EB (electron beam) irradiation of sulfonamide within a beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) inclusion complex in the solid state induced the solvent-free Fries rearrangement, which proceeded at a shorter reaction time with reversed regioselectivity by inclusion into the beta-CD, compared with that of sulfonamide crystals; the beta-CD as a restricted nanospace had a large effect on the reactivity and regioselectivity of the solvent-free EB-Fries rearrangement.