2016 excel copy paste issue

Vedanth K G 0 Reputation points
2026-09-10T10:14:13.7033333+00:00

2016 excel copy paste issue , Any one having the quick solution or any patch from Microsoft .

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Other

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  1. EmilyS_726 30,360 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-12T04:26:15.22+00:00

    This is a known issue due to a recent update. See article https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/servicing/office/hotfix/excel/5002914

    For now, two options as workaround.

    Please type cmd in the search on the taskbar. Don't press enter key yet. Instead, choose "run as administrator" to launch Command Prompt.

    "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE16\Oarpmany.exe" /removereleaseinpatch "{90160000-0012-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}" "{27882596-A8ED-4382-9C71-6CD2DD19F732}" "1033" "0"

    The command is to remove the latest update, which is causing this issue.

    Or

    Use Ctrl+X (cut), then use Ctrl+Z to re-add the data, then use Ctrl+V after that. this can be a workaround.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-10T10:14:31.5233333+00:00

    For Excel 2016 copy/paste issues, the supported fixes depend on the symptom:

    1. 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 enabled.
      • Close all web browser instances and test again, because browser conflicts can block Paste Special.
      • Start Excel in Safe Mode by holding Ctrl while opening Excel. If copy/paste works there, an add-in is likely causing the problem. Re-enable add-ins one at a time and leave the conflicting add-in disabled or uninstall it.
    2. If copying between two separate Excel instances:
      • Open both workbooks in the same Excel instance.
      • In Excel 2016, when files are opened in different Excel instances, Excel uses the Windows Paste Special dialog instead of the Excel one, and options such as Formulas, Values, Formats, and Comments are unavailable.
    3. If the issue is performance or hangs during copy/paste in large workbooks:
      • Microsoft shipped copy/paste performance improvements in Excel 2016 builds, including:
        • Build 16.0.8229.0 for copying conditional formats
        • Build 16.0.8327.1000 for slow pasting after filtered rows
        • Build 16.0.8431.2058 for filtering, sorting, and copy/paste responsiveness
      • Installing the latest available Office updates is the relevant Microsoft-side fix path.
    4. If Excel 2016 stops responding in a specific copy/paste scenario involving cells with the ID property and then using ClearContents:
      • Microsoft released a fix in the August 9, 2016 update for Excel 2016 (KB3115438).
    5. If the problem started after a recent update and even normal cut/copy/paste fails:
      • A reported workaround is to perform an Online Repair of the Office installation.

    There is also a paste-related Excel 2016 update, KB3114374, that adds the ReplaceCFOnPaste registry value. This involves registry editing and should be used carefully because incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems.

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

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  3. EmilyS_726 30,360 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-18T16:36:05.42+00:00

    Just to follow up -

    Microsoft has released a corrective update.

    For Excel 2016, KB5002665, released September 16, 2026, specifically fixes the known KB5002914 issue that caused certain paste operations to fail silently.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/servicing/office/hotfix/excel/5002665

    One caveat: Microsoft says paste operations may still fail in workbooks containing conditional formatting. So this is a confirmed fix for the original issue, but not yet a complete resolution of every paste failure scenario.

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  4. Thomas4-N 22,380 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-11T07:02:53.3066667+00:00

    Hello Vedanth K G,

    This looks like a known issue for KB5002914:

    User's image

    Is your Office 2016 an MSI install or Click-to-Run? That determines the workaround:

    • MSI install: uninstalling KB5002914 restores copy/paste (via Oarpmany.exe or a targeted msiexec command).
    • Click-to-Run: the fix is downgrading the Office build via Group Policy/Config XML rather than removing a single KB.

    Let me know which one applies and I can walk you through the exact steps.

    I'd also gently mention that Excel/Office 2016 is past end of support, so there's no guaranteed timeline for an official patch.

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  5. Senthil kumar 2,580 Reputation points
    2026-09-10T10:24:29.5233333+00:00

    Hi @Vedanth K G

    Root Cause :

    there are known causes and a few Microsoft patches, but no single universal fix because Office 2016 is already out of support (Oct 2025). The issue you’re facing is happening to many users, especially after certain Windows Updates.

    Solution 1 :

    Steps:

    Control Panel → Programs & Features

    View Installed Updates

    Find KB5002914

    Uninstall → Restart

    This restores normal copy/paste for many users.

    Solution 2 :

    If two Excel windows run in separate processes, Excel switches to Windows Paste Special, showing only:

    Unicode Text

    Text

    …and loses formatting.

    This is a confirmed cause.

    Thanks.

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