diff --git a/packages/monaco/src/browser/monaco-text-model-service.ts b/packages/monaco/src/browser/monaco-text-model-service.ts
index 2ede3881a36f7..7cf8f24f7ad5d 100644
--- a/packages/monaco/src/browser/monaco-text-model-service.ts
+++ b/packages/monaco/src/browser/monaco-text-model-service.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import URI from '@theia/core/lib/common/uri';
 import { ResourceProvider, ReferenceCollection, Event } from '@theia/core';
 import { EditorPreferences, EditorPreferenceChange } from '@theia/editor/lib/browser';
 import { MonacoEditorModel } from './monaco-editor-model';
+import { MessageClient, MessageType } from '@theia/core/lib/common';
 
 @injectable()
 export class MonacoTextModelService implements monaco.editor.ITextModelService {
@@ -40,6 +41,9 @@ export class MonacoTextModelService implements monaco.editor.ITextModelService {
     @inject(ProtocolToMonacoConverter)
     protected readonly p2m: ProtocolToMonacoConverter;
 
+    @inject(MessageClient)
+    protected readonly messages: MessageClient;
+
     get models(): MonacoEditorModel[] {
         return this._models.values();
     }
@@ -57,14 +61,20 @@ export class MonacoTextModelService implements monaco.editor.ITextModelService {
     }
 
     protected async loadModel(uri: URI): Promise<MonacoEditorModel> {
-        await this.editorPreferences.ready;
-        const resource = await this.resourceProvider(uri);
-        const model = await (new MonacoEditorModel(resource, this.m2p, this.p2m, { encoding: this.editorPreferences.get('files.encoding') }).load());
-        this.updateModel(model);
-        model.textEditorModel.onDidChangeLanguage(() => this.updateModel(model));
-        const disposable = this.editorPreferences.onPreferenceChanged(change => this.updateModel(model, change));
-        model.onDispose(() => disposable.dispose());
-        return model;
+        try {
+            await this.editorPreferences.ready;
+            const resource = await this.resourceProvider(uri);
+            const model = await (new MonacoEditorModel(resource, this.m2p, this.p2m, { encoding: this.editorPreferences.get('files.encoding') }).load());
+            this.updateModel(model);
+            model.textEditorModel.onDidChangeLanguage(() => this.updateModel(model));
+            const disposable = this.editorPreferences.onPreferenceChanged(change => this.updateModel(model, change));
+            model.onDispose(() => disposable.dispose());
+            return model;
+        } catch (error) {
+            const msg = 'Unable to open "' + uri + '": ' + error;
+            this.messages.showMessage({ type: MessageType.Error, text: msg });
+            return Promise.reject(error);
+        }
     }
 
     protected readonly modelOptions: {