screenshot paste function missed

Question

screenshot paste function missed

XIAO MIN HUANG 0

how to paste screenshot to the email body ? i used to have it, but today this function suddenly is gone, i don't have 'paste option', only 'txt' can be paste. pls help.

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Answer 1

Matthew-P 11,575 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi XIAO MIN HUANG,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Have a good day and I hope you're doing well!

I completely understand how frustrating and inconvenient it can be when a feature you rely on daily, like pasting screenshots, suddenly stops working. I’m here to help you get this resolved.

Based on your description, it is highly likely that your email format setting has accidentally switched to Plain Text. Please note that the "Plain Text" format does not support embedded images, which is why the paste option for screenshots is missing.

Could you please double-check the format of the message you are composing? Here is how to check and fix it:

1. Check Global Settings:

Go to File > Options.
Select the Mail tab on the left.
Under the Compose messages section, check the "Compose messages in this format" setting.
Ensure it is set to HTML (not Plain Text).

User's image

2. Check the Current Email:

In the email window, click on the Format Text tab on the top ribbon.
In the "Format" section, ensure HTML is selected. HTML supports showing pictures inside the message body.

User's image

For more detailed steps and visual guides, please refer to the official article below: Change the message format to HTML, Rich Text Format, or Plain Text

I have tested this behavior in my own virtual lab environment. I confirmed that pasting screenshots fails in Plain Text mode, but works perfectly as soon as the format is changed to HTML.

I hope this helps partially solve your issue. If you have any concerns or questions, or if I misunderstood or was unclear about anything, please feel free to reach out anytime.

Best regards.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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XIAO MIN HUANG 0 Reputation points

2026-02-09T07:21:07.6533333+00:00

my existing setting is exactly like what you described, all set in HTML format, but still, screenshot cannot be pasted into the email body.
Matthew-P 11,575 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-10T07:07:13.92+00:00
Hi XIAO MIN HUANG,

Thank you for the update. Since you confirmed that the message format is already set to HTML, the issue might be caused by an interference from third-party Add-ins or a potential corruption in the Office installation.

Could you please try the following troubleshooting steps to isolate the cause?

1. Open Outlook in Safe Mode
This helps us identify if an Add-in is blocking the paste function.

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.

Type outlook.exe /safe and press Enter.

Try pasting the screenshot again in this mode.

Reference: Open Outlook in safe mode

2. Repair Office Application: If Safe Mode does not resolve the issue, please try running an Online Repair to fix any potentially corrupted system files.

Reference: Repair an Office application

Please let me know if either of these methods works for you.

Best regards.
Matthew-P 11,575 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-11T06:36:52.22+00:00

Hi XIAO MIN HUANG,

I hope you're doing well. Just reaching out to see if you've had a chance to review the responses shared earlier.

I wanted to check in and see if the information above was partially helpful to you.

Any updates you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I'm here to help!
XIAO MIN HUANG 0 Reputation points

2026-02-11T10:39:55.2633333+00:00

hi, the problem seems gone itself, when i logon, everything is working fine.

Thanks for the help anyway.
Matthew-P 11,575 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-12T03:50:01.4966667+00:00

Hi XIAO MIN HUANG,

Thank you for your response. I’m glad to hear that the issue has nearly been resolved.

As we discussed earlier regarding potential software glitches or corruption, it seems that signing out and signing back in refreshed your session and successfully cleared those temporary errors.

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out anytime. I’m here to assist in whatever way works best for you.

Thanks again for your cooperation.

Kind regards.

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