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Home / How to Fix Copy and Paste Windows 10

How to Fix Copy and Paste Windows 10

Every day, you copy and paste text, files, or folders on your computer. As such, it's a huge inconvenience when the copy-paste tool stops working out of the blue. While this is one of the most basic functions that has been around since the first Windows versions, sometimes it just stops working.

If this has happened to you, give our guide a quick read to quickly solve this problem.

1. Restart the App You're Currently Working In

If you can't copy and paste while using a specific app, close and reopen the app and check if this fixed the problem. Also, check if the app has any updates available since a software bug may be preventing copy and paste from working. You can update the app through the app's settings menu or the Microsoft Store if it's on there.

2. Try Copy-Pasting With the Mouse Instead of the Keyboard

Usually, we press Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V to copy and paste because it's faster. If you exclusively use the keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste, try using the mouse instead. If it works, try using other keyboard shortcuts on your PC and see if they work. If the copy-paste keyboard shortcut didn't work, it means the tool still works on your computer, but the keyboard shortcuts have stopped working.

If this has happened, check out our guide on fixing keyboard shortcuts not working in Windows 10 for more advice on what to do next.

3. Restart Windows Explorer

Before restarting Windows Explorer, save your work in progress as it will close any open apps and windows. Then, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click Start > Task Manager.
  2. In the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer.
  3. Right-click it and select Restart.
  4. Check if copy-paste is now working.

4. Reset the Remote Desktop Clipboard Process

You can restart the Remote desktop clipboard process using File Explorer. Here is how you can do it:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Head to This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Windows > System 32.
  3. Right-click rpdclip.exe and select Run as administrator.
  4. Locate dwm.exe and run it with administrator rights as well.
  5. Restart your computer.

5. Turn Off Any RAM Optimization Apps

When you copy an image or some text, your system uses the Random Access Memory (RAM) to save it temporarily. Unfortunately, while file cleaning or RAM optimization apps try to save space and make your computer faster, they might also remove all your clipboard data. As such, this wipes all the data you're trying to paste, making the feature unusable.

To fix it, you can force quit the app or configure its settings so it doesn't include the computer's clipboard in the optimization process.

6. Fix the Windows 10 Clipboard

Every time you copy a text or an image, Windows 10 saves it on a virtual clipboard. When you paste it, you paste it from the clipboard. However, if the clipboard stops working correctly, you can't copy and paste anymore. Fortunately, fixing this issue is an easy job.

How to Fix the Windows 10 Clipboard Using the Command Prompt

In Windows 10, you can use Command Prompt to delete the Windows clipboard cache. Open Command Prompt with administrator rights, type echo off | clip, and press Enter.

How to Fix the Windows 10 Clipboard Using the Registry Editor

You can also fix the clipboard through Registry Editor. Here is how you can do it:

  1. In the Start menu search bar, search for regedit and select Run as administrator.
  2. Head to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Clipboard.
  3. Open IsCloudAndHistoryFeatureAvailable.
  4. Set Value data to 1 and Base to Hexadecimal.
  5. Click OK to save the new changes.
  6. Restart your computer and test if you can now copy and paste.

How to Fix the Windows 10 Clipboard Using Group Policy

You can also fix Windows 10's clipboard using Group Policy. If you are not confident using Group Policy, you should create a System Restore Point for your system if something goes wrong.

Follow these steps to configure Windows clipboard settings:

  1. In the Start menu search bar, search for gpedit.msc and select the Best match.
  2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Devices and Resources Redirection.
  3. Locate Do not allow Clipboard redirection.
  4. Check if Not Configured or Disabled is selected.

Get Copy and Paste Working Again

Hopefully, you can now copy and paste on your Windows 10 computer. Sometimes it's not the copy and paste command that stops working. As shown above, you might need to restart a specific app, fix your keyboard shortcuts, or solve a clipboard malfunction.

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About The Author

Matthew Wallaker (95 Articles Published)

Matthew's passions lead him to become a technical writer and blogger. Having a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, he enjoys using his technical knowledge to write informative and useful content.

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How to Fix Copy and Paste Windows 10

Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-fix-copy-and-paste-not-working-in-windows-10/