What is causing the copy/paste feature to stop working on Windows?
We looked into this particular issue by analyzing various user reports and the repair strategies that affected Windows users have deployed to get to the bottom of the problem. Based on our investigations, there are several different causes that might lead to these symptoms: If you’re looking for a fix that will resolve the copy/paste issue on Windows, this article will provide you with several troubleshooting guides. Down below, you’ll discover several different fixes that users in a similar situation have successfully used to resolve it. All potential fixes below are confirmed to be effective by at least one user, but some of them might not be applicable in your particular scenario. Because of this, we advise you to follow the methods in the presented order. One of them is bound to resolve the issue for you.
Method 1: Closing Notepad++ (if applicable)
As it turns out, one of the most common culprits that might be blocking your Copy/Paste ability is Notepad++. This is known to occur in those situations where the user tries to copy a large amount of data (inside the application) in a short timeframe – in this case, Notepad++ might end up blocking the clipboard. Most affected users report that whenever this happens, the clipboard remains locked until the next system startup or until Notepad++ is closed. Naturally, the quickest fix is to simply close the Notepad++ application and see if the copy & paste ability is restored. If you’re still having issues, move down to the next method below.
Method 2: Disabling Keyboard Shortcuts in Skype (if applicable)
As it turns out, one unlikely cause that might end up breaking the Copy/Paste functionality on your Windows computer is Skype. But keep in mind that this is only applicable if you are unable to use the Control+C command but you are able to paste stuff normally. This happens because Skype has one keyboard shortcut called Ignore Call which has the same key combination as the Copy command (Ctrl + C). Several affected users have managed to resolve this conflict by disabling Keyboard shortcuts completely from Skype. To do this, open Skype and navigate to Tools > Options > Advanced > Shortcuts an uncheck the box associated with Enable keyboard shortcuts. Once you do this, save the changes and see if you are able to use the Copy & Paste commands again. If you’re still encountering issues, move down to the next methods below.
Method 3: Resetting ‘rdpclip.exe’
rdpclip.exe the main executable for the copying mechanism. It provides functionality for Terminal Services server which allows you to copy and paste between the client and the server. Even though it is recommended not to manipulate this process, we will try restarting this and see if this fixes the problem. This process might have gotten in a stale state or become unresponsive because which the modules may not be working. Here’s what you need to do:
If you are unable to find the process in your task manager, you can use the command prompt to achieve the same result using a single line. This might be useful if you are accessing your machine remotely and don’t have proper control over it.
Method 4: Resetting Desktop Window Manager
The Desktop Window Manager ‘dwm.exe’ helps manage visual effects found in Windows operating systems. These include the aero theme, alt-tab windows switcher, and many other modules. To cut things short, it manager your entire desktop and its interactions with the user. This module also hangs or gets in a stalemate every once in a while. We can try resetting it and see if this does the trick. Here’s what you need to do:
Method 5: Using a 3rd party application
There are several different applications that will allow you to unlock the application that is keeping a lock on the clipboard and is preventing the copy/paste feature from working as intended. We tested several different alternatives and we’ve uncovered one freeware gem that might allow you to get the issue fixed with just a few simple clicks. GetOpenClipboardWindow will find out which application is keeping a lock on the clipboard and remove the lock automatically. Even more, it will also provide you with the PID of the application that enforced the lock so you can take the necessary measures to make sure that the issue doesn’t repeat. Here’s a quick guide on downloading and using the GetOpenClipboardWindow application:
Method 6: Using Command Prompt to fix the copy & paste features
Another way that will most likely help you restore the standard copy/paste behavior is to use a Command Prompt command. Several affected users have reported that the copy & paste ability started functioning normally after using the “echo off | clip” command from an elevated Command prompt. What this command really does is clear your clipboard which ends up resolving most copy/paste issues. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this: If you’re still unable to copy/paste any items on your Windows computer, move down to the next method below.
Method 7: Uninstalling UltraCopier/Supercopier (if applicable)
UltraCopier and SuperCopier are file-copying software products for Windows that will allow you to do file copy with a lot of advanced options like pause/resume, speed limitation, translation, themes and a lot more. While they are definitely great utilities that will add extra functionality, they can also break the copy-paste function – especially if you’re using a 3rd party antivirus like AVG or McAfee. If this scenario is applicable to your current situation, follow the steps below to uninstall the utility that is causing the issue:
Method 8: Individual Cases
There are in fact many modules which render the process of copy-pasting useless because of their activities. Since we cannot list each of them in a separate solution, we will list them here one by one. Not all of them may suit your case so only perform those which do.
If you are using IObit (Advanced system care), make sure that the option ‘clean clipboard’ is not checked. Navigate to advanced system care, click on SmartRAM present underneath Optimize, then select Settings and uncheck the option.
If you are using Skype add-in on your browser, you can disable it and try again. Do the same for all Microsoft Office based applications on your computer. It seems there is some memory management problem with these modules.Removing key-logger software also tends to fix the issue. Keyloggers keep track of the entries on your keyboard and store them in some remote file. They also tend to disable the copy pasting mechanism. Make sure you disable them before trying again.Disable any third-party copy pasting software on your computer. These include programs like ‘ultracopier’ which provide alternative to you.You can even try disabling your antivirus software and see if it is conflicting. There were cases where the antivirus software ‘AVG’ was causing the issue.If the problem is occurring in Internet Explorer, go to Internet options (inetcpl.cpl) > Advanced tab > Reset. After resetting, restart your computer and check.Try killing/uninstalling Adobe Acrobat. This software is also known to cause some issues.Restart your computer or if you are using a virtual machine, restart your VM application.If the problem still persists, consider rolling back or doing a clean install of Windows.
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