diff --git a/src/coreComponents/mesh/ElementType.hpp b/src/coreComponents/mesh/ElementType.hpp
index 8345080149f..512ffea943d 100644
--- a/src/coreComponents/mesh/ElementType.hpp
+++ b/src/coreComponents/mesh/ElementType.hpp
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ ENUM_STRINGS( ElementType,
 
 /// String available for mesh errors
 inline auto constexpr generalMeshErrorAdvice = "Consider checking the validity of your mesh with "
-                                               "the `mesh_doctor` GEOS python tools (documentation at"
+                                               "the `mesh_doctor` GEOS python tools (documentation at "
                                                "https://geosx-geosx.readthedocs-hosted.com/en/latest/docs/sphinx/pythonTools/mesh_doctor.html).";
 
 } // namespace geos
diff --git a/src/coreComponents/mesh/generators/VTKUtilities.cpp b/src/coreComponents/mesh/generators/VTKUtilities.cpp
index 47bce1e7aa0..5fd230acdf3 100644
--- a/src/coreComponents/mesh/generators/VTKUtilities.cpp
+++ b/src/coreComponents/mesh/generators/VTKUtilities.cpp
@@ -734,7 +734,7 @@ findNeighborRanks( std::vector< vtkBoundingBox > boundingBoxes )
 }
 
 
-vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > manageGlobalIds( vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > mesh, int useGlobalIds )
+vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > manageGlobalIds( vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > mesh, int useGlobalIds, bool isFractured )
 {
   auto hasGlobalIds = []( vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > m ) -> bool
   {
@@ -776,6 +776,8 @@ vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > manageGlobalIds( vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > mes
   }
   else
   {
+    GEOS_ERROR_IF( isFractured, "Automatic generation of global IDs for fractured meshes is disabled. Please split with  mesh_doctor. \n" << generalMeshErrorAdvice );
+
     GEOS_LOG_RANK_0( "Generating global Ids from VTK mesh" );
     output = generateGlobalIDs( mesh );
   }
@@ -910,7 +912,7 @@ redistributeMeshes( integer const logLevel,
   }
 
   // Generate global IDs for vertices and cells, if needed
-  vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > mesh = manageGlobalIds( loadedMesh, useGlobalIds );
+  vtkSmartPointer< vtkDataSet > mesh = manageGlobalIds( loadedMesh, useGlobalIds, !std::empty( fractures ) );
 
   if( MpiWrapper::commRank( comm ) != ( MpiWrapper::commSize( comm ) - 1 ) )
   {