Microsoft finally fixes this annoying Excel paste problem, but you probably never even noticed
A limited set of users with Excel 2016 and other standalone Excel purchases have been struggling to paste.
Microsoft swiftly resolved a frustrating Excel paste issue that went unnoticed by many users. After a security update on September 8, 2026, caused glitches in the spreadsheet software, the company quickly released a hot fix days later. However, this fix only applies to Excel 2016, a version with less global usage compared to Microsoft 365.
The problem arises when attempting to paste content in Excel 2016, 2021, 2019, 2016, and Excel Online in Office Online Server. The source remains selected while the destination stays unmodified, leaving users unaware of the failure as there are no error messages or alerts. Office LTSC 2021 and 2024 versions are unaffected, but a workaround is available for Office LTSC 2019 and Office 2016.
Microsoft suggested temporarily using the "Paste Special" option from the Home tab to bypass the issue. However, conditional formatting seems to be causing difficulties at the moment.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
