Windows RDP client does not support copy and paste on Windows 11 Pro host and client

Question

Copy and paste has stopped working on windows 11 pro systems. I can copy and paste to by Ubuntu desktop and a Windows server 2012 system without any issues. I notice several months ago that it seemed to take longer to copy between the Windows 11 systems but after the latest updates I cannot copy between my window systems.

reggie

******@mitchems.com

Answer 1

Clipboard redirection for Remote Desktop can be blocked or limited by policy, by drive redirection settings, or by file-size limits, which matches the symptoms of copy/paste slowing and then failing between Windows 11 systems.

Use the following checks on both the Windows 11 Pro host and client you connect from:

1. Verify Clipboard redirection policy
   1. Open Group Policy Management (or gpedit.msc on a standalone PC).
   2. Go to:
      • Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Device and Resource Redirection.
   3. Open Do not allow Clipboard redirection.
      • To allow copy/paste, set it to Disabled or Not configured and select OK.
   4. If using Azure Virtual Desktop or similar, ensure clipboard redirection is enabled as described in the clipboard redirection configuration guidance.
2. Check drive redirection settings
   • If drive redirection has been disabled via Intune or Group Policy, file transfer via clipboard is also blocked, even if text/images still work. Re‑enable drive redirection if file copy via clipboard is required.
3. Check new clipboard restriction policies on Windows 11 If devices are managed via MDM/Intune, the following CSP policies can restrict clipboard content types:
   • LimitClientToServerClipboardRedirection
   • LimitServerToClientClipboardRedirection When enabled, they can:
   • Completely disable clipboard transfers, or
   • Allow only specific formats (plain text, images, RTF, HTML). Ensure these are not set to a more restrictive mode on Windows 11 than on your Ubuntu or Windows Server 2012 scenarios.
4. Consider file size limits when copying files
   • Copying files larger than 2 GB via clipboard redirection over RDP is not supported and fails silently. For large files, use:
     • Drive redirection (map local drives in the RDP client), or
     • Command-line copy from redirected drives, for example:

              xcopy \\tsclient\c\path\LargeFile d:\temp
       

5. Restart sessions after policy changes
   • After adjusting Group Policy or MDM policies, restart the remote host and sign out/sign in to the RDP session before testing copy/paste again.

If copy/paste works to Ubuntu and Windows Server 2012 but not between Windows 11 systems, focus on Group Policy/MDM clipboard and drive redirection settings on the Windows 11 machines, as newer clipboard restriction policies apply there.

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References:

• Copy-and-paste operations don't work when you connect to a Hyper-V virtual machine by using VMConnect Enhanced Session Mode
• Copying files larger than 2 GB over a Remote Desktop Services or Terminal Services session by using Clipboard redirection (copy and paste) fails silently
• December 13, 2022—KB5021255 (OS Build 22621.963)
• January 10, 2023—KB5022303 (OS Build 22621.1105)
• Policy CSP - RemoteDesktopServices
• Configure clipboard redirection over the Remote Desktop Protocol (windows-365)