diff --git a/src/LyXFunc.cpp b/src/LyXFunc.cpp
index cc3d5fe026..5c104dcc56 100644
--- a/src/LyXFunc.cpp
+++ b/src/LyXFunc.cpp
@@ -1998,7 +1998,7 @@ void LyXFunc::menuNew(string const & name, bool fromTemplate)
 
 	Buffer * const b = newFile(filename, templname, !name.empty());
 	if (b) {
-		//updateLabels(*b);
+		updateLabels(*b);
 		lyx_view_->setBuffer(b);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/Text.cpp b/src/Text.cpp
index 3fd04c724f..abd71961a6 100644
--- a/src/Text.cpp
+++ b/src/Text.cpp
@@ -344,6 +344,13 @@ void readParagraph(Buffer const & buf, Paragraph & par, Lexer & lex,
 } // namespace anon
 
 
+bool Text::empty() const
+{
+	return pars_.empty() || (pars_.size() == 1 && pars_[0].empty()
+		// FIXME: Should we consider the labeled type as empty too? 
+		&& pars_[0].layout()->labeltype == LABEL_NO_LABEL);
+}
+
 
 double Text::spacing(Buffer const & buffer,
 		Paragraph const & par) const
diff --git a/src/Text.h b/src/Text.h
index a8ee899dca..7e154388a9 100644
--- a/src/Text.h
+++ b/src/Text.h
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ public:
 	/// constructor
 	explicit Text();
 
+	/// \return true if there's no content at all.
+	/// \warning a non standard layout on an empty paragraph doesn't
+	// count as empty.
+	bool empty() const;
+
 	///
 	Font getFont(Buffer const & buffer, Paragraph const & par,
 		pos_type pos) const;
diff --git a/src/buffer_funcs.cpp b/src/buffer_funcs.cpp
index 84b037e67c..85044361a7 100644
--- a/src/buffer_funcs.cpp
+++ b/src/buffer_funcs.cpp
@@ -578,6 +578,8 @@ void updateLabels(Buffer const & buf, ParIterator & parit)
 }
 
 
+// FIXME: buf should should be const because updateLabels() modifies
+// the contents of the paragraphs.
 void updateLabels(Buffer const & buf, bool childonly)
 {
 	Buffer const * const master = buf.getMasterBuffer();
@@ -595,11 +597,20 @@ void updateLabels(Buffer const & buf, bool childonly)
 		textclass.counters().reset();
 	}
 
+	Buffer & cbuf = const_cast<Buffer &>(buf);
+
+	if (buf.text().empty()) {
+		// FIXME: we don't call continue with updateLabels() here because
+		// it crashes on newly created documents. But the TocBackend needs to
+		// be initialised nonetheless so we update the tocBackend manually.
+		cbuf.tocBackend().update();
+		return;
+	}
+
 	// do the real work
 	ParIterator parit = par_iterator_begin(buf.inset());
 	updateLabels(buf, parit);
 
-	Buffer & cbuf = const_cast<Buffer &>(buf);
 	cbuf.tocBackend().update();
 	if (!childonly)
 		cbuf.structureChanged();