Excel 2016 MSI: Copy and Paste stops working again after updates (KB5002934)

Senechkin Senya 5 Reputation points
2026-10-16T11:35:45.4233333+00:00

Excel 2016 MSI: Copy and Paste stops working again after updates (KB5002934)

Hello,

I am experiencing a recurring copy-and-paste problem in Microsoft Excel 2016 (64-bit, MSI installation). The issue affects several existing macro-enabled .xlsm workbooks.

My Excel version: 16.0.5574.1004 Office edition: Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016, 64-bit Updates installed on October 15, 2026:

Excel 2016 Security Update KB5002934

Office 2016 Security Update KB5002917

Office 2016 Definition Update KB3115407

Problem description

In my existing .xlsm workbooks, normal copy and paste using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V stops working. However:

Paste Special → Values still works.

Copy and paste works in a newly created workbook.

The issue affects three existing workbooks.

Conditional formatting is present in the affected workbooks.

Previously, the fill handle and Format Painter also stopped working.

I checked that worksheet protection is disabled and the Excel options for the fill handle and cell drag-and-drop are enabled. Starting Excel in Safe Mode did not resolve the issue.

What I have tried

I installed the Excel 2016 update KB5002665, which temporarily restored normal copy-and-paste functionality. Later, after further Office update and repair operations, the functionality worked again, but the problem returned the following day.

When I run the KB5002665 installer again, it reports that the update is already installed.

The problem appears to be related to the Excel installation or an update regression rather than to a single workbook, because new workbooks work normally while existing workbooks are affected.

Questions

Is there a confirmed compatibility issue or regression involving KB5002934 and Excel 2016 MSI?

How can I verify that the latest version of KB5002665 is actually installed?

Is there a permanent fix that does not require repeatedly uninstalling and reinstalling Office updates?

I use these workbooks for daily work, and they contain VBA code and conditional formatting. I would prefer not to remove security updates or modify the workbooks unnecessarily.

Thank you for your help.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. Xavier-D 13,890 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-17T01:09:50.5533333+00:00

    Hello Senechkin Senya,

    Thank you for providing the detailed testing and version information.

    Based on what you described, this does closely resemble the Excel 2016 paste issue that Microsoft previously documented, particularly since the affected workbooks contain conditional formatting and Paste Special > Values continues to work.

    Microsoft confirmed that KB5002665 fixes an Excel 2016 issue where certain paste operations could fail silently. Microsoft also notes that an earlier version of KB5002665 could still experience the problem when a workbook contains conditional formatting, and recommends installing the latest version of KB5002665 for the complete fix.

    You can find the official information here:

    September 16, 2026, update for Excel 2016 (KB5002665)

    Since you are using the 64-bit MSI edition of Office 2016, I suggest downloading the current 64-bit KB5002665 package directly from the Microsoft Download Center link provided on that page, installing it, restarting Windows, and then testing the affected workbooks again.

    The message that KB5002665 is already installed by itself does not resolve whether your installation contains the revised files described by Microsoft, so the file information provided in the KB article can also be used to compare the installed Excel files with those included in the current package.

    For the time being, Paste Special is the Microsoft-documented workaround for the earlier version of this issue.

    Regarding KB5002934 specifically, its current Microsoft Support article does not document this copy/paste behavior as a known issue, so I would be cautious about concluding that KB5002934 has definitely introduced a regression or recommending removal of the security update.

    If the current KB5002665 package is already installed and the issue still occurs, especially with Excel version 16.0.5574.1004, I recommend reporting the behavior through Excel > Help > Feedback > Report a Problem and including the Excel version, installed KB numbers, and the fact that the issue returned after the October updates. This will allow the Excel team to investigate it as a possible regression.

    Also please note that Office 2016 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025. This does not by itself convert a valid one-time-purchase license into a subscription, but Office 2016 no longer receives regular security updates or technical support.

    Feel free reply back to this post if you need further assistance, I'll be happy to help.

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