This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
There have been many posts on how to fix the message Clipboard Error. We couldn't copy the content to the clipboard because its in use by another application.
I tried many of the suggestions:
None worked. I have a test macro that works for several minutes and does many copy/paste, graphics, formatting, etc. It would display the clipboard error at least once every 2 or 3 executions, and often every execution. I used it to test all the posted cures.
What I finally realized is that the application that was using the clipboard and causing the error was Excel itself. Excel was basically not able to keep up with the command to clear the clipboard.
The cure then became simple. Slow excel down by using the statement "DoEvents" right after I issued the command "Application.CutCopyMode = False". And to put the Application.CutCopyMode = False after I was finished with any copy that I did and right before any workbook close command. I've run my macro 10 times and no clipboard error message appears.
Please give it a try.
A family of Microsoft spreadsheet software with tools for analyzing, charting, and communicating data.
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.
The DoEvents didn't help me, but putting Application.CutCopyMode = False after pasting fixed the problem.
I don't know if this completely solved the problem but it seems to have done so, I uninstalled updates KB5044273 and KB5044091. Both were installed on October 10. When I rebooted windows reinstalled then. I did this twice. It seems I often spend days troubleshooting things after Windows or Security updates.
I fixed my problem by changing the excel code from:
source(range) copy
target(range).paste
.
to
target(range) = source(range) or
target(range).value = source(range)
This eliminates the clipboard
Before the last few updates the copy - paste method used to work fine.
Additionally the changed code runs much faster
I would love to hear a solution that does not involve macros or Logitech because those are not the cause of this issue. I have Office 365 on Windows 11 and OneDrive. The problem is caused by Microsoft. It happens when I manually copy in a spreadsheet with no macros (as well as in macros). To be clear, it happens in EVERY spreadsheet. For example, it has happened over and over today. For example, since booting my computer this morning, I have used only one spreadsheet that has never had a macro and I have had this error happen dozens of times. I have no Logitech products. It occurs in Word sometimes too, but I don't use Word as much. When you search the internet, as the OP mentioned, it's full of people trying unsuccessfully to solve this.
I have found that Microsoft does it's stupid Office 365 / OneDrive BS constantly as another user. I know that because of the many errors that another user has updated documents on OneDrive when I'm the only user (my wife and I share documents as the same user but different computers since that's the only way OneDrive works at home). And MS's incompetent programmers decided that that other user should massively use the real user's (my) clipboard and lock it when it's using it.
Until MS decides to address that issue and find some people to program these products who have an ounce of talent, this issue is unsolvable.
Thank for the analysis on this. Changing the macros did fix it for me, but I agree it's a Microsoft issue. I'm willing to bet if the installation could be rolled back several updates, it would disappear. I can testify that I have not see this issue previously.