The copy feature stopped working in Excel

Maureen Hanson 0 Reputation points
2026-10-02T14:07:42.4733333+00:00

For the last two weeks, the copy feature has stopped working in Excel. I can't copy and paste anything, not even copy a sheet to a new sheet, nothing appears when it's supposed to copy. I can coy and paste special, but then I lose all the formatting. Was this a glitch with an update? If so, is there a fix?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows

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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-02T14:08:03.74+00:00

    Yes. This matches a known Excel issue where paste can fail silently after certain Office updates: the source stays selected, nothing is pasted, and no error appears.

    What is known:

    • Microsoft documented that paste operations in Excel 2024, 2021, 2019, 2016, and Excel Online Server could fail silently.
    • The issue is marked fixed in the latest updates.
    • For Excel 2016, the corrective fix is in KB 5002665.
    • A Microsoft Q&A moderator also tied this behavior to KB5002914 and confirmed KB5002665 as the corrective update for Excel 2016.

    What to do:

    1. Install the latest Office updates
      • Microsoft states the fix might not be applied automatically.
      • Install the latest updates for Office/Excel for Windows.
    2. If using Excel 2016, verify KB 5002665 is installed
      • That is the documented fix for the silent paste failure in Excel 2016.
    3. Use Paste Special as a temporary workaround
      • In Excel, go to Home > Paste dropdown > Paste Special.
      • Available options include Formula, Formula and number formats, Values, Values and number formats, or Paste Link.
    4. If copying a worksheet in Excel for the web
      • The move/copy sheet option is not available there. Copy all worksheet data and paste it into a new blank worksheet instead.

    Important limitation:

    • Microsoft Q&A notes that paste operations may still fail in workbooks containing conditional formatting, even after the corrective update. That means the update fixes the original known issue, but not every paste-failure scenario.

    If the problem specifically affects copying between two separate Excel windows/instances, open both workbooks in the same Excel instance. Excel cannot use its internal Paste Special attributes across multiple instances.

    References:

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  2. Roebe Ta 1,545 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-02T14:17:19.4633333+00:00

    Hi @Maureen Hanson,

    To better understand the issue, could you please provide the following information?

    • Which version of Excel are you using? (For example, Microsoft 365 Apps, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, etc.)
    • Is this a Microsoft 365 Click-to-Run installation, or a perpetual version such as Excel 2016/2019 installed from MSI media?
    • What is your Excel version and build number? (Excel > File > Account > About Excel)
    • Did the issue begin after a recent Office or Windows update?
    • Does the problem occur in all workbooks, including a brand-new blank workbook?
    • When you copy content, do you see the moving dashed border ("marching ants") around the selection?
    • Does the issue occur only with standard Paste (Ctrl+V), or do all paste methods fail?

    The reason I ask is that Microsoft has documented a known issue in KB5002914 for Excel 2016 where paste operations can fail silently. Microsoft subsequently released KB5002665 to address that issue. However, this would apply specifically to affected Excel 2016 installations, so I'd like to confirm your version before focusing on that possibility.

    For your reference:

    Once you provide the version and build details, I can help determine whether you're seeing the documented update-related issue or a different cause.

    Looking forward to your response so we can get this sorted out for you together.

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