I can't paste the contents of a cell of Excel365

SPEDICATO Mario 20 Reputation points
2025-10-22T12:37:01.5433333+00:00

Hello

I can cut the contents of a cell but for a few days I have not been able to paste the contents as it disappears and the undo also disappears......delete a key Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common as soon as I open the program the cut and paste works but when I close and reopen the program......everything comes back.

It happens with a blank file, too.....

Thanks

Regards

Ciao a tutti

Posso tagliare il contenuto di una cella ma da qualche giorno non riesco a incollarlo perché scompare e scompare anche l'annullamento... elimina una chiave Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common non appena apro il programma il taglia e incolla funziona ma quando chiudo e riapro il programma... torna tutto come prima

Succede anche con il foglio vergine...

Grazie

Saluti

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows
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Answer accepted by question author
Ravi Teja Morampudi 660 Reputation points
2025-10-22T12:51:49.0566667+00:00

Hello Spedicato,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community. Regarding your issue with Excel's copy and paste functionality, please follow the diagnostic steps outlined below. This process will help determine if the problem is application-specific, related to background processes, or caused by a configuration policy.

Step 1: Check the Windows Clipboard

First, verify that the data is successfully being copied to the system clipboard.

  1. After copying or cutting data from Excel, open a different application like Notepad or Word.
  2. Press Ctrl + V to attempt pasting the content.
  3. If the data appears correctly in Notepad or Word, it confirms that the Windows clipboard is working, and the issue is likely within Excel itself.

You can also view your clipboard history by pressing the Windows Key + V. If clipboard history is enabled, you should see the copied data listed there.

Step 2: Start Excel in Safe Mode

If the clipboard is working, the next step is to open Excel in Safe Mode. This will run Excel without any add-ins or extensions, which are a common cause of such problems.

  1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. In the text field, type excel /safe and click OK.
  3. Excel will launch with "(Safe Mode)" visible in the title bar.
  4. Try to perform the cut/copy and paste operation again.
  5. If the function works correctly in Safe Mode, a faulty add-in is likely the cause. To resolve this, you can disable your add-ins one by one and restart Excel normally to find the culprit.

Step 3: Check for Group Policy Restrictions

If you are in a corporate or managed network environment, IT administrators can configure policies that block cut/copy/paste functions. This is particularly relevant if the issue persists in Safe Mode. These policies are usually found in the Group Policy Management Editor.

For an administrator to check this, they would:

  1. Navigate to User Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2016 > Privacy > Trust Center in the Group Policy Management tool.
  2. Look for settings that restrict or manage clipboard operations between Office applications and other apps.
  3. Certain policies, such as those related to App Protection in Intune, can also restrict copying and pasting between managed and unmanaged applications.
    1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/mem/intune/app-protection-policies/troubleshoot-cut-copy-paste

If none of the above steps resolve your issue, please provide additional information, such as your version of Microsoft Office and details about any recent updates, as this will help the community assist you further.

Regards,

Raviteja M.

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  1. SPEDICATO Mario 20 Reputation points
    2025-10-23T07:28:12.24+00:00

    Hello

    A help for the problem that i had:

    STEP 1 — Check if the problem is global or Excel-specific

    Test:

    Open Notepad.

    Type something, select the text, and press:

    Ctrl + X (cut)

      `Ctrl + V` (paste)
  
  See if it works normally.

    Interpretation:

    ✅ Works in Notepad → the issue is specific to Excel (likely a policy or add-in).

    ❌ Doesn’t work anywhere → the issue is system-wide, possibly related to the clipboard service or an external program (e.g., DLP, antivirus).

    STEP 2 — Test Excel in “Safe Mode”

    Test:

    Close all Excel instances.

    Open Run (Win + R) and type:

    excel /safe

    Then press Enter. (Excel starts in Safe Mode, without add-ins or extensions.)

    Try cutting or pasting something inside this clean Excel session.

    Interpretation:

    ✅ Works in Safe Mode → a COM add-in or third-party integration is blocking cut/paste.

    ❌ Still doesn’t work → likely a policy restriction or security software issue.

    STEP 3 — Check the registry for policy keys

    Test:

    Open regedit.exe.

    Navigate to these paths (check both):

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel\Options

    and

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel\Options

    Look for any of these values:

    DisableCopy

      `DisableCut`
  
     `DisablePaste`
     
        `DisablePasteSpecial`
        
        If any exist and are set to **1**, that function is *disabled by policy*.

    🔍 Interpretation:

    ✅ Found keys → Excel restrictions are set by policy.

    ❌ No keys → registry is not the cause.

    STEP 4 — Check for external software interference

    If none of the above explains it, a third-party program may be intercepting the clipboard.

    Test:

    Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

    Under Processes, look for software such as:

    “DLP Agent,” “Data Protection,” “Endpoint Security,” “SafeGuard,” “Symantec DLP,” “Forcepoint,” “Zscaler,” etc.

    Or clipboard managers like “Ditto,” “ClipX,” “Clipboard Manager.”

    🔍 Interpretation:

    If one of these is running, it’s very likely intercepting clipboard API calls (SetClipboardData()) and may be blocking Excel data for security reasons. STEP 1 — Check if the problem is global or Excel-specific

    Test:

    Open Notepad.

    Type something, select the text, and press:

    Ctrl + X (cut)

      `Ctrl + V` (paste)
  
  See if it works normally.

    Interpretation:

    ✅ Works in Notepad → the issue is specific to Excel (likely a policy or add-in).

    ❌ Doesn’t work anywhere → the issue is system-wide, possibly related to the clipboard service or an external program (e.g., DLP, antivirus).

    STEP 2 — Test Excel in “Safe Mode”

    Test:

    Close all Excel instances.

    Open Run (Win + R) and type:

    excel /safe

    Then press Enter.
    (Excel starts in Safe Mode, without add-ins or extensions.)

    Try cutting or pasting something inside this clean Excel session.

    Interpretation:

    ✅ Works in Safe Mode → a COM add-in or third-party integration is blocking cut/paste.

    ❌ Still doesn’t work → likely a policy restriction or security software issue.

    STEP 3 — Check the registry for policy keys

    Test:

    Open regedit.exe.

    Navigate to these paths (check both):

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER

    and

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

    Look for any of these values:

    DisableCopy

      `DisableCut`
  
     `DisablePaste`
     
        `DisablePasteSpecial`
        
        If any exist and are set to **1**, that function is *disabled by policy*.

    Interpretation:

    ✅ Found keys → Excel restrictions are set by policy.

    ❌ No keys → registry is not the cause.

    STEP 4 — Check for external software interference

    If none of the above explains it, a third-party program may be intercepting the clipboard.

    ➤ Test:

    Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

    Under Processes, look for software such as:

    “DLP Agent,” “Data Protection,” “Endpoint Security,” “SafeGuard,” “Symantec DLP,” “Forcepoint,” “Zscaler,” etc.

    Or clipboard managers like “Ditto,” “ClipX,” “Clipboard Manager.”

    Interpretation:

    If one of these is running, it’s very likely intercepting clipboard API calls (SetClipboardData()) and may be blocking Excel data for security reasons.

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  2. SPEDICATO Mario 20 Reputation points
    2025-10-23T06:28:55.4566667+00:00

    Maybe the problem was Netwrix EndPoint Protector. Uninstalled e installed the program, excel works normally. It helped me the first step (Step 1: Check the Windows Clipboard), I understood that it was an external function...so i thought to Endpoint protector...thanks regards

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  3. SPEDICATO Mario 20 Reputation points
    2025-10-22T13:53:13.8333333+00:00

    Hello

    Thanks for reply.

    Step 1: Check the Windows Clipboard

    After cutting data from Excel Cell, if i attempt pasting it to word or notepad, it doesn't work

    Step 2: Start Excel in Safe Mode

    Same situation, it doesn't change nothing.

    Step 3: Check for Group Policy Restrictions

    there are no restrictions.......

    Thanks for now

    Regards

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