diff --git a/doc/src/compute_viscosity_cos.rst b/doc/src/compute_viscosity_cos.rst
index 7c0d130a7a..37b51416c0 100644
--- a/doc/src/compute_viscosity_cos.rst
+++ b/doc/src/compute_viscosity_cos.rst
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ Restrictions
 """"""""""""
 
 This command is only available when LAMMPS was built with the USER-MISC package.
+This this depends on :doc:`fix accelerate/cos <fix_accelerate_cos>` which can
+only work for 3d systems, this compute cannot be used for 2d systems.
 
 Related commands
 """"""""""""""""
diff --git a/doc/src/fix_accelerate_cos.rst b/doc/src/fix_accelerate_cos.rst
index e1047dd455..b8d1cca59c 100644
--- a/doc/src/fix_accelerate_cos.rst
+++ b/doc/src/fix_accelerate_cos.rst
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ Restrictions
 """"""""""""
 
 This command is only available when LAMMPS was built with the USER-MISC package.
+Since this fix depends on the z-coordinate of atoms, it cannot be used in 2d simulations.
 
 Related commands
 """"""""""""""""
diff --git a/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.cpp b/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.cpp
index 73a154255a..0d3b66d3f5 100644
--- a/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.cpp
@@ -38,11 +38,8 @@ FixAccelerateCos::FixAccelerateCos(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
     Fix(lmp, narg, arg) {
   if (narg < 4) error->all(FLERR, "Illegal fix accelerate/cos command");
   acceleration = force->numeric(FLERR, arg[3]);
-}
-
-/* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
-
-FixAccelerateCos::~FixAccelerateCos() {
+  if (domain->dimension == 2)
+    error->all(FLERR,"Fix accelerate/cos cannot be used with 2d systems");
 }
 
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
@@ -55,11 +52,6 @@ int FixAccelerateCos::setmask() {
 
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
-void FixAccelerateCos::init() {
-}
-
-/* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
-
 void FixAccelerateCos::setup(int vflag) {
   post_force(vflag);
 }
diff --git a/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.h b/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.h
index c1355d737c..e1e6c9f1b9 100644
--- a/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.h
+++ b/src/USER-MISC/fix_accelerate_cos.h
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ namespace LAMMPS_NS {
 class FixAccelerateCos: public Fix {
  public:
   FixAccelerateCos(class LAMMPS *, int, char **);
-  virtual ~FixAccelerateCos();
+  virtual ~FixAccelerateCos() {};
   int setmask();
-  virtual void init();
+  virtual void init() {};
   void setup(int);
   virtual void post_force(int);
 
@@ -54,4 +54,8 @@ Self-explanatory.  Check the input script syntax and compare to the
 documentation for the command.  You can use -echo screen as a
 command-line option when running LAMMPS to see the offending line.
 
+E: Fix accelerate/cos cannot be used with 2d systems
+
+Self-explanatory.
+
 */