Copy & Paste not always working - randomly

[Shigaugis]

Hi all,

This is a very frustrating bug - around 50% of the times copy & paste won't work. I select an object, press ctrl+C, and then pressing ctrl+V produces nothing as if the clipboard is empty.

I cannot reproduce it as it seems random, sometimes it will copy & paste, sometimes it won't.

This makes working with Illustrator extremely hard.

Might be worth mentioning that copy-pasting from Illustrator into Photoshop resembles the same buggy behavior - it will randomly work or not.

Please advise on how to resolve this.

Cheers

[Monika Gause]

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@tpdccm  schrieb:

You have to use CTRL C for 5 or ten times for the element, even a simple box, or plain text to copy.

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Is it the shortcut that is not working or the copying itself?

Those are 2 different things.

Shortcuts work with modifier keys and modifier keys can be thorn under the bus by third party apps interfering, such as browsers, banking apps, email apps, antivirus or screensharing apps.

[tpdccm]

Sorry but everthing has been explained. Of course the shortcut key works. The whole problem is that within adobe it is not possible to use copy and paste, with short cut key and like i wrote in the dropdown menu. That is what this is about. It has nothing to do with other programs, there everything works like it is supposed to be.

So to be clear. CTRL C works in the default browser for instance or any other program for that matter. But in adobe programs it does not work. You have to click CTRL C 5 to 10 times, and then the paste option in the drop down menu is selectable.

[Monika Gause]

If the shortcut works in your browser, that is fine. But just having your browser open can throw shortcuts in Illustrator under the bus. I am just telling you, mind you. Because it has happened. People are having this issue. And just to be clear: I don't. But my browsers also do not have any plugins installed. 

Anyway: people have reported it in this forum again and again that shortcuts work again after they shut down their browser, their email, their banking software, the Apple Terminal, their screensharing, or whatever it is.

You do not want to try that? Fine. But then troubleshooting will get kind of difficult.

[tpdccm]

Like i wrote before, clean install windows 11 only illustrator, acrobat pro and photoshop installed. And the problem is there. My browsers do not have any pluggins installed. Execept acrobat pro.

Sorry closing all others apps, is not really a solution in a working enviroment. I also use Dreamweaver, which also from time to time has copy issues, not working with a browser active is not really an option.

So many users have problems with this issue not being able to copy. Closing email is also not an option how do you expect to work? When a client mails me with the changes for a file i have illustrator open along side and make the changes. How would you solve this?

I am not saying i do not want to try, have had adobe support look at it more than once. Tried every solution others give. Reinstalled everything closed all apps and still the issue is there. I have a business with deadlines, do you know how long it takes to reinstall a computer? Or even reinstall any adobe program?

To me this is an issue with the adobe software, it only happens with adobe programms. I do not have any fancy software installed or apps. I just use the computer to do my work.

To please you i have, restarted the computer, did not open anything, started illustrator, made a new file, draw a square with the square tool. Select the element, press CTRL C, and no luck. Pressed it a couple of times and then i can select paste from the dropdown menu.

[tpdccm]

Here you can view what happens, this time used the copy link from the dropdown menu

https://www.chumedia.nl/temp/FullSizeRender.MOV

As you can see this time i had to select it twice untill paste becomes selectable.

No other programs open right after restart, started illustrator.

[sferris77]

They changed a lot of the illustrator program files to allow everything like the image I attached. They also did some other things that I couldn't tell you. I wish I had to forethought to record it. However if you ready further up in this feed, a link is posted to contact adobe for help and open up a ticket. They could do the same thing for you.

[HubertusausBerlin]

Hello @Monika Gause + @sferris77 - Many thanks for your further hints and tips!  🤠👍

I've been trying things out for a while now. First tested in safe mode - and indeed, copy, cut & paste worked as it should!

While searching for a problem app, I finally came across my keyboard + its operating app (HP 450 + HP Accessory Centre ).

After removing the keyboard and app and connecting an old Rapoo keyboard, copy/cut and paste finally worked as it should! I was spared the helpful Adobe support. Hooray! Thanks again! 🤩

I'll keep an eye on it and hope it stays that way.

Of course, I don't know if it would be possible - but maybe at some point the Illustrator programmers will find an ingenious way to make Illustrator and its sophisticated clipboard insensitive to troublemakers, just like the other apps? It would save a lot of trouble and time. 🙌

Greetings, Hubertus

[DickWhitman]

One thing I've noticed is that this only happens if I use keyboard shortcuts.

Copy and paste works perfectly fine if I do them from the menu. Which of course is way slower and frustrating in the long run.

Reinstalled the app, deleted the prefs. Didnt help. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @DickWhitman,

I'm sorry to hear that you're still having trouble with Copy/Paste in Illustrator. To better identify the problem, would you mind disabling any plugins or window managers that you have enabled and then launching Illustrator to see if it helps?

If the problem persists, kindly confirm the exact version of the OS/Illustrator so I can better assist you.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[tariqlikeminded]

How is this still an issue in 2025. It's beyond me how these types of issues take years for Adobe to solve

[mordielk]

My most updated Illustrator crashed 100% of the time when copying or cutting. Sometimes it didn't even carry out the command at all. I turned to this page and found one answer below from Monica Gauser.
What remedied the situation immediately was simply going to Edit/Preference/Clipboard and turning off the option "Copy SVG Code". Magic.

[Jason5C88]

Well apparently Adobe doesn't really care how much their products slow people down.  Being that it is now 2025 and the issue still exists should be a clear sign they don't care.  I'm fed up with Illustrator.  I've been dealing with this copy past issue for the last two years now.  IT NEVER used to do this.  More than half the time I need to use it, I have to repeatedly press control C, at least 5 times, over and over again....  then it will finally take.  Sometimes, it just doesn't and I have to play manual games to line stuff up.  I can never paste in place.  It's so stupid.  Other programs dont' do this, EVER.  Been looking for a solution the entire time, and NOTHING.  

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Jason5C88,

Could you share more details, like the version of the OS/Illustrator installed, and if you have any third-party plugins or window managers enabled when using Illustrator, so I can better assist you?

Also, try running Illustrator under Safe Mode (Windows / macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[Andrew38921101qseo]

When you say "It never used to do this", when do you mean? This thread dates back to 2019...

[N Musolino]

I have had this problem regularly for several years, and I search on it regularly. The most recent thing I found suggested it's a Logitech problem via their software. I uninstalled Logi+ and any other Logitech related software (I use a Logitech mouse, but it works fine without the software). That made an immediate differnce. YMMV, but give it a shot folks. It has been driving me bats for years.