Illustrator CS6 clipboard doesn't paste text from other programs, stays 'frozen.'

[Randall B Miller]

Lion Mac Tryout version: After using Illustrator CS6 copy and paste a couple times (just after you start it up), I cannot change the clipboard.

I cannot paste common text in from anywhere. It just pastes again the text from the last time the clipboard worked. I have to restart Illustrator CS6 to get a couple more correct clipboard uses before it repeats the same paste over and over despite what I just copied externally.

I'm having to still use Illustrator CS5.5 because of this. And wonder if updating to the Cloud version will turn off my access to Illustrator CS5.5. Help!

I think I won't be able to upgrade for real if this keeps happening.

[scoop_hk]

...

And missing something that perhaps I was not clear about. I was able to paste photoshop and mail.app text into lllustrator without the type tool before copying the vector object in illustrator. Same for images - copying the vector object is what throws everything off.

[LOUIS FISHAUF]

I think I may have solved the copy+paste problem (for me anyway - solution probably doesn't apply to everyone).

I suspected that one of my login items was the cause. I confirmed this by logging in to a different user account and trying to reproduce the problem in Illustrator (I couldn't).

I then used the technique outlined in the troubleshooting link that Wade posted.

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/troubleshoot-unexpected-behavior-user-account.html

When I logged in to my account with all login items turned off, Illustrator worked as advertised.

I deleted a login item "Butler.app", logged out and back in again, and so far Illustrator seems to be working ok.I was lucky that the first item I deleted turned out to be the culprit, and I didn't have to go through the process multiple times. So if you've got Butler as a login item, delete it. If you don't, then it's something else that's causing your problem.

[scoop_hk]

Interesting - was jut thinking of going in and shutting growl off as a start up.

S

......................................

Sharon Cooper

Creative Art Link

Creative Art Mix Limited

www.creativeartlink.com

[rjenk]

In consideration of LOUIS FISHAUF's experience, I too tried the suggestion of Logging in with the Shift key held down. That solves the problem.  As does creating a New User.  But here's the strange part.  If I open the System Preferences, go to Users & Groups, click Login Items, delete out ALL the Login items, then Log-out and Log back in without the Shift key held down, the problem returns!  So the question then becomes, what other than "Login items" is the Shift key disabling when we log into OS X?

And why in the world didn't this happen under Illustrator 5.5 or 5.0 or previous versions?  (In my mind, that makes the current quirk a "bug" indeed.)

Thanks.

[scoop_hk]

Weird tho - just spent the whole afternoon with a client working in Illustrator copying and pasting away from one Illustrator document to another without a problem…. haven't changed a thing … except no external copy & pastes while working in ai.

[Guest]

Wade_Zimmerman wrote:

On my Mac it does not happen.

You, sir, are one piece of work.

By the time you wrote this useless comment everyone lost interest in what's going on on your Mac and no-one cares if it happens to you or not!

I just started experiencing this problem myself and googled it. I came straight here to find answers, but all I found was a thread wasted on a useless arguement!

Virtually every person here except you has been having problems and instead of getting out of their way to an understanding of what triggers the issue, you kept insisting.

For your knowledge I'm using XP, and for some reason on a completely different OS I have been dealing with exactly the same issue and was triggered exactly like was described in the last comments of this thread. No clipboard manager and Arial is hardly a weird font! My PC is clean especially when I'm working with Illustrator. I made sure I marked all of your answers as "Not helpful". This is not some public avrege forum where you can just pickup arguements with users. By the time I finished reading this thread I was so upset, I couldn't help my self but writing this reply. Don't bother responding because you'll be completely ignored by me.

rmdtulsa wrote:

I'm the person that first wrote this post. I wrote this based on the 1-month preview copy. I have since upgraded to the Cloud subscription version.

Unfortunately it still does it.

Louis is correct. The behavior is as he described. Everything  from other programs going into Illustarator is fine, but once you copy and paste from within Illustrator, the outside world is ignored (clipboard wise).

I've also had instances where the Illustrator clipboard is stuck (hence the "frozen" in my post subject). Once it becomes something, it stays that way, no matter how you copy new items in Illustrator. I don't know what initiates that behaiour yet.

Louis, I'd like to compare my "Activity Monitor" Process Name list with yours (you sound like a reasonable person!). If you want to send me yours (screen grab or whatever), maybe I can find what we have in common.

It may not be a clipboard related program. It may just be something obscure we both share. I'm at randy918@gmail.com.

Thank you! (and thank God I can still use Illustrator 5.5!)

I love the dark interface so much of Illustrator 6! (Why is it missing in Indesign? Stupid!) But I haven't had a chance to see what else it has, since it's so crippled, and Adobe apparantly is blaming us, so not their problem!

Any luck yet? Updates on the issue? Is it still persisting? I'm on XP and this is going on on my PC exactly the same way.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

You should read it a little more carefully and you will fine the answer.

Those who you say did not care what I said found out that I was correct.

[DocPixel-BMW]

Yup. You were correct. In that Illustrator does NOT play well with many other programs and utilities that people find useful. Many of said utilities that work perfectly fine with other programs from Adobe.

So quite obviously, the program that DOESN'T work well, should be that which is thrown out or fixed, wouldn't you say?

Uh... sorry..." Oh Exhalted, Bazzillion-post, Super-Ilustrator-User Mister Wade Zimmermann.... Sir!"

You're my hero! /s

[Randall B Miller]

I originated this message awhile ago. My solution has been to stay with

Illustrator 5. While I miss the dark interface, most of those I work with

haven't upgraded to 6 either and still prefer files from 5. Maybe it will

be fixed in CS7 or sooner. Randy

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

So quite obviously, the program that DOESN'T work well, should be that which is thrown out or fixed, wouldn't you say?

No!

I'll try to explain. This is caused by some utilities that are not original to your system and laters your system and the way it functions as well as how it works with other applications.

If the developers of these application did not follow the guide lines of the SDK, which is lkikely what they did, then it will interfere with other applications thyt do follow the SDK and therefore they are required to fix it. But it goes further than that, yoou see Adobe is responsible to make its applications work with your system as it was designed to work once your sytem is altered in such a way as one of these utilties might do then Adobe is no longer able to do anything about it ince the software that alters the system is owned by another developer. Adobe would have to alter the system as well in order to make this software work, which of course theu=y are not entitled to do since they have no ownership and their shareholders would be un happy if A dobe spent money fixing the problems caused by other developers and so would management and of course the users would wonder as well why not spend the resources fixing Illustrator bugs instead of bugs by other developers.

Now you may want it to be Adobe's fault and you seem to think you have a good argument but clearly it does not address he problem you have a software installed that is conflicting and if the users of this software do not report it to the developer thant it will not be fixed aand they sre the only ones tht can fix it. There is no way Adobe can fix it.

Let me explain further You can also decided which is more valuable to you Illustrator or the utility software, if it is the Utility software then I guess you would then not use Illustrator and if it is Illustrtor then you will remove the ultility softwware.

Now the OP  decied they would not upgrade Illustrator until this problem was solved so they will be keeping the utility and CS 5 and not CS 6.

And they will wait till CS 7 comes out and if the utility still conflicts with CS 7 they will I assume not update but other users on this thread made a different choice.

So it is actualy your choice.

BTW if you want to file this as a bug you can do so here:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

If you think it is a bug and you think Adobe is responsible for fixing it this is the portal to the team.

It is rare that an issue is taken seriously without someone filing a report.

[LOUIS FISHAUF]

The easiest way to determine if some other software is causing the problem is to create a new user account, log in as that user, start AI CS6, and see if you have the same problem. If you don't, that means that some startup item in your main user account is causing the problem. You'll then have to isolate startup items one by one till you find the culprit.

This procedure worked for me (my problem was an app called Butler).

Hope it works for you as well.

[anythingwilldo]

I removed a preference pane for Control! and the illustrator issue went away, sadly I got a new one in After Effects:

I can't use any shortcut that has the letter C in it, for example, I can't copy, precompose or create a camera.

Anyone else experiencing this?

[DocPixel-BMW]

If the developers of these application did not follow the guide lines of the SDK, which is lkikely what they did, then it will interfere with other applications thyt do follow the SDK and therefore they are required to fix it.

So what you're saying is that Adobe doesn't follow their SDK guidelines for: CS6 Photoshop, InDesign, Fireworks, etc. ... as well as Illustrator 5.5 was developed outside of the guide lines and SDK? Seriously?

Now you may want it to be Adobe's fault and you seem to think you have a good argument but clearly it does not address he problem you have a software installed that is conflicting and if the users of this software do not report it to the developer thant it will not be fixed aand they sre the only ones tht can fix it. There is no way Adobe can fix it.

Let me get this straight: we are supposed to write to the developers of the utilities because: while it works with every single other program on earth, as well as all previous versions of Illustrator, it NOW does NOT work with Illustrator CS6... they need to fix their software. That's your advice?

I'm afraid to humbly ask, but make a wild guess: what do you think the answer from that developer might be?

So it is actualy your choice.

About the only smart comment you made in this post.

BTW if you want to file this as a bug you can do so here:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

If you think it is a bug and you think Adobe is responsible for fixing it this is the portal to the team.

It is rare that an issue is taken seriously without someone filing a report.

Even though I must agree with you, and it is not your fault for stating an unpleasant fact of these forums at Adobe, you sound like a bureaucrat in doing so, and seem to be very proud of that. FYI: most people absolutely abhor bureaucrats and their attenuating "diarrhea of the brain" aka BS. That is unless they are family, friends, and/or loved ones. Even then, it's trying sometimes.

It is this bureaucratic-BS, anti-social, know-it-all attitude, in general considered "being rude"... that I among others, find unacceptable.

Maybe you need a vacation from the drudgery that being a volunteer trouble-shooter entails. I've noticed you've been getting worse lately.

So consider taking a break, if not only from the rudeness part.

Besides, you deserve it... because hey: your World Record Adobe Forum Point total will be intact for months! Believe me

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Interesting!

Also funny I might actually have totake a long break from the Forum, it would be really good luck for me if it happens.

[plan9]

BINGO!

[Steve Fairbairn]

A trick worth trying is to clear your clipboard by copying, say, a letter from a file name on your desktop.

Then go to your text source file and Copy.

Back to Illie, drag a rectangle with the Type tool and Paste.

[sev_creable]

RESOLVED (at least for me, hope so for you guys as well)

Is anyone using LaunchBar? (I can't use a mac without it, and it runs on all our machines as a login item, hidden, and dockless so it feels fully integrated as part of mac os)

I'm guessing others might be using it as well since it's very popular Launch [also i highly recommend integrating it into your workflow if you haven't tried it)

I installed the Illustrator trial on this workstation at our studio and had the same problem, ran Adobe updates, and still the problem persisted -> no paste from outside illustrator.

I had a hunch based on the feedback in the discussion, that quitting LaunchBar might resolve it. And it worked.

If you still want LaunchBar running, it seems you can launch it after Illustrator is open, and all works as usual.

Now I can paste from other software!!

I suspect, disabling LaunchBar's Clipboard History feature may also resolve this (unless you use this feature… in that case, use the above workaround)

I'll try that later, but I wanted to share this as it was a major dealbreaker to upgrade otherwise. Hope this helps.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

I hope I have helped some of you find a direction in which to resolve your problem.

I think it will become a resolved issue once the developers of the product(s) that are having an effect of this function ae notified so they can fix it on their end.

[sev_creable]

Nope… False alarm, but I did find a workaround…

I thought the LaunchBar thing fixed it. But I guess it was a fluke? Had to restart, and I tried it again - it failed. Can't seem to replicate.

Although I think someone else commented that pasting works fine until they copy a vector shape in Illustrator, which seems to hog the clipboard and hang on, inside illustrator…

I think this is what maybe caused the illusion of a fix before. Have you received the message when quitting Illustrator asking if you'd like to clear the clipboard? What's that about? Sounds suspiscious…

WORKAROUND

However, I did find something that does work, regardless of all these things. DO NOT paste Rich Text. Illustrator refuses to accept it.

Paste text into a simple text editor paste before copying and pasting into Illustrator (such as TextEdit on a Mac: set to Plain Text mode in its preferences).

It seems to flawlessly paste in and out of Illustrator CS6 to a simple text editor.

I tested a rich text document side by side to a plain text document both open in TextEdit at the same time. Where copy/pasting both to and from the rich text document to Illustartor CS6 failed, the same actions work fine in a plain text document.

Please report if this works for other people.

Though this is still a workaround–Adobe, please fix this. It's ridiculous. Often a client sends copy in an email, or a document with rich text… Why can't illustrator just ignore the rich text formatting like it used to… and play nice.

[sev_creable]

Well, maybe I was right, maybe it was LaunchBar after all… I'm still wary that there is more than just one problem. At any rate. Thanks to Wade as well, his comment made me look into LaunchBar's settings, as I had vaguely recalled seeing something about it once before in the LaunchBar prefs. If this helps for now, then great. There's no way I'm losing Launchbar from the workflow, just because CS6 Illustrator is throwing a tiff…

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Well you kow I am not really so amused by your interpretation of the problem as much as it is a reminder to my own problems in the past when I first purchase my first Mac.

Never owning my own personal computer before I was a little naive and kind of thought everything was going to be perfect and work smoothly. And everything did especially when I loaded Illustrator 8

disabled the Apple software. And then i found these great utilitities that really help me a lot including applications like launchbar.

But everytime they fixed a problem they create three others and i started to turn things on and off at Adobe's suggestion and found I could locate the issues. But then I found though most of the developers where really gald to have the issues pointed out to them, some would deny the obvious truth and I had to send my concerns to them thre e or four times before i would get the e-mail back stating, oh yes thsank you we  were able to reproduce the problem. We will have fix  shortly and most times they would fix the problem. But some of these developers are really not concerned about the fact that tthey are hindering their customers workflow and would  not really bother to fix the issue. Their only concern was the money they could get and the cost to them to fix the issue. And so they are out of business and someone more resonsive has com along.

Having said that I have a utility that i use and can recommend that might be helpful.

It is aclled DragThing

You can use it as a launcher from the desktop, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to launch applications and scripts. you can copy text to the the drawers as well as art and then paste it at a later date even after you restart your computer it is not copied to the clipboard.

You can save urls links folders and it is a very cool utility I have never encountered a conflict with using it for over a decade.

You can arrange drawers for applicatioins and for folder and art and for text you can make sets of draws.

it folds int ot he side of the screen out of sight until you need it. But I like that fact that I can launch any application with a keyboard shortcut the most.

It is an old time favorite, they claim over the yr=ears that there have been a few conflicts about four I think in all the time I have been using it but it never effected my work. maybe they did, it seems to only work on a Mac.

They have never asked me for an update fee.

Perhaps it is time to look for something similar for Windows or ask them to develope it for Windows and offer to test it for them.

[rjenk]

Mr. Zimmerman, it appears you laugh frequently in these forums with your post-rate exceeding 7 posts per day, 365 days of the year, since you first registered here in April 2009.  I'm not sure if I could come up with that many posts in a single forum if I tried if I had diarrhea of the mouth.  Goodness gracious!

Fact is I've used LaunchBar for years and never knew about it's Clipboard Management features.  So under that knowledge I was right in thinking I did not have a "dedicated Clipboard manager."  But regardless of the fact that unticking the setting in LaunchBar fixes the problem, the fact remains that this problem does not happen under any previous version of Illustrator, from 5.5 downward.  I had LaunchBar up and running with all those previous versions, so I know this first-hand.  Therefore, this is definitely a bug in Illustrator CS6.  No manner of laughing should be allowed to deride from that important point.

Now I just have to contend with the other Illustrator CS6 bug -- Print Dialog "Default Settings" in Illustrator are not their normal "Defaults" anymore (Print Dialog > Setup...).  If it's not one bug, it's another.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Hmm you think that helping one or two people who are having an issue or require other users opinions and experiences is osme how a bad thing.

Kind of a strange attitude.

But I do agree with you rjenk you probably do not have that much to actualy say. Without of course experienceing some rather unpleasant health issues.

Although thank you for stinking it out with us even though we didn't think you were right and perhaps wrote some kind of angry responses might be something one dy you will be able to say.

[rjenk]

A thousand thanks to sev.creable!  After unticking "Enable Clipboard History" in the LaunchBar Preferences and after restarting Illustrator CS6, the Copy/Paste problem vanished.

Copying rich text from TextEdit and subsequently Pasting into Illustrator CS6 results in plain text.  But Copying rich text from Photoshop CS6 and subsequently Pasting into Illustrator CS6 pastes in styled text.

Although I am pleased by this turn of events, I need to test it for several days to ensure it doesn't come back.  But so far so good.

Furthermore, this problem does not happen in any previous version of Illustrator, from 5.5 down.  That pretty much shows it is a bug in Illustrator CS6, rather than a bug in LaunchBar.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

rjenk wrote:

A thousand thanks to sev.creable!  After unticking "Enable Clipboard History" in the LaunchBar Preferences and after restarting Illustrator CS6, the Copy/Paste problem vanished.

Copying rich text from TextEdit and subsequently Pasting into Illustrator CS6 results in plain text.  But Copying rich text from Photoshop CS6 and subsequently Pasting into Illustrator CS6 pastes in styled text.

Although I am pleased by this turn of events, I need to test it for several days to ensure it doesn't come back.  But so far so good.

Furthermore, this problem does not happen in any previous version of Illustrator, from 5.5 down.  That pretty much shows it is a bug in Illustrator CS6, rather than a bug in LaunchBar.

LOL!

This is classic, no onbe had any software that had anything to do the the clipboard>

I tell you it is Classic!

Definitely Rocket Science!

You guys gave me a real laugh!