diff --git a/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc b/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc
index 4d92e6d35fd..dc928fee952 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc
+++ b/CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ https://github.com/elastic/beats/compare/v6.5.4...6.5[Check the HEAD diff]
 *Filebeat*
 
 - Support IPv6 addresses with zone id in IIS ingest pipeline. {issue}9836[9836] error log: {pull}9869[9869] access log: {pull}10030[10030]
+- Fix bad bytes count in `docker` input when filtering by stream. {pull}10211[10211]
 
 *Heartbeat*
 
diff --git a/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json.go b/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json.go
index 524cb2c3781..0d7096b27a5 100644
--- a/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json.go
+++ b/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json.go
@@ -153,8 +153,14 @@ func (p *Reader) parseLine(message *reader.Message, msg *logLine) error {
 
 // Next returns the next line.
 func (p *Reader) Next() (reader.Message, error) {
+	var bytes int
 	for {
 		message, err := p.reader.Next()
+
+		// keep the right bytes count even if we return an error
+		bytes += message.Bytes
+		message.Bytes = bytes
+
 		if err != nil {
 			return message, err
 		}
@@ -168,6 +174,11 @@ func (p *Reader) Next() (reader.Message, error) {
 		// Handle multiline messages, join partial lines
 		for p.partial && logLine.Partial {
 			next, err := p.reader.Next()
+
+			// keep the right bytes count even if we return an error
+			bytes += next.Bytes
+			message.Bytes = bytes
+
 			if err != nil {
 				return message, err
 			}
@@ -176,7 +187,6 @@ func (p *Reader) Next() (reader.Message, error) {
 				return message, err
 			}
 			message.Content = append(message.Content, next.Content...)
-			message.Bytes += next.Bytes
 		}
 
 		if p.stream != "all" && p.stream != logLine.Stream {
diff --git a/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json_test.go b/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json_test.go
index c9c612b5c04..db42507da63 100644
--- a/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json_test.go
+++ b/filebeat/reader/docker_json/docker_json_test.go
@@ -53,24 +53,36 @@ func TestDockerJSON(t *testing.T) {
 			input:         [][]byte{[]byte(`this is not JSON`)},
 			stream:        "all",
 			expectedError: true,
+			expectedMessage: reader.Message{
+				Bytes: 16,
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:          "Wrong CRI",
 			input:         [][]byte{[]byte(`2017-09-12T22:32:21.212861448Z stdout`)},
 			stream:        "all",
 			expectedError: true,
+			expectedMessage: reader.Message{
+				Bytes: 37,
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:          "Wrong CRI",
 			input:         [][]byte{[]byte(`{this is not JSON nor CRI`)},
 			stream:        "all",
 			expectedError: true,
+			expectedMessage: reader.Message{
+				Bytes: 25,
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:          "Missing time",
 			input:         [][]byte{[]byte(`{"log":"1:M 09 Nov 13:27:36.276 # User requested shutdown...\n","stream":"stdout"}`)},
 			stream:        "all",
 			expectedError: true,
+			expectedMessage: reader.Message{
+				Bytes: 82,
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:   "CRI log no tags",
@@ -97,7 +109,7 @@ func TestDockerJSON(t *testing.T) {
 			criflags: true,
 		},
 		{
-			name: "Filtering stream",
+			name: "Filtering stream, bytes count accounts for all (filtered and not)",
 			input: [][]byte{
 				[]byte(`{"log":"filtered\n","stream":"stdout","time":"2017-11-09T13:27:36.277747246Z"}`),
 				[]byte(`{"log":"unfiltered\n","stream":"stderr","time":"2017-11-09T13:27:36.277747246Z"}`),
@@ -108,11 +120,11 @@ func TestDockerJSON(t *testing.T) {
 				Content: []byte("unfiltered\n"),
 				Fields:  common.MapStr{"stream": "stderr"},
 				Ts:      time.Date(2017, 11, 9, 13, 27, 36, 277747246, time.UTC),
-				Bytes:   80,
+				Bytes:   158,
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			name: "Filtering stream",
+			name: "Filtering CRI stream, bytes count accounts for all (filtered and not)",
 			input: [][]byte{
 				[]byte(`2017-10-12T13:32:21.232861448Z stdout F 2017-10-12 13:32:21.212 [INFO][88] table.go 710: Invalidating dataplane cache`),
 				[]byte(`2017-11-12T23:32:21.212771448Z stderr F 2017-11-12 23:32:21.212 [ERROR][77] table.go 111: error`),
@@ -123,7 +135,7 @@ func TestDockerJSON(t *testing.T) {
 				Content: []byte("2017-11-12 23:32:21.212 [ERROR][77] table.go 111: error"),
 				Fields:  common.MapStr{"stream": "stderr"},
 				Ts:      time.Date(2017, 11, 12, 23, 32, 21, 212771448, time.UTC),
-				Bytes:   95,
+				Bytes:   212,
 			},
 			criflags: true,
 		},
@@ -189,6 +201,19 @@ func TestDockerJSON(t *testing.T) {
 				Bytes:   109,
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "Error parsing still keeps good bytes count",
+			input: [][]byte{
+				[]byte(`{"log":"1:M 09 Nov 13:27:36.276 # User requested ","stream":"stdout","time":"2017-11-09T13:27:36.277747246Z"}`),
+				[]byte(`{"log":"shutdown...\n","stream`),
+			},
+			stream:        "stdout",
+			expectedError: true,
+			expectedMessage: reader.Message{
+				Bytes: 139,
+			},
+			partial: true,
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
@@ -205,6 +230,8 @@ func TestDockerJSON(t *testing.T) {
 
 			if err == nil {
 				assert.EqualValues(t, test.expectedMessage, message)
+			} else {
+				assert.Equal(t, test.expectedMessage.Bytes, message.Bytes)
 			}
 		})
 	}