Clipboard problem in Excel 2016

Anonymous
2016-04-16T23:39:19+00:00

I am running Excel 2016 on a Windows 10 Machine.

When I copy a cell (or cut a cell, or move a cell) I get one of two error messages:

"Cannot open the Clipboard"

"We couldn't free up space on the Clipboard.  Another program might be using it right now." 

I am then able to successfully paste what Excel told me it could not copy.  To restate for clarity...Excel throws error messages, but I am able to successfully copy and paste.

The problem is that it throws the error messages every single time I try and copy or cut or whatever.

Things I have tried:

I've ensured all other programs are not running (or using the clip board)

I've cleared the %temp% folder

I've cleared the Clipboard within Excel

Word does not have this problem...

Please help.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2017-02-28T16:18:02+00:00

Hello,

I have an update on this error dialog: “There's a problem with the clipboard, but you can still paste your content within this workbook."

When Excel shows this dialog after a copy (CTRL+C) action, it means that another app has a lock on the system clipboard.  In this situation you can still paste within Excel.  However you cannot paste to another app like Word or Outlook which uses the clipboard.

Last year we made some improvements to Office365 users so that this error message only shows once per Excel instance.  This is based on customer feedback - the design change prevents it popping up multiple successive times when the clipboard is locked.  We have also considered never showing the error dialog, but there was user feedback that this message is informative and helpful in some cases. 

We hope this helps shed some light on this error message.  For any design suggestions or new ideas on improving the Excel copy-paste experience, please post to Excel UserVoice.

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-06-05T21:54:42+00:00

    Solution? THIS WORKs for me, so far!

    1a. In ongoing frustration, I reinstalled Office 2016 today on my Win10-64 as recently recommended by the MS expert.  No help.  Continuing frustration led me to the steps below:

    1. I'm wondering if my problems might have started when I installed "M8 Free Clipboard" from CNET.  Regardless, the program apparently got uninstalled somehow, perhaps upon my conversion from Win7 to Win10 months ago.
    2. So I thought, what the heck and just now I re-installed M8 Free Clipboard. I started M8 Free Clipboard without restarting my computer.  In Excel 2016, instead of one error on every copy, immediately I had an improvement.  To test it, I continually copied a cell of data until receiving an error.  I did this six times.  I received the error randomly, but on average only once every 10 copies, a nice improvement!
    3. I then turned off M8 and the error rate improved to once every 15 copies.
    4. I then attempted to uninstall M8, but it had disappeared from Win10 list of programs / did not allow un-installation (??!).
    5. I then re-started the computer.  M8 reappeared in the list.  Without starting M8, I was able to copy data 64 times before I quit (NO ERRORS!)
    6. I then uninstalled M8, and again I was able to copy data 64 times with no errors.
    7.  Keeping my fingers crossed!  (I don't know if reinstalling Office 2016 was of any help, I'm assuming not because the problem persisted, but I really don't know)

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-05T21:11:47+00:00

    When I first found this thread, I took it seriously.  I am now finding that there is no desire to resolve this issue and this last suggestion is typical.  This is equivalent to suggesting you check if your computer is plugged in.

    Numerous people with different configurations are reporting this error behavior.  It is a bug in the program!!!

    Anyone have a copy of Lotus 123 or Visicalc, or am I showing my age?

    Good luck.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-06-05T20:48:38+00:00

    I just spent 15 more minutes downloading / reinstalling online per MG's instructions.  Did NOT solve problem.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-05-30T16:42:23+00:00

    I am having this issue, but now Excel crashes every time I try to post a chart into Word.  I can copy and paste the chart to another Excel workbook, Notepad, wordpad, etc., but cannot copy and paste it into Word, the only program I need to copy and paste it into.

    I have no add-ins running in Excel.  Please fix this problem, as it is making me waste a lot of time recreating the same work.

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