Copy & Paste not always working - randomly

I can confirm that the issue still exists in 2024. In my case it is ALWAYS when I switch windows too fast (to the destination app) after CTRL+C. It looks like Illustrator needs some time to copy the image and if something interrupts this process (like loosing window focus) it is cancelled. It is also the case in the Illustrator tabs itself - if I switch tab too fast - result is the same as above.

I've been having this problem for years. Briefly, ctrl-c from photoshop and ctrl-v into illustrator most of the time pastes the object most recently pasted but not the one in the clipboard.

All the suggestions that have been posted by others are innane. 

1. No, it's not "something interfering with keyboard shortcuts" problem. The item that has been ctrl+c cut from photoshop does exist in the clipboard and can be pasted into any other application with 100% success (e.g. keynote).

2. No, it's not "something is interfering with the clipboard" problem. This can be demonstrated easily by #1 above.

3. No, it's not "delete your preferences" issue. This does nothing. And also, if this was indeed a solution then why would I settle for it? Now I have to reconstruct my carefully tweaked preferences. Oh, Adobe, it's time to add a "search" in the preferences panel for all your products. They're out of control.

4. No, it's not "reinstall the application" issue.

5. No, it's not "upgrade to the latest version" issue. The problem has been persisting for years across many versions of Illustrator.

6. No, it's not "upgrade to latest OS" issue. See #5 above.

7. No, "hit ctrl-c several times" in Photoshop is not a solution. There is broadly no correlation. 

It's an Illustrator problem. The copied item always pastes successfully into any other application. 100% of the time. 

The issue is some kind of bizarre bug where, depending on the current state of the stack, the problem arises. Many people have said "I did XYZ and it went away", where XYZ is a different thing for each user. This means that XYZ is not a solution but just indirectly changes the app's stack somehow. 

Illustrator code is brittle, buggy and slow. I'm *this* close to switching to Affinity Designer and the only reason I'm not is because I teach Illustrator. Thereby propagating the nightmare.

Adobe needs to put the entire Illustrator dev staff on probation. The amount of bugs I deal with daily keep piling up. Nothing ever gets resolved. EVER!!!! I'm dealing with year 10+ on some of them, but the most annoying hands down is this new copy paste issue as well as the selection tool innacurracies on 4k or with stylus based systems. I ahve to zoom in to 1600% on a rectangle just to be able to move it rather than rotate it or scale it. Sometimes scaling rotates and object and sometimes rotating scales. 

Illustrator feels like freaking surgery these days. It takes minutes to do what should take seconds and those minutes add up. Not to mention how hard it is to find a groove in your workflow when Illustrator is always the number 1 blocker.

The other is this phantom bug that removes Illustrator from focus in windows randomly. You have to go to the toolbar and click illustrator to refocus. Imagine just having to ignore these 3 major bugs multiple times per hour, every day. I have 3+ PCs and all these behaviors happen on all 3 and they are all using different OS, peripherals, etc.

Hello,
I also have this f#ct up problem since im working with Windows 11 ( before working with windows 11 i still used windows 7 till 2022 )

Well sometimes i have to press CTRL + C about 3 seconds and the clipboard appears in the right corner of windows.
After this ''appeared'' i can past the copied item.

So try to press CTRL +C for about 3 seconds, maybe works with you also..

I think its also a Windows 11 or 10 clipboard issue..

AI 2023 and these mf still haven't fix that ENORMOUS issue. WTF Adobe ??? I understand you don't give 2 cents about your customers, since you're a monopoly, but bugging cut/paste functionality is some next level evil thing to do. Last few years this bug has been getting worser and worser...

In the preferences go to the Clipboard handeling and uncheck "include SVG Code". That did it for me.
It is not necessary to delete the preferences or uninstal 3rd party software. It's a proble within Illustrator and Adobe should do something about it. 

I have tried deleting preferences. I have reinstalled AI and deleted all files associated before reinstall. Copy Paste worked fine for a day and now it is doing it again.

 

Any thoughts?

 

By @JosephMr434

Please read the complete thread.

There are third party system extensions that interfere with clipboard functionality. Uninstall it.

Hi! I have the answer.

I am lucky that in my case I use copy paste a lot for drawing everyday so I know exactly when that weird behavior happen.

I uninstall this 3 program to fix the issue,
- chrome remote desktop
- mouse pointer highlighter
- anyViewer

*I installed those program to setup my tablet as secondary monitor, but it doesnt feel good anyway.

Once I uninstalled all of them and restart my Illustrator all working fine. I still don't know what the culprit is, but for my case it must be in one of those program. No virus, just some program(s) that running on the background..

Hi! I have the answer.

I am lucky that in my case I use copy paste a lot for drawing everyday so I know exactly when that weird behavior happen.

I uninstall this 3 program,
- chrome remote desktop
- mouse pointer highlighter
- anyViewer

*I installed those program to setup my tablet as secondary monitor, but it doesnt feel good anyway.

Once I uninstalled all of them and restart my Illustrator all working fine. I still don't know what the culprit is, but for my case it must be in one of those program. No virus, just some program(s) that running on the background..

I had the same problem in Illustrator 2021. I uninstalled Indesign 2022 and the problem was completely resolved. Even though "svg code" is active when I copy, it copies without delay and pastes it every time.