Skip to main content
SuzzyFlamingo
SuzzyFlamingo
Inspiring
May 28, 2025
Answered

Yikes!! Cannot copy and paste from ID to Word

  • May 28, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 547 views

Tried everything - I just want to copy/cut and paste text. I keep getting this (see attached) running Office 365. 

 

This is the worst nightmare because we know Adobe will blame MSOFT and MSoft will blame Adobe, and I am stuck.

 

If I try to export the file to RTF it just exports the first text frame....:(

 

Any ideas?

 

SF

Correct answer SuzzyFlamingo

I just realized that I cannot copy and paste from anywhere to anywhere in Windows. 

Restarted and now everything is working.

Thank You for your attention

2 replies

T
Thomas35240735ubv3
Participant
June 19, 2025

Same problem on Mac OS from ID 2025 to MS Word. Unacceptable. And the "fix" offered to export to PDF is also a laugh. 

Can someone at Adobe explain why this is happening? Until InDesign incorporates the text management tools that Word/Excel enable — notably sorting, but there are a few others like text-to-columns and the ability to select down a column to eliminate indents and other leading and trailing content — it is egregious user abuse.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 20, 2025

You don't export the PDF, you export to RTF. That's just a slightly modified version of a Word document. 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
T
Thomas35240735ubv3
Participant
June 20, 2025

Thanks, Dave, But exporting at all is essentially a violation of the whole idea of apples, universal clipboard. I don't understand why Adobe is suddenly not supporting that.

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 28, 2025

Nobody blaming anyone - probably due to an incompatible text setting.

 

Try copying a smaller chunk and see if that pastes ok - then try the next chunk of text and keep trying to see where it's failing. 

 

Hard to know without much informaiton on what is being copy/cut/paste etc. 

 

You can always Export to PDF - then save from Acrobat as a Word Document. 

 

But copying and pasting into Word shouldn't be an issue. 

 

 

What version of INdesign?
What Operating System and version number please? 

 

 

    SuzzyFlamingo
    SuzzyFlamingoAuthorCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    May 28, 2025

    I just realized that I cannot copy and paste from anywhere to anywhere in Windows. 

    Restarted and now everything is working.

    Thank You for your attention

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices