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3 min fix 2 min read Recently reviewedBeginner

By , IT support technician

Quick Answer

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart to clear the frozen clipboard.

How to Fix Copy and Paste Not Working on Windows ​

Estimated Time to Fix: 3 minutes

Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10
Article Type: Troubleshooting
Last Updated: 2026-07-20

Summary ​

This article guides you through fixing issues where the copy and paste functions (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V) suddenly stop working on your Windows computer.

Symptoms ​

  • Pressing Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V does nothing.
  • Right-clicking and selecting Copy or Paste is greyed out or doesn't work.
  • The computer pastes old text instead of the text you copied.

Prerequisites ​

  • None required.

Instructions ​

1. Restart the Windows Explorer Process ​

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Make sure you are on the Processes tab.
  3. Scroll down the list and look for Windows Explorer (it has a yellow folder icon).
  4. Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.
  5. Your taskbar and desktop icons will briefly disappear and reappear. Try copying and pasting again.

2. Clear the Clipboard History ​

  1. Click the Start button, type Settings, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to System > Clipboard.
  3. Scroll down to the Clear clipboard data section and click the Clear button.

3. Restart the "Clipboard User Service" ​

  1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
  3. Scroll down the list until you find Clipboard User Service.
  4. Right-click it and select Restart (if Restart is greyed out, click Start).

4. Verify Success ​

  1. Highlight some text, press Ctrl + C, then open a blank document (like Notepad or Word) and press Ctrl + V to confirm it pastes correctly.

Troubleshooting ​

WARNING

If copy and paste only fails in a specific application (like Microsoft Word or Excel), the issue is likely with that specific program, not your Windows clipboard. Try restarting that application.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Only fails in a remote desktop or virtual machineConnection settingsCheck your remote desktop client settings to ensure "Clipboard sharing" is enabled.
Keyboard shortcuts don't work, but mouse clicks doKeyboard issueCheck if your Ctrl key is stuck or broken. Try using the other Ctrl key on your keyboard.