp
@@ -181,6 +181,10 @@ QList<QPair<QString, QString>> AddressBook::readFromStorage() {
     
     QList<QPair<QString, QString>> labels;    
 
+    if (!file.exists()) {
+        return labels;
+    }
+
     file.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly);
     QDataStream in(&file);    // read the data serialized from the file
     QString version;
@@ -212,4 +216,4 @@ QString AddressBook::writeableFile() {
     } else {
         return dir.filePath(filename);
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}