Clipboard problems (can not copy/paste) in Windows 11

Anonymous
2023-11-27T07:08:13+00:00

Clipboard stops to working in random time during the working day. Can't copy/paste, clipboard manager is empty. No any special actions done before this: it just stops to work in regular routine. I just have to restart Windows and hope to work for a next few hours.

It's make me crazy to restart my computer few times a day. I have complicated environment with VM's, Docker, IDE, SSH Terminals and should restart it JUST BECAUSE SUDDENLY I HAVE NO CLIPBOARD.

HOW IT'S EVEN POSSIBLE TO BREAK THE CLIPBOARD??? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT JOKE

Windows 11 is broken! Please fix it!

I know here a lot of people with same issue. Please comment: let's make this problem visible to MS.

Please no generic advises about restart explorer, dism/sfc, troubleshooting and reinstalling my OS.

All of this was tried many times and doesn't solve this deep Windows bug.

My system information:

Windows 11 22H2 (x64), build 22621.2715, all the updates installed (Nov 2023)

Ryzen 7 5800H, 32 Gb RAM

UPDATES:

SOLUTION #1 (JUNE 2024): confirmed and tested

As I noticed before, clipboard issue was always after my computer was left for some time switched on. During this my screensaver was shown and SOME BACKGROUND TASKS performed. This caused the issue 100% of time! I was trying to find and disable background tasks - but it doesn't help.

So, here's my solution: don't let PC to get idle. I've installed Caffeinated utility and keep my PC always awake, even when I'm go out for a few hours or night. AND IT WORKS! For 1 month already no more Clipboard Problem, no any restart! So I recommend to try this method.

SOLUTION #2 (doubtful: works for some)

Discovered by Glen Decker, instructions by Kim-LarryPapp

I hope it can help shine a light. You can follow the steps below. Some things to note, I've placed keystrokes in square brackets to indicate the keyboard touches, and the 'WIN' key refers to the Windows Key on the keyboard. (e.g. [ctrl+alt+del])

  • [Win + R] to open the Run Window
  • [services.msc] => [enter]
  • Click the 'Name' column heading to be sure the items are listed in alphabetical, A to Z.
  • Scroll down to find the item listed 'Connected Devices Platform Service' (Служба платформы подключенных устройств)
  • Double-Click the item to open the properties window.
  • Change the 'Start-up Type' in the drop-down to 'Disabled'. Mine was set to 'Automatic (Delayed)'.
  • Reboot

UPDATE FROM SEPTEMBER 2024:

From the moment I discovered solution #1 I have no issues with clipboard at all - for 3 months in a row!

Just using Caffeinated utility or PowerToys Awake - yes, not fix, but stable workaround. At least I can do my job while Microsoft ignores this issue.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-07-11T12:36:49+00:00

    Interesting. When you say related, what do you mean? Were there errors but seemingly off-base? Or was it clean of errors? I ask only because I wouldn't have guessed that my clipboard function was related to my IoT, but as it turns out... Just a thought.

    Maybe, in my case, it was the CDP that wasn't protected well? Maybe the dev team at Microsoft has everything caught and clean... maybe break it?

    You said you had VS, make a junk programs with a dumb GUI to copy/paste, just use the same namespace; it's the same object. In this case, you'd not only get the ability to remove error protection, to see what's really happening, but maybe even catch it (try).

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-07-11T09:39:58+00:00

    Okay, you're moving along, I noted a few things while you 'spoke'.

    ** Note: Items in [square brackets] are keystrokes (e.g. [command], [esc], [ctrl+alt+del]). Items in brackets and surrounded by quotes should be typed as seen.

    1. It's good that hibernate and/or sleep are left out of the picture while Microsoft (we) diagnose the problem.
    2. Are you part of a group? Or is this a personal PC (asked because of the MMC involvement).
    3. Do you have 'special' software running? Anything you've installed to do stuff for you in the background? The clipboard object being used is trying to SetData, which is different than SetText, it suggests there is a lot more data?, an image?, a something that ISN'T text. Does anything come to mind?
    4. Before leaving tonight, reboot into safe mode. It would be a good indicator if it's Windows System related or external poking in dependent on whether the clipboard is still an issue the next morning.
    5. Something that had a large effect for me, but I haven't heard you mention, was clipboard history. Kim & I have ours off. Can you verify the same? [Win+V]
    6. The underlying issue seems touch a lot of places. Tomorrow morning when you get in, repeat the steps below:
      1. Open Excel
        1. Type into at least three cells, going up, and going across (e.g. A1, A2, B1)
      2. Open REGULAR NOTEPAD. It must be the boring version of notepad (due to it's simplicity)
        • Copy the text from Excel into Notepad a ridiculous amount of times. You WANT the error. It has to be 'pickable'.
        • Did you get the 'Can't paste between applications yet'? Once you get it, do it ten more times!
      3. Open the Event Viewer => Applications => Windows Logs => Refresh SORTED BY TIME AND DATE
        1. If you sort by anything else, we'll be tracking stuff all the way back to your last clear.

    What do you got?

    So did it, came in this morning, cant copy and paste.

    loaded excel, tried to copy some text and it popped up....."cannot paste into other apps" BRILLIANT!!! LETS GET TESTING!

    there is absolutely NOTHING in the event viewer that is related.

    NOTHING.

    i have hammered copy and paste umpteen times and nothing.

    the event viewer doesn't even know excel exists.

    i cleared my logs and tried again....NOTHING. GRRRRR

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-07-10T15:04:03+00:00

    I cannot confirm if manage engine is using the MMC or was the issue etc,

    My only interaction today with the MMC was when viewing the EVENT VIEWER.

    I tried to copy the error that happened over night (while my copy and paste was already broken) and the MMC crashed with the error logs that i posted above.

    Manage engine itself didn't directly create the crash, my copying the event while copy and paste was broken, created the crash.

    If that makes sense.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-07-10T14:49:13+00:00

    Manage Engine... that's piqued my interest, at least for your case. It strikes me as odd that ManageEngine interacts with the mmc (Windows Microsoft Management Console) and that's the module that's touching the SetDataObject in the Forms namespace when you crash. If you follow it, the MMC is tossing the error via the clip, but it's happening by way of SnapIn; ManangeEngine offers SnapIns as a service to load into the MMC... I think we're on to something.

    It makes me feel like the problem is deep in the clipboard, not the item that Kim and I have disabled. If I was forced to guess, I would say that Kim and I are sharing the same solution because we have some similarity in peripherals (bluetooth, etc.); I'd guess the CDP is interacting with the clipboard in a way THE clipboard is not expecting, or isn't protected from, in the same way your MMC is interacting with by instruction of the SnapIn; something in the clipboard is open.

    I'd put all the other testing back for a night and only disable ManageEngine. I'd bet there's a Service/Process that's kickin' a thread into gear to load some SnapIn, and that SnapIn triggers MMC, which is using the faulty part of the clipboard, and *POOF* ...

    My three-cents...

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-07-10T13:28:23+00:00
    1. Are you part of a group?  Or is this a personal PC (asked because of the MMC involvement).

    I am part of AD, local admin of my machine due to my admin work.

    2.Do you have 'special' software running?  Anything you've installed to do stuff for you in the background?  

    Define special.......visual studio, custom programming environments, manage engine.

    3.The clipboard object being used is trying to SetData, which is different than SetText, it suggests there is a lot more data?, an image?, a something that ISN'T text.  Does anything come to mind?

    more than i can count.

    1. Before leaving tonight, reboot into safe mode. It would be a good indicator if it's Windows System related or external poking in dependent on whether the clipboard is still an issue the next morning.

    That is a nice idea, though if it gives me 24 hours more of working then it may not trigger........i will try it see what the mileage is.

    1. Something that had a large effect for me, but I haven't heard you mention, was clipboard history. 

    I did this upon hearing someone else had luck with it, no luck for me. i still had the issue.

    1. The underlying issue seems touch a lot of places.  Tomorrow morning when you get in, repeat the steps below:

    concat

    nice idea, i will do that, see what info comes up. i have had the "the clipboard is in use" in excel error a long time before the rest of my machine started having problems with it, usually that was fixed by copying something many times and it started to work.

    i will give the excel issue a run through hopefully that will bring something up.

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