Fix for "Clipboard Error. We couldn't copy the content of the clipboard"

Anonymous
2024-04-29T02:20:04+00:00

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:

  • Turn off live preview
  • Clear the clipboard
  • Reboot
  • Repair Excel
  • Add special folders to the Windows directory.
  • Issue the command prompt 'Echo Off | clip
  • Use the statement "Application.CutCopyMode = False after doing a copy and before closing a file
  • Copying one cell before closing a file
  • Removing com add-ins
  • Closing all other applications
  • And a score of others

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.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-01-29T22:36:06+00:00

    I agree with Rick Curtis1 that this bug is due to Microsoft's buggy software that they need to fix. I don't know how people who uninstall Logitech see this error stop. I have never had a Logitech device or software on the computer I use and the error happens many times a day including on spreadsheets with no macros. In fact I would take it a step further than buggy. It's malicious. There is no reason another user (which is a OneDrive Office 365 Microsoft 11 artificial user) should ever being using my clipboard, much less locking it, sometimes until I reboot.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-02-25T15:01:12+00:00

    What about Word. Solution, please.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-03-06T20:51:26+00:00

    I went to the task manager and found an application running with name in saying something like "clipboard" and ended task and resolved my issue

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-03-06T21:34:10+00:00

    I'm glad you found a solution. I never saw a process or service named clipboard.

    I rarely us Word, so I'm not any help there.

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-03-07T17:28:07+00:00

    For me it was the option in logitech options + thatyou can bind copy and paste to certain buttons.

    Apparently Excel does not like it when that happens. That's when i get the message. However when I unbind the options. It works perfectly

    Thank you!

    For further details, if you don't have Excel showing in your list of applications under the "Buttons" section in Logi Options+, it's because it's using predefined customizations for Excel (and other MS products).

    Click the + to Select Applications, choose Excel, then change the button configs so no buttons are using copy/paste/redo/undo, etc.

    EDIT:

    Upon further testing, I'm unfortunately still hitting this same issue. It seemed to have lightened up a little, but right back with the same problems again, taking multiple copies before it takes.

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