diff --git a/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/parsePublishApiRequestFiles.js b/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/parsePublishApiRequestFiles.js
index d5b447b8..6e1f3409 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/parsePublishApiRequestFiles.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/parsePublishApiRequestFiles.js
@@ -3,7 +3,17 @@ const validateFileTypeAndSize = require('./validateFileTypeAndSize.js');
 
 const parsePublishApiRequestFiles = ({file, thumbnail}, isUpdate) => {
   // make sure a file was provided
-  if (!file && !isUpdate) {
+  if (!file) {
+    if (isUpdate) {
+      if (thumbnail) {
+        const obj = {};
+        obj.thumbnailFileName = thumbnail.name;
+        obj.thumbnailFilePath = thumbnail.path;
+        obj.thumbnailFileType = thumbnail.type;
+        return obj;
+      }
+      return {};
+    }
     throw new Error('no file with key of [file] found in request');
   }
   if (!file.path) {
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/claim/update/index.js b/server/controllers/api/claim/update/index.js
index ab2e2f25..bd3a262d 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/claim/update/index.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/claim/update/index.js
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ const claimUpdate = ({ body, files, headers, ip, originalUrl, user, tor }, res)
 
   try {
     ({name, nsfw, license, title, description, thumbnail} = parsePublishApiRequestBody(body));
-    ({fileName, filePath, fileExtension, fileType, thumbnailFileName, thumbnailFilePath, thumbnailFileType} = parsePublishApiRequestFiles(files));
+    ({fileName, filePath, fileExtension, fileType, thumbnailFileName, thumbnailFilePath, thumbnailFileType} = parsePublishApiRequestFiles(files, true));
     ({channelName, channelId, channelPassword} = body);
   } catch (error) {
     return res.status(400).json({success: false, message: error.message});