Whenever we talk about basic editing features in Windows, Copy and Paste are the first and essential ones. It helps in many ways, especially when working on a document, rearranging, and formatting a document. What will you do if copy and paste not working issue comes across?
Note: Normally, to perform the copy operation, you need to press CTRL & C or select the object in question and right-click it & select Copy. Similarly, to paste the copied text or item, press CTRL & V or right-click and select Paste.
One of the probable reasons could be corrupted program components, problematic plugins or features, a problem with “rdpclicp.exe” process. You can restart your computer and try to perform the operation once again. If this doesn’t work, proceed further to know about some troubleshooting methods to resolve copy and paste not working on Windows 10.
Method 1: Keep Your Windows Update
Sometimes system errors may lead to glitches like copy and paste not working. To resolve the issue, you can update your Windows as Microsoft constantly brings up new features and fixes. To update your Windows, follow these steps:
- Press Windows and I to get Settings fired up.
- Navigate to Update & Security.
- Click “Check for updates.”
Windows will check for any updates available. Click Download & Install.
Method 2: Update Your Drivers
Copy and paste not working could also occur if your Windows has corrupted or outdated drivers. To deal with the issue, you must update drivers on your Windows. You can update them manually, but it could take a lot of efforts and time. That’s why it is always better to have software handy to do the dirty job. One of the best tools to update your driver without any hassle is Advanced Driver Updater The tool finds the latest drivers & download and install them to enhance PC performance and avoid these problems.
Method 3: Restart the rdpclip.exe process
rdpclip.exe is an executable for File Copy. It offers a function for the Terminal Services server that enables you to copy & paste between server & client. You need to end the rdpclip.exe process and then restart it to resolve fix copy and paste not working issue on Windows 10.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + ESC to get Task Manager.
- Click the Details tab.
- Locate and right-click “rdpclip.exe” process.
- Select the End task to close the process.
- Press Windows and E key to get File Explorer.
- Click This PC-> Local Disk C-> Windows-> System 32
- Navigate to “rdpclip.exe” and run it.
Method 4: Disable Antivirus Temporarily
It is always advised to keep an antivirus installed on your computer. It keeps your computer safe from unseen threats. However, sometimes it could conflict with the system and affect some of the basic functionalities such as copy & paste function. Therefore, you can try and disable Antivirus temporarily to check if copy and paste not working on Windows 10 is resolved.
If your issue is resolved, then you can change your Antivirus software. So that you can get protection on your computer without interference.
Method 5: Check For Malware
If you think your computer is acting funny and not responding the way it should be, then malware or virus could be the culprit behind the issue.
You can run an Antivirus scan to detect any threats present on your computer. If you don’t have an Antivirus tool, you can try Advanced System Protector to keep your computer secure from all kinds of threats. This could remove the threats on your computer which might be causing your system to dysfunction.
Method 6: Run Check Disk Utility Scan
As we have discussed this copy and paste not working could be due to corrupt system files or apps. You can run a CHKDSK scan to resolve the issue.
Follow these steps to run the scan:
You can run Chkdsk from Command Prompt or PowerShell:
- Press Windows and X key to get the context menu above the Start button.
- Choose Windows PowerShell (Admin)
- Type: chkdsk X: /f Replace X with the drive you want to scan for example chkdsk C: /f
- You will get a prompt to schedule the scan, type Y and press Enter.
- Restart your PC and check if the issue still exists.
Alternate Method:
- Press Windows and E key to open File Explorer. Click This PC.
- Locate and right-click on the hard drive and click Properties.
- Click Tools Tab on Properties window.
- Under Error Checking, click Check.
Method 7: System Restore
If you have recently updated your computer or any app and have started facing copy and paste not working on Windows, then the latest update could be the reason. You can restore your Windows to the point where it was working fine. So you can use System Restore to get things in an old place.
Note: System Restore has no effect on your personal files. It might remove recently installed drivers, apps and other updates.
Restore points are created as and when you install Windows updates, app or drivers or you can also create one manually.
To create system restore, follow these steps:
- Go to the search bar and type Control Panel and press Enter.
- On Control Panel window, type Recovery in the search box and press Enter.
- Click Open System Restore.
- You will a window named System Restore, press Next to start.
- You will get a list of restore points created. Select the latest one related to driver.
- Choose Next-> Finish.
If System Restore is not enabled, this step will not work for you. In case you need to create System Restore, follow these steps:
- Press Windows and E to get File Explorer.
- Locate This PC and right-click on it to get Properties.
- Or Press Windows and Pause Break key to open System Properties.
- Click System Protection.
- On System Properties window and click Configure.
- Select Turn On System Protection.
To Conclude
Use these methods and fix Copy and Paste not working issue. It is one of the most important and basic functions and it can be irritating and time-taking if you can’t use them. Which one of these methods helped you? Let us know in the comments section below.
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