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LinnéaSweden
Inspiring
July 20, 2021
Answered

Unable to copy and paste in InDesign

  • July 20, 2021
  • 6 replies
  • 9855 views

I have been working with a project in Indesign all day but the last few hours the copy/paste-function doesn´t work at all. I can´t copy text or pictures within the project or from Word. The copy/paste function seems gone. What has happened?

 

 

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Correct answer LinnéaSweden

It seems like everything is working correctly when I updated to the latest version of Indesign!

6 replies

C
carla27733456iydi
Participating Frequently
December 28, 2022

I hope this saves every one a headache. I resolved this issue by going to Indesign preferences, under general and then to clipboard handling. You make sure that both boxes of "prefer PDF when pasting" and "copy PDF to clipboard" then select OK. That should solve it immediately. 

    Lukas Engqvist
    Community Expert
    Lukas EngqvistCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 4, 2021

    Please be careful about copy/pasting images from word. Pasting other content than text from indesign can be a tricky part. If you place a word file images can be brought in as  embedded inline graphics. If you paste an image from word or the clipboard you may end up with an image that is embedded but does not appear in your links dialog box. These kind of images can cause crashing or failure to print, and are not visible to InDesign preflight. It is better to extract these images as files and place them in InDesign. If you want them embedded then do so from the links panel after having placed them rather than pasted. 

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 20, 2021

    Hi Lynn,

    I'm on Windows 10 with my German InDesign 2021 version 16.3.0.24.

    Just did some tests with copy/paste from PowerPoint to InDesign.

    For now I cannot see an issue. Could you share a sample PowerPoint file where you see the issue?

    Just put in on Dropbox or a similar service and post the link.

     

    Thanks,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 20, 2021

    Have you tried restarting InDesign?

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
    L
    Lynn5FDD
    Participant
    July 20, 2021

    Yes. One of my colleagues isn't experiencing this problem and she has not accepted the latest InDesign update. Can you investigate if that could be the cause?

    Thank you!

    L
    LinnéaSwedenAuthor
    Inspiring
    July 22, 2021

    It seems like everything is working correctly when I updated to the latest version of Indesign!

      Geоrge
      Geоrge
      Legend
      July 20, 2021

      Some offtop here -

      I don't like any copy/paste things from word. Did you ever try to place word file? (CTRL+D). 

       

      And some tips about - https://creativepro.com/retaining-important-formatting-when-importing-word-documents/

      Remember, never say you can't do something in InDesign, it's always just a question of finding the right workaround to get the job done. © David Blatner
      Anshul_Saini
      Community Manager
      Anshul_SainiCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      July 20, 2021

      Hi there,

       

      Sorry about the inconvenience. Could you please share a few more details like:

      • Which OS and InDesign is this?
      • Is the issue happening while working on a specific document? If yes, could you please share the document with us? You can upload it to the Creative Cloud (https://helpx.adobe.com/in/creative-cloud/help/share.html) and share the download link.
      • When did this start happening? Are there any recent changes made to your system? For example, any antivirus, system updates, or web extensions installed recently.

       

      Also, you may try running the app in safe mode (https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/start-safe-boot-mode-mac.html) and see how it works there.

       

      Looking forward to your response.

       

      Thanks & Regards,

      Anshul Saini

        L
        Lynn5FDD
        Participant
        July 20, 2021

        I'd  like to add that we have recently encounted Copy/Paste issues since the last InDesing update. We are using Windows and copy from PowerPoint. The Title in the attached example pasted over with a large space between the year and the parenthesis. The source doesn't have the space. Once an image in InDesign, we can't correct. This was not a problem prior to the recent update.  Please advise. 

         

        Thank you,

         

        Lynn

        Anshul_Saini
        Community Manager
        Anshul_SainiCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        July 30, 2021

        Hi there,

         

        Sorry about the trouble and delayed response. Are you still facing this issue? If yes, I would request you to share a few more details:

        • Exact OS and version of InDesign
        • Is the issue happening with specific PowerPoint and InDesign documents? If yes, could you please share both documents with us? You can upload it to the Creative Cloud (https://helpx.adobe.com/in/creative-cloud/help/share.html) and share the download link here or via DM.
        • Where are you saving the files (Network Drive/ System HDD/ Shared Folder on System/ External HDD)?
        • Please check if there aren't any hidden characters included in the Powerpoint file. Then, try copy-pasting it in any other apps such as Adobe Photoshop/ Illustrator) or Microsoft Word/Excel, and see if the same thing is happening there as well.

         

        Kindly update the discussion if you still need assistance with it. We'd be happy to help.

         

        Thanks & Regards,
        Anshul Saini

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