As of September 2024, about a month ago, I started getting this error message often when repeatedly copying and pasting in Excel.
clipboard error
Content could not be copied to the clipboard because it is being used by another application. You can paste content within this book, but it cannot be used by another application.
The phenomenon seems to come from a combination of Windows 11 and Excel365 or Excel2023. The reason we think the cause is this,
- Versioned Windows to 11, updated Windows 11.
- Excel versioned and updated in Windows 11.
And that there was a lot of information that this event occurred after operations such as the following,
There are also examples of inquiries coming my way.
- All the combinations are Windows 11 and Excel365 or 2023 patterns.
We believe that this phenomenon is probably the result of the combination of the two, given the current situation.
In this issue, we will introduce how to reproduce this error and the emergency measures now known.
Updated June 2025
We have received information that this may be a problem that occurs when used in combination with "Logi Options+".
We have also added a solution for this case, so please check it out if it affects you.
Reproduce clipboard errors
I have a feeling that I often see this error when copying and pasting over and over again, so I tested to see if I could copy and paste over and over again and get the message to appear as targeted.
Specifically, with a cell selected, I hit the "C" button repeatedly while holding down the "Ctrl" button.
I prepared several cells with formulas as shown in the figure below and repeated the copying many times.
Then, after about 10 to 20 hits in a row, this error would often occur.
What can I do when I get a "Clipboard Error" message?
I have tried various patterns to see if I really can't paste when I get this error.
| Paste to | Possibility |
|---|---|
| In the same sheet | OK |
| Another sheet in the same book | OK |
| Another Book | OK |
| word | NG |
| Browser Search Window | NG |
As stated in the message,I can paste it on excel with no problem.It seems to be,Cannot be pasted in other applications(In this case, it was confirmed in Word, Edge, and Chrome. (In this case, we checked in Word, Edge and Chrome.)
If you still want to paste into an application other than Excel
If you are reading this article, do you have a mouse software called "Logi Options+" installed on your device?
We have received information that a clipboard error occurs due to incompatibility between this software.
In other words, you can solve the error by uninstalling this software.
Alternatively, there is a trick that allows you to paste outside of the application, so we will introduce that to you.
Uninstall Logi Options+
Check if "Logi Options+" is installed
1. Click the Windows "Start" button and select "All"
2. Check that "Logi Options+" is in "L" in the list of apps.
If "Logi Options+" is not listed here, the software is not installed and there is no need to uninstall it.
3. Right-click on "Logi Options+" and select "Uninstall"
4. A list of installed apps will be displayed. Click on the three dots next to "Logi Options+" and click on the "Uninstall" button that appears.
5. A message like the one below will appear, so click the "Uninstall" button.
This completes the uninstallation of "Logi Options+".
Verify that the clipboard error has disappeared.
Try pasting it into Excel using the paste option.
Next, we will explain the first aid method to use if an error occurs even though "Logi Options+" is not installed.
It has been found that when you copy in Excel and this error message appears, you will not be able to paste into other applications.
However, if you paste in your browser after pasting from the "Paste Options" menu that appears by right-clicking on ExcelI was able to paste it.The following is a list of the most common problems with the "C" in the "C" column.
If you are doing manual copy and pasting this way you can avoid error situations without much hassle.
How to avoid clipboard errors when executing VBA
If this error occurs while VBA is running, the code will stop and you will be in a difficult situation.
In such cases, the following methods can be used to avoid this problem.
For example, consider the case where you want to copy the contents of cell "A1" to cell "A2".
Example of code that causes a clipboard error
Range("A1").Copy
Range("A2").Select
ActiveSheet.PasteThis one uses the clipboard, so if there is a clipboard conflict, an error will occur.
Therefore, this error will not occur if the clipboard is not used as shown below.
Example of code that does not generate a clipboard error
Cells(2, 1) = Cells(1, 1)If you run this code, you will see that
The contents of cell "A1" were properly displayed in cell "A2".
The code here is to make the value of cell "A2" the same as cell "A1", so there is no copying or pasting.
Therefore, if you do not use copy and paste in VBA and only use this method, you can avoid the phenomenon of errors in VBA.
Also, the code itself will be simpler and much faster to execute. Even if it is not related to this error display, we recommend that you use this method instead of copying and pasting in your VBA code.
Summary: First-aid measures when a clipboard error appears
Emergency solution when "Logi Options+" is not uninstalled
We found that this occurs about once in every 20 copies when copying multiple times in succession.
If the paste destination isIf Excel.and error messages without any problems.Can be pastedThe following is a list of the most common problems with the "C" in the "C" column.
To paste into an application other than Excel (Word, browser, etc.)
- Copy again
- Paste from right click on Excel
If only after doing either of the followingCan be pastedWe are confirming that.
This phenomenon seems to be caused by clipboard conflicts with other applications.
Therefore, closing other applications and leaving only Excel running will reduce the probability of conflicts.
If possible, the shortcut would be to identify the conflicting application, but we often hear that virus software is in conflict, and since this cannot be deactivated, we believe that the method introduced here is a reliable countermeasure.
Uninstall "Logi Options+"
I found that if "Logi Options+" is installed, the error will go away if I uninstall this software.
It is useful to know this method as a last resort if you are unable to move forward with your work due to this error.
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Comment
Hello.
I am also having trouble with this message while running VBA. I have looked and have not found any information on this.
So my question is the following part
"It appears to be a bug that comes from the combination of Windows 11 and Excel365 or Excel2023."
If you have any documents or websites that can provide the basis for this, please let us know.
ngosi acid
Thank you for your comment!
We don't want this to happen during VBA execution,
"The bug appears to come from a combination of Windows 11 and Excel365 or Excel2023." The reason for the statement in the
Versioned Windows to 11, updated Windows 11.
Excel versioned and updated in Windows 11.
The reason for this is that there was a lot of information that this event occurred after operations such as the following, and all the inquiries I received were about the combination of Windows 11 and Excel 365 or 2023. I did not describe it in detail in the article because it was based on a rule of thumb.
https://answers.microsoft.com/ja-jp/msoffice/forum/all/%E8%A7%A3%E6%B1%BA%E6%B8%88kb5030310%E9%81%A9/f4d8a31c-f136-4c55-a5b5-b5030e4b497a
https://answers.microsoft.com/ja-jp/msoffice/forum/all/excel2021%E3%81%A7%E3%82%B3%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC/0ae0f58c-617f-41d8-a133-0fee4a86dcfb
About the Solution
First of all, this error occurs when you try to paste into another application outside of Excel.
Since you mentioned that you are running VBA this time, I will answer on the assumption that the paste destination is Excel.
Method 1: Change to a copy method that does not use the clipboard.
This is probably how copy and paste works now.
Range("A1").Copy
Range("A2").Select
ActiveSheet.Paste
This one uses the clipboard, so if there is a clipboard conflict, an error will occur.
Therefore, this error will not occur if the clipboard is not used as shown below.
Cells(2, 1) = Cells(1, 1)
Method 2: Close other conflicting applications
This phenomenon seems to be caused by clipboard conflicts with other applications.
Therefore, closing other applications and leaving only Excel running will reduce the probability of conflicts.
If possible, the shortcut would be to identify the conflicting application, but we often hear that virus software is in conflict, and since this cannot be deactivated, I think Method 1 is a more reliable measure.
Method 3: Revert the Excel version
Since this is not a very practical method and writing about how to do it would be lengthy, we will omit the working method here.
Is the above the answer to your question?
We will revise the article according to your suggestion!
Thank you very much.
Manager.
Thank you for your response.
In the macro I am running on my end, copying to a cell is done by setting the value to Cells(1,1).
Copy has sheet copy.
I will try to find a means of not copying sheets in Copy.
Thank you for posting the link as well.
Since you seem to be trying various versions, etc., I will compare your environment with ours.
Thank you very much.
エクセルマクロ、クリップボードエラーで検索してたどり着きました。
今回は参考にはなりませんでしたが、自己解決できたので残しておきます。
私の場合は、いままでの古い環境(Intel8世代i5 CPU & Win10 & Excel 2019)から新しい環境(Intel Evo i7 & Win11 & Excel 365)に変わった際に同じファイルでマクロを実行した際に途中でクリップボードエラーが発生し、さらにしばらくして止まってしまいました。
調べたところ、sheets.selectを実行した後のsheets.Range.pastespecialで止まっていました。
解決方法ですが、sheets.selectを実行した後にウェイト（一例として、Application.Wait Now() + TimeValue(“00:00:01”)など）を入れて次の動作を待った後に、ペースト動作を実行するようにしたところ、改善しました。
以上のことから、シートの切り替え操作を行った時は、現行の高速になったPCだとスクリプト処理が早すぎて次の実動作がスクリプトの命令に対して付いてきていないようでした。
コメントありがとうございます！
詳細なご報告、とても参考になりました。
ご経験の通り、環境によって動作が変わってくることもありますよね。
ひとつ補足させていただくと、今回のような「クリップボードエラー」は、ペーストのタイミングではなく、実は .Copy を実行したときに発生しているんです。
しかもこのとき、マクロ自体はエラーとして止まらないため、見た目には気づきにくいのが厄介なんですよね。
おそらくコピーが正しく行われず、その後の .Paste が実行されても中身が無くて止まってしまった、という流れだったのではないかと考えられます。
ちなみに .Copy や .Paste を使わずに、
Cells(2, 1).Value = Cells(1, 1).Value
のように直接値を代入する方法であれば、クリップボードを使わずに済むため、このエラーを回避できます。
ご報告いただいたように、環境の違いによる挙動の変化は大事な気づきですね。共有いただき本当にありがとうございました！