Microsoft confirmed an Excel security update can silently break paste. No fix date yet.
Microsoft confirmed copy and paste may silently fail for some Excel users after the September 2026 KB5002914 security update, BleepingComputer reported.
Reports on Reddit and Microsoft's Q&A forums said copy and paste, autofill and formula dragging were failing.
"Although users try to paste content, the source remains selected and the destination is unmodified," Microsoft said in its support document. "When this issue occurs, users receive no indication of the failure, such as a beep or error message."
In a service alert seen by BleepingComputer, Microsoft said the problem comes from a code regression and affects Excel 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016. "We'll provide an estimated timeline for resolution as one becomes available," it said.
Affected users report that uninstalling KB5002914 restores copy and paste, according to BleepingComputer. The same update patched remote code execution and information disclosure flaws, so removing it also removes the protections that update delivered.
What control in your finance process would detect a failed paste before a report is issued?
Sources
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