Fix: Copying and Pasting via Mouse Not Working on Microsoft Excel

Can’t figure out why copying and pasting via mouse is not working on Microsoft Excel?

One of the most commonly used functions in Microsoft Excel is copying and pasting data and other values. With this feature, we can easily fill cells with redundant data without having to input them manually.

Copying and pasting save us a lot of time, and it is widely used not just on Excel but other word processing software as well. 

In Microsoft Excel, there are various ways to copy data from one cell to the other. You can use the fill handle to copy data to multiple cells. On the other hand, the trusty keyboard shortcuts, CTRL + C / CTRL + V, also works in Excel. 

If that’s not enough, you can also use your mouse to copy and paste data in Excel. 

Recently, there have been reports that copying and pasting via mouse are not working on Microsoft Excel. Depending on the situation, there are several reasons why this issue occurs on the software. 

Today, we will show you what to do if copying and pasting data via mouse is not working on Microsoft Excel. 

Let’s get right into it!

1. Restart Your System. 

As a common practice, we always recommend readers to restart their system whenever they encounter issues with Excel or any other software on their computer. This should reload their system resources and resolve temporary bugs that occurred in their system during use. 

See the steps below to restart your computer: 

1. First, press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start Menu. 
2. After that, access the Power Options tab. 
3. Lastly, choose Restart and wait for your system to reboot. 

Once done, go back to Microsoft Excel and see if the problem is solved. 

2. Run VBA Command. 

If the copy and paste options are not present when you right-click on a cell, it’s possible that the feature is disabled on your workbook or Excel, in general. To fix this, you can run a VBA command to enable the feature. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. While Excel is opened, press the ALT + F11 keys on your keyboard simultaneously. This should open a separate window on your computer. 
2. From there, click on View > Immediate Window. 
3. Now, copy the command below:

Commandbars("Cell").Reset

4. Once done, hit Enter to execute the command. 

Go back to your worksheet and copy and paste via mouse should be enabled. 

3. Run SFC Scan. 

There might be an issue with your resources, which affects the copy and paste feature on Windows. If this is the case, we recommend running an SFC scan on your computer to scan for errors. 

Check out the steps below to use the feature: 

1. First, access the Start Menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard. 
2. After that, look for ‘Command Prompt’ and click on Run as an Administrator to launch it. 
3. Lastly, type ‘sfc /scannow’ and hit Enter. 

After the scan, reboot your computer and check if the problem is solved. 

4. Use Keyboard Shortcuts. 

If you need to finish something in Excel, you can use keyboard shortcuts in the meantime to copy data. To do this, you simply need to highlight the data you want to copy and press CTRL + C on your keyboard. 

Afterward, click on the cell you want and hit CTRL + V to paste the data. 

5. Remove Conditional Formatting. 

Conditions formatting on Microsoft Excel can prevent data on your worksheet from being modified. If you can’t use the copy and paste feature using your mouse, try removing conditional formatting first. 

Once you’ve removed conditional formattings, try copying and pasting data on your worksheet. 

6. Update Microsoft Excel. 

The version of Microsoft Excel you are using might have an underlying issue that causes the copying and pasting via mouse feature not to work. To rule this out, update your software to the latest version to patch bugs and other errors. 

Here’s how you can update Excel: 

1. First, launch Microsoft Excel on your computer. 
2. After that, click on File > Accounts. 
3. Lastly, access the Update Options tab and click on Update Now or Enable Updates. 

Go back to Microsoft Excel afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

7. Disable Add-Ins. 

Add-ins could also be the reason you can’t use the copying and pasting feature using your mouse. To be sure, we suggest disabling any add-ins you have enabled at the moment and see if the problem goes away. 

Follow the steps below to turn off your add-ins: 

1. On your computer, launch Microsoft Excel and open your workbook. 
2. Next, go to File > More > Options. 
3. Finally, access the Add-Ins tab and ensure that your add-ins are turned off. 

Try using the feature again to see if it works. 

8. Disable Dynamic Data Exchange Feature.

Dynamic Data Exchange could also be the reason you can’t copy data between cells. To confirm this, we suggest disabling the DDE feature on Microsoft Excel. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. First, launch Microsoft Excel on your computer. 
2. Now, go to File > Options > Advanced. 
3. Under the General tab, look for the ‘Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)’ option and disable it. 

Restart Microsoft Excel afterward and check if copying and pasting via mouse works. 

9. Update Windows. 

There might be an issue with your operating system that causes problems with Excel’s copy and paste feature. To address this, we recommend updating your OS to patch potential bugs and glitches. 

See the steps below to update Windows: 

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings. 
2. Next, click on Update & Security. 
3. Finally, go to the Windows Update tab and follow the prompts if there’s an available update. 

Reboot your computer to apply the changes. Go back to Excel and see if the problem is solved. 

10. Reinstall Microsoft Excel. 

If none of the solutions above worked, the last thing you can do is reinstall Microsoft Excel on your computer. This way, you can ensure that there are no missing or corrupted resources on your system. 

Follow the guide below to delete Microsoft Excel: 

1. On your computer, go to the Control Panel and click on Uninstall a Program. 
2. Look for Microsoft Excel afterward and right-click on it. 
3. Finally, choose Uninstall and follow the prompts. 

Reinstall Microsoft Excel afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

That sums up our guide for fixing the copying and pasting via mouse feature if it’s not working on Microsoft Excel. If you have other concerns, please drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to help. 

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