Cannot copy a tab or make a copy of a Tab in an Excel workbook.

Question

Cannot copy a tab or make a copy of a Tab in an Excel workbook.

Susan Ferriola 40

We are both having issues copying tabs in Excel (not the cloud version). In the past it was not issue. We could copy. Now we cannot.

We can copy a cell. We can copy a section. We cannot copy the whole tab.

We right-click on the tab, it gives us the option to copy. We then go to a new tab, and paste and we get a blank sheet.

I have googled for reasons why this is happening but:

Sheet is not a protected
There are no macros running.
Sheets are not grouped.
We have tried “More or Copy” and we have tried “Create a Copy” – neither work.

We have intricate spreadsheet tabs that we copy routinely and this is impacting our workflow.

Does anyone know what is causing this. It only happened within the last week. Today is 9-15-2026.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Julie Huynh 3,595 Independent Advisor

Dear @Susan Ferriola,

Thank you for the update and for sharing the findings from your IT team.

Based on the information you've provided, it is possible that the behavior you're experiencing is related to the recent Excel update. While the documented issue primarily references copy-and-paste functionality, I have seen some reports of other worksheet copy-related operations being affected following the September 2026 release.

It's encouraging that rolling back to the September 8, 2026 build restored standard Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V functionality. However, since the Move or Copy worksheet feature continues to fail, kindly report this to the product team via Excel Help > Feedback.

Feedback pane in Word

As a user, I do not have the necessary tools or permissions to resolve this issue.

Additionally, you can report the problem about Windows in the Feedback Hub following the steps in this article: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app

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Thank you for your kindness and understanding!

Susan Ferriola 40 Reputation points

2026-09-15T16:20:52.5466667+00:00

I attempted to send feedback. I did what it said about the the windows button and typeing feedback hub. However, I guess our IT dept has that locked out. All my setting in the HUB are toggled to off. When I attempted to turn them on, I did not have admin rights to change it. Hopefully Microsoft will sort it out.
Julie Huynh 3,595 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-15T16:50:04.0633333+00:00

Dear @Susan Ferriola,

Thank you for the update. I appreciate you taking the time to try submitting feedback.

At this point, I recommend working with your IT team to monitor future Office updates for a resolution.

Thank you for your patience and for all the detailed information you've provided throughout the investigation. It has been very helpful.

Wishing you all the best, and I hope that a fix for this would come soon.

Have a great day!

1 additional answer

Your answer

Susan Ferriola 40 Reputation points

2026-09-15T16:20:52.5466667+00:00

I attempted to send feedback. I did what it said about the the windows button and typeing feedback hub. However, I guess our IT dept has that locked out. All my setting in the HUB are toggled to off. When I attempted to turn them on, I did not have admin rights to change it. Hopefully Microsoft will sort it out.
Julie Huynh 3,595 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-15T16:50:04.0633333+00:00

Dear @Susan Ferriola,

Thank you for the update. I appreciate you taking the time to try submitting feedback.

At this point, I recommend working with your IT team to monitor future Office updates for a resolution.

Thank you for your patience and for all the detailed information you've provided throughout the investigation. It has been very helpful.

Wishing you all the best, and I hope that a fix for this would come soon.

Have a great day!

Answer 1

Dear @Susan Ferriola,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that you and another user are unable to copy or duplicate worksheet tabs in the desktop version of Excel. While copying cells or ranges works normally, copying an entire worksheet results in a blank sheet. This issue started within the last week and is impacting your workflow. You have already verified that the workbook is not protected, no macros are running, sheets are not grouped, and both Move or Copy and Create a Copy options do not resolve the issue.

To help narrow down the cause, could you please confirm the following:

What version and build of Excel are you currently using? (You could check at: File > Account > About Excel)
Does this happen with all workbooks, or only specific files?
If you create a brand-new workbook with a simple worksheet, can you successfully copy that sheet?
Are both affected users running the same Excel version and build?
Have there been any recent Office updates installed before the issue started?

Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!

In the meantime, kindly try the following suggestions to check what might have caused the issue:

Start Excel in Safe Mode:
- Press Windows + R >Type excel /safe
- Open the workbook and test copying a worksheet
Disable Excel add-ins:
- Go to File > Options > Add-ins > Manage COM Add-ins > Go
- Uncheck all add-ins and restart Excel
Test in a new workbook: Kindly create a new workbook and attempt to duplicate a worksheet using Move or Copy > Create a Copy
Run an Office repair following the step-by-step instructions from this article: Repair an Office application

I hope this information is helpful.

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going!

Thank you for your time and patience.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes". If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Susan Ferriola 40 Reputation points

2026-09-15T13:44:56.5833333+00:00

HI,

Thank you for responding. I have also done the safe mode c/p and that too did not work. In addition to posting here, on the Microsoft platform, I turned in a helpdesk ticket to my IT Dept, thinking may it was a network issue? A new addin that had been deployed that I wasnt aware of.

My Net admin logged and saw I was on the lastest Excel Build. I failed to get the copy of the build number before he rolled me back to the previous build. He said he saw on another forum, that the Microsoft Build that was pushed out on September 12, 2026 did break the cut and paste feature.

I have now been rolled back to a Sept 8th, 2026 build, the "Move or Copy" right click function when you click the tab still does not work; however, the "select all" "Ctrl C" and then "Ctrl V" to a new sheet, DOES work.
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