diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/bytes/at.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/bytes/at.rs
index f6d98ba119..9663e545a4 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/bytes/at.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/bytes/at.rs
@@ -140,7 +140,25 @@ fn map_value(input: &Value, args: &Arguments, head: Span) -> Value {
     match input {
         Value::Binary { val, .. } => {
             let len = val.len() as u64;
-            let start: usize = range.absolute_start(len).try_into().unwrap();
+            let start: u64 = range.absolute_start(len);
+            let start: usize = match start.try_into() {
+                Ok(start) => start,
+                Err(_) => {
+                    let span = input.span();
+                    return Value::error(
+                        ShellError::UnsupportedInput {
+                            msg: format!(
+                            "Absolute start position {start} was too large for your system arch."
+                        ),
+                            input: args.range.to_string(),
+                            msg_span: span,
+                            input_span: span,
+                        },
+                        head,
+                    );
+                }
+            };
+
             let bytes: Vec<u8> = match range.absolute_end(len) {
                 Bound::Unbounded => val[start..].into(),
                 Bound::Included(end) => val[start..=end as usize].into(),
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/range.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/range.rs
index 9e9c252fdd..a01cebe78f 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/range.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/range.rs
@@ -81,10 +81,11 @@ mod int_range {
             self.start
         }
 
+        // Resolves the absolute start position given the length of the input value
         pub fn absolute_start(&self, len: u64) -> u64 {
             let max_index = len - 1;
             match self.start {
-                start if start < 0 => len.saturating_sub(start.unsigned_abs().into()),
+                start if start < 0 => len.saturating_sub(start.unsigned_abs()),
                 start => max_index.min(start as u64),
             }
         }
@@ -110,11 +111,11 @@ mod int_range {
             match self.end {
                 Bound::Unbounded => Bound::Unbounded,
                 Bound::Included(i) => Bound::Included(match i {
-                    i if i < 0 => len.saturating_sub(i.unsigned_abs() as u64),
+                    i if i < 0 => len.saturating_sub(i.unsigned_abs()),
                     i => max_index.min(i as u64),
                 }),
                 Bound::Excluded(i) => Bound::Excluded(match i {
-                    i if i < 0 => len.saturating_sub(i.unsigned_abs() as u64),
+                    i if i < 0 => len.saturating_sub(i.unsigned_abs()),
                     i => len.min(i as u64),
                 }),
             }