Excel - Copy & Paste not working

cthor 0 Reputation points
2026-09-19T22:44:32.2833333+00:00

Copy and Paste isn't working in Excel - I can Cut and Paste, but when I try copying a cell - neither ESC, Ctrl V or Enter work.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows

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EmilyS_726 30,795 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-09-20T04:14:37.8633333+00:00

Please do not run John's command if you are not using Office 2024 LTSC /Standard/ Pro Plus edition.

What edition you use matters before any solution can be given.

It was a known issue, and a potential workaround has been rolling back to a previous stable version, but it is important to know if you are on 2016, 2019, 2021 or 2024 before a correct command can be given.

However, Microsoft has already rolled out some fixe for this issue.

If you have 2016, KB5002665 can be installed to fix this issue, although conditional-formatting cases can still fail.

Office LTSC 2024: fixed in Build 17932.21000 (Update via Excel Files > Accounts > Update Options > Update now)

Office LTSC 2021: fixed in Build 14334.20918

Office LTSC 2019: mitigated in Build 10417.20208, but Microsoft says paste can still fail in workbooks containing conditional formatting.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-19T22:44:46.09+00:00

    If Cut and Paste works, but Copy and Paste does nothing, this matches a known Excel issue where paste can fail silently after certain Office updates.

    Try these steps in order:

    1. Use Paste Special as a workaround
      • Go to Home > Paste dropdown > Paste Special.
      • Try Values, Formulas, Formula and number formats, or Paste Link.
      • This is the documented workaround when normal paste fails.
    2. Install the latest Office updates
      • Microsoft fixed this issue in some versions:
        • Office LTSC 2024: fixed in Build 17932.21000
        • Office LTSC 2021: fixed in Build 14334.20918
      • For Office LTSC 2019 and Office 2016, the issue was mitigated, but paste can still fail in workbooks that contain conditional formatting.
    3. If Paste Special is missing or not working
      • Go to File > Options > Advanced.
      • Under Cut, copy and paste, make sure Show Paste Options button when content is pasted is checked.
    4. Check whether an add-in is interfering
      • Start Excel in Safe Mode by holding Ctrl while opening Excel, then confirm the Safe Mode prompt.
      • If paste works in Safe Mode, enable add-ins one at a time until the conflicting add-in is found.
    5. If pasting into a selected range fails
      • Select only the upper-left destination cell before pasting, not the whole destination range.
      • Or select a destination range that is the same size and shape as the copied cells.
    6. If large pasted data fails
      • Make sure the destination column format matches the source data format.
      • If needed, paste one column at a time.
      • Also confirm there are enough destination columns.

    If the issue started right after a recent Office update, that strongly indicates the known paste failure issue rather than a workbook problem.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Jose Benjamin Solis Nolasco 12,856 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-19T23:42:37.6266667+00:00

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

    Hello @cthor

    Let’s try this troubleshooting

    1. Clear the Office and Windows Clipboard History

    • In Excel, go to the Home tab, look at the Clipboard group in the top-left, and click the small dialog box launcher arrow in the bottom corner of that group.
    • In the Clipboard task pane that opens on the left, click Clear All.User's image
    • Also clear the Windows clipboard: Press Windows Key + V and click Clear all (or turn Clipboard history off and back on in Windows Settings > System > Clipboard).
    • Test: Close background utilities or reboot your PC cleanly to test if the issue persists.

    References:

    Help make this community better for everyone: if this answer resolved your issue, please accept it or leave an upvote. If not, share more details in a comment so we can continue the discussion and find the right solution.

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  3. John DeV 170.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-19T23:35:08.8933333+00:00

    Hi, good day!

    Microsoft has acknowledged this as a known issue affecting Excel after the recent Office update (KB5002914). As a workaround, try uninstalling KB5002914 and then restart your PC to see if the copy-and-paste issue is resolved. If you’re unable to uninstall the update, please try the method below.

    Press Start then search Command Prompt

    Right click it then select Run as administrator

    Copy and paste the command below then press Enter

    "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.17932.20910

    Please check if this resolves the issue.

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