diff --git a/lisp/ol-docview.el b/lisp/ol-docview.el
index a5f74ce90..864f9e042 100644
--- a/lisp/ol-docview.el
+++ b/lisp/ol-docview.el
@@ -75,7 +75,9 @@
 		   (string-to-number (match-string 2 link)))))
     ;; Let Org mode open the file (in-emacs = 1) to ensure
     ;; org-link-frame-setup is respected.
-    (org-open-file path 1)
+    (if (file-exists-p path)
+        (org-open-file path 1)
+      (error "No such file: %s" path))
     (when page (doc-view-goto-page page))))
 
 (defun org-docview-store-link ()