copy function shuts down the applications

Question

My excel, word, and power point applications shut down when attempting to use the copy function. How can this be fixed?

Answer 1

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for your prompt update.

If that's the case, can you try using Shift + F10 instead of right-clicking to see if the issue persists? This shortcut opens the same context menu as right-click.

• If it also crashes, the issue is because of Office/Windows context menu.
• If it works, the problem is due to the mouse driver/software

Answer 2

Hi Jeff,

If the initial doesn't work, please try this command

"%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.20026.20182 forceappshutdown=True displaylevel=True

Then go to Excel > File > Info and check whether the version is reverted back to Version 2605 (Build 20026.20182).

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If it doesn't, you may need to try again with the Microsoft rollback guide:

Step 1: Download and Extract ODT 

• Download the .exe file from Download Office Deployment Tool from Official Microsoft Download Center 
• Run it to extract two files: setup.exe and configuration.xml (sample) 

Step 2: Create Your Custom Configuration File 

• Open Notepad and paste the following XML: 

<Configuration>  
<Updates Enabled="TRUE" TargetVersion="16.0.20026.20182" />  
</Configuration> 

• Save the file as Config.xml in the same file location as the Setup.exe file in step 1

Step 3: Run the Installer 

• Open Command prompt as administrator, navigate to the folder in step 2 where setup.exe and your XML file are located, then run: 

setup.exe /configure config.xml 

• This will install the specified version of Office/Excel. 

Step 4: Disable auto updates

• Open Excel. 
• Go to File > Account > Update options. 
• Select Disable updates to prevent reverting to newer versions. 

You can watch this tutorial video to make it easier to follow along https://youtu.be/3KUlOsN1IAI?si=sKOk-YkSu-f-2v23
(This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.)

Answer 3

In the error report you posted, this line is interesting:

Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 10.0.26100.8737, time stamp: 0x7b64c48f

The file ntdll.dll is a Windows system file. Therefore, I would suggest that you restart your computer and then run the System File Checker; for more information, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/backup-recovery/using-system-file-checker-in-windows .

Answer 4

Hi Jeff,

For your concern, may I confirm that when you mentioned "attempting to use the copy function", does that mean you are trying to copy by using Ctrl+C shortcut, using right click > Copy or some other actions?

In your case, if all Excel, Word and PowerPoint all close when using copy, the issue is likely a damaged Office installation, clipboard issue or a shared Office add-in.

You can try these steps to see if it helps resolve the issue:

1/ Run Office Repair

• Close all Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, etc.).    
• Press Windows + I to open Settings and go to Apps > Installed apps.    
• Find Microsoft 365 apps / Microsoft Office in the list > select the three dots (…) next to it and choose Modify.    
• If prompted by User Account Control, select Yes then choose Online Repair > select Repair.   
• Follow the on‑screen instructions until it completes.   

2/ Clear Windows clipboard history

• Press Windows + V to open Windows clipboard then choose Clear all to fully clear the clipboard history then check again with the Office apps.

3/ Check with Safe Mode

• Press Windows + R to open Run dialog then run each command:
  • winword /safe > OK
  • excel /safe > OK
  • powerpnt /safe > OK
• If Copy works in Safe mode, that points to the add-in issue. Then you need to disable all add-ins in each app via File > Options > Add-ins > Manage" COM Add-ins > Go
• After finished, restart each app and test Copy again. Then re-enable the add-ins one-by-one to find which one is the culprit

You can try these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, please feel free to reach out again in the comments on this post. I'm happy to assist you further and we can investigate together to find out a solution.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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