If you see the error message, We could not copy the content to the clipboard, it is in use by another application while working with Excel on your Windows 11/10 PC, read this post. We will show you how to fix the issue using effective troubleshooting steps.
Some users have reported an issue with Excel where it cannot access the system’s clipboard, resulting in an error message that reads:
We could not copy the content to the Clipboard, it is in use by another application. You can still paste your content within this workbook but it will not be available in other applications.
The above message indicates that another application has ‘locked’ the clipboard, creating conflicts with Excel’s clipboard access. While the users can still paste data within the same workbook, they are unable to copy and share content across applications, disrupting tasks that rely on data transfer.
Why is Excel not allowing me to copy and paste?
Excel may prevent you from copy-pasting content for several reasons, including temporary glitches, clipboard conflicts, internal software issues, or low system resources. It may also prevent you from fully accessing the clipboard if there are corrupted files or if Excel or Microsoft Excel is not fully updated.
We could not copy the content to the clipboard, it is in use by another application Excel error
To fix the error message, ‘We could not copy the content to the clipboard, it is in use by another application‘ in Windows 11/10, use these solutions:
- Quick Fixes
- Clear the Clipboard
- Add these two directories to your system
- Turn off Enable Live Preview
- Toggle ‘off’ the Insert key
Let us see this in detail.
1] Quick Fixes
For some users, the problem disappears after running Excel as an administrator, restarting Excel, rebooting the computer, or closing the rest of the applications running parallel with Excel, including File Explorer. Try these fixes and see if they help (we recommend using the Task Manager to close the running apps).
2] Clear the Clipboard
One of the prime causes of the error is clipboard conflicts, therefore, clearing the clipboard might help resolve the issue.
To clear the clipboard data on your Windows PC, follow these instructions:
Type ‘command’ in the Windows Search bar. Command Prompt will appear at the top of the search results. Click on Run as administrator on the right panel (under the Command Prompt app). A User Account Control prompt will appear. Click ‘Yes’ to continue.
In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and then press Enter:
echo off | clip
The above command will clear the clipboard by replacing its contents with an empty value.
3] Add these two directories to your system
This fix is helpful if you’re running Excel-related tasks via Task Scheduler. In such cases, Excel may attempt to access the ‘Desktop’ folder within the system profile (a user profile used by system services and scheduled tasks) for certain background operations. If the paths don’t exist, Excel may throw errors or fail silently in automated tasks.
To fix this, add these two directories to your system:
C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Desktop
After adding the directories, reopen Excel to check if the clipboard error is resolved.
4] Turn off Enable Live Preview
Many users have been able to successfully resolve the issue by turning off the ‘Enable Live Preview’ option in Excel. Live Preview is a feature that shows a real-time preview when you hover over formatting options. While useful, it can sometimes overload Excel, contributing to errors when copying and pasting.
To disable Live Preview, follow these steps:
- Open the Excel file.
- Go to the File menu and select Options at the bottom.
- In the Excel Options dialog box, select General from the left-side menu.
- Uncheck the box for ‘Enable Live Preview‘ under the User Interface options section on the right side.
- Click OK to save changes.
Close and reopen Excel for the change to take effect and see if the error is gone.
5] Toggle ‘off’ the Insert key
A few users have mentioned that the issue disappeared after toggling the Insert key that they have inadvertently turned on. The Insert key controls the ‘Overwrite’ mode in many applications, including Excel. In Overwrite mode, anything typed replaces existing text, sometimes leading to unintended clipboard behavior, especially while copying and pasting data in Excel.
Press the Insert key on your keyboard. This will switch Excel back to Insert mode for normal typing.
I hope this helps.
Read: Copy and Paste not working in Windows.
How do I fix Clipboard not copying?
If your clipboard isn’t working or copying data, close all applications that may interfere with the clipboard functionality, including any clipboard managers, remote desktop tools, or screen capture software. If you’re working with Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins > COM Add-ins and uncheck any add-ins. Also, try clearing the clipboard. This can sometimes resolve software conflicts.
Read Next: Cannot open the Clipboard in Excel.
