Copy / Paste functionality issue

Question

Hello Microsoft Team,

I have a question about a recent change in copy-and-paste behavior within Copilot.

I frequently use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V (or the equivalent right-click copy/paste functions) to copy information from a database and paste it into a custom Copilot agent. The agent then formats the information into a specific output that my team uses for work.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that standard paste (Ctrl+V) appears to preserve formatting in a way that causes the pasted content to display differently than it did previously. To achieve the expected result, I now have to use Ctrl+Shift+V (Paste as Plain Text) instead.

Could you please clarify whether this behavior is:

• An intentional product change,
• A known issue or bug,
• Or a temporary change that may be reverted?

This question is important from a training and adoption perspective. Copy and paste are among the first computer skills many users learn, and changes to such a fundamental workflow can be challenging for some users to understand and adopt. If the new behavior is expected to remain, it would be very helpful to know so that we can update our training materials and user guidance accordingly.

Thank you for any information you can provide.

Best regards,

Tracey Rice

Answer 1

Hello Tracey Rice - External,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

While I cannot find any article regarding this exact behavior, it is observable that platforms and developers. not just Microsoft and Copilot, tends to favor developing their products with the standard page retaining the format and use copy as plain text instead to use the application default format. That behavior helps preserving hyperlink or special formatting between copies, which can be very important in AI platforms, since it can help with preserving the source or the important notes on the original text. I hope this clarifies.

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