Excel 2016 Copy Paste Not Working? The KB5002914 Bug and Fixes

If copy and paste in Excel 2016 suddenly stopped working in September or October 2026, the most likely cause is the September 8, 2026 security update KB5002914, which made paste fail silently: the copied cells stay selected and nothing lands in the destination. Microsoft’s fix for MSI-based Excel 2016 is KB5002665 (the September 16, 2026 update), and if paste still fails afterwards, Paste Special (Ctrl+Alt+V) is the official workaround.

Below is how to confirm it’s this bug, how to fix it, and what to check if your problem turns out to be something else. Details are current as of October 2026; Microsoft has revised its guidance more than once, so check the linked pages for updates.

What the KB5002914 paste bug looks like

Microsoft documents the problem on its known issues page. In Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024, and in Excel Online in Office Online Server, a paste operation “might fail silently.” The symptoms:

• You press Ctrl+V (or right-click and choose Paste), and nothing happens.
• The source range keeps its marching-ants border, and the destination is unchanged.
• There’s no error message or beep.

Several reports, including BleepingComputer’s coverage, say AutoFill and dragging formulas could fail the same way.

If this sounds like what you’re seeing, and it started after updates installed in September 2026, you’re almost certainly dealing with this bug and not a setting you changed.

Which versions are affected and fixed

Sources don’t fully agree on the status of every edition, so here is what each one reports.

A few points worth knowing:

• MSI vs Click-to-Run matters. According to BleepingComputer, Microsoft said KB5002665 only fixes the MSI (Windows Installer) edition of Office 2016, not Click-to-Run installs. MSI installs are typical of volume-licensed business PCs.
• The LTSC updates were manual. BleepingComputer reported that the fixed LTSC builds had to be downloaded and applied manually, not automatically.
• Sources conflict on how complete the fix is. Office Watch and Microsoft’s known issues page describe the bug as fixed, while TechRadar said only a mitigation was available for Office 2016 and LTSC 2019.

How to fix Excel 2016 copy and paste

Step 1: Check your version

1. In Excel, go to File > Account.
2. Note the product name (Office 2016, LTSC 2019 and so on) and the version and build number.
3. If you’re on a work PC, ask your IT team whether Office was installed via MSI or Click-to-Run. That decides which fix applies.

Step 2: Install the fix

For MSI-based Excel 2016:

1. Open the KB5002665 article on Microsoft’s support site.
2. Follow its instructions to get the update through Windows Update / Microsoft Update or Microsoft’s official download link on that page.
3. Restart Excel (or your PC if prompted) and test a copy and paste.

For LTSC 2019, 2021 or 2024, update to at least the build listed in the table above, using the method your organization normally uses to deploy Office updates. Your IT admin may need to push it.

Only download Office updates from Microsoft’s own support and update pages.

Step 3: Use Paste Special if paste still fails

Microsoft noted that in Excel 2016 and Office LTSC 2019, paste could keep failing in workbooks that contain conditional formatting. Its suggested workaround:

1. Copy the cells as usual (Ctrl+C).
2. Select the destination cell.
3. On the Home tab, open the Paste dropdown and choose Paste Special, or press Ctrl+Alt+V.
4. Pick an option such as Formulas or Values, then select OK.

A Microsoft Tech Community reply points out that the current KB5002665 article describes the latest revision as the complete fix, and that it was earlier revisions that could still fail with conditional formatting. If you installed KB5002665 early, check that you have the latest revision.

Step 4: Rolling back (last resort)

On MSI installs, uninstalling KB5002914 restores normal paste. Click-to-Run doesn’t let you remove a single update; the whole Office installation would have to go back to an earlier build. Either way, you lose the security fixes in that update, so treat this as a temporary step and, at work, only do it with your IT team’s approval.

If it isn’t the update: other causes

If paste was broken before September 2026, or the fix didn’t help, Microsoft’s Paste Special troubleshooting article covers the usual suspects.

Check the paste options setting

Go to File > Options > Advanced and make sure Show Paste Options button when content is pasted is ticked.

Test in Safe Mode to rule out add-ins

1. Hold Ctrl while you start Excel.
2. Click Yes when asked whether to start in Safe Mode.
3. Try copying and pasting.

If it works in Safe Mode, an add-in is probably interfering. Re-enable your add-ins one at a time until the problem comes back, and that’s your culprit. Community answers on Microsoft Q&A have also pointed to the Office Clipboard pane and a Bloomberg add-in as possible factors.

Look for macros that clear the clipboard

Microsoft notes that a Worksheet_SelectionChange macro clears the clipboard, which disables paste. If your workbook uses that event, the code needs to turn events off (Application.EnableEvents = False) around the copy and paste.

Close browser windows

The same Microsoft article advises closing all browser windows, because a browser can conflict with Excel’s paste.

Repair Office

If nothing else works, community answers recommend running a Quick Repair of Office, then an Online Repair if that fails.

Office 2016 is past end of support

It’s worth looking at the bigger picture. Microsoft says support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 ended on October 14, 2025. The apps still run, but Microsoft says they carry security risks and that performance and quality may degrade over time. It recommends Microsoft 365 Apps or Office LTSC 2024, which is supported until October 9, 2029.

Interestingly, Microsoft still published Excel 2016 updates in September 2026, including both the update that caused this bug and the fix. Don’t count on that continuing. If your team depends on Excel every day, this bug is a good prompt to plan the move to a supported version.