A code regression in the September 2026 KB5002914 security update has disabled copy-and-paste operations for Excel users across multiple versions. Microsoft confirmed the problem after users reported failures on the Q&A forums and Reddit, with the issue also affecting autofill and formula dragging capabilities.

According to Microsoft, "Although users try to paste content, the source remains selected and the destination is unmodified." The company noted that "When this issue occurs, users receive no indication of the failure, such as a beep or error message."

The problem impacts Excel Online and Excel 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016. However, Microsoft's remediation effort has been limited in scope: update KB5002655 addresses the bug only for Excel 2016 users running the Microsoft Installer (.msi)-based edition of Office 2016, leaving Click-to-Run versions like Microsoft Office 365 Home unaffected by the fix.

When asked about the fix, Microsoft stated: "This update fixes the known issue in KB5002914 that causes certain paste operations to fail silently." The company also acknowledged potential side effects, saying "We are aware of some user scenarios impacted by conditional formatting and recommend customers follow our guidance."

Workarounds for affected users

Until a comprehensive solution reaches all affected versions, Microsoft recommends using the "Paste Special" option. Users should access this feature through the "Paste" drop-down in the "Home" tab or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+V, then select from available paste modes: Formula, Formula and number formats, Values, Values and number formats, or Paste Link.

Some affected users have discovered that uninstalling KB5002914 restores paste functionality. However, this approach carries significant security implications: removing the update also eliminates patches for multiple remote code execution and information disclosure vulnerabilities.

To uninstall the update, open Command Prompt with administrator privileges and run the appropriate command for your Office version:

Office 2016:
"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE16\Oarpmany.exe" /removereleaseinpatch "{90160000-0012-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}" "{27882596-A8ED-4382-9C71-6CD2DD19F732}" "1033" "0"

Office 2019:
"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.10417.20197

Office 2021 & 2024:
"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.20326.20132

Pattern of recent Office issues

This incident reflects a broader pattern of functionality problems in recent months. In June, Microsoft resolved an issue preventing Windows 365 users from downloading and installing Office. The following month brought a fix for a problem that blocked Office for the web users from accessing Excel and PowerPoint files. Additionally, Microsoft addressed a separate bug that prevented third-party applications from launching Office apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access or opening documents on current Windows systems.