Following widespread user complaints on community forums and social media, Microsoft has addressed a regression that disabled copy-and-paste functionality in Excel after the September 2026 security patches rolled out. The update identified as KB5002914 and related patches introduced the fault, which also affected autofill and formula dragging operations.
The company confirmed the issue spans multiple Excel versions. "In Microsoft Excel 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016, as well as Excel Online in Office Online Server, the paste operation might fail silently," Microsoft explains in a support document updated on Friday. "Although users try to paste content, the source remains selected and the destination is unmodified. When this issue occurs, users receive no indication of the failure, such as an error message or alert with sound."
To resolve the problem, users must obtain and install targeted patches for each affected version: KB5002665 for Excel 2016, Build 10417.20208 for Office LTSC 2019, Build 14334.20918 for Office LTSC 2021, and Build 17932.21000 for Office LTSC 2024.
Temporary workaround for conditional formatting scenarios
Microsoft cautioned that paste operations may continue to fail when workbooks contain conditional formatting rules. For these specific cases, the company recommends using the "Paste Special" function as an interim solution pending a complete fix.
Users can access this feature by selecting "Paste Special" from the "Paste" dropdown menu in the "Home" tab, or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+V. The dialog allows selection of paste modes including Formula, Formula and number formats, Values, Values and number formats, or Paste Link.
This incident follows a pattern of Office-related regressions Microsoft has addressed this year. In June, the company fixed a defect preventing Windows 365 users from downloading the Office suite, and another that blocked Office for the web users from accessing Excel and PowerPoint documents. A month later, Microsoft resolved an issue where third-party applications could not launch Office programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access or open documents on Windows systems.