# Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V No longer working. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203 "2013-11-18T20:58:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/1 "2013-11-18T20:58:23Z")
I just upgraded to Windows 8.1. Since then I have noticed that Ctrl+C (copy) and Ctrl+V (paste) are no longer working. ☹ I have tried googling the problem, got frustrated and gave up. Help!! ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/2 "2013-11-18T21:00:52Z")
Do they not work in MS Word or anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/3 "2013-11-18T21:11:47Z")
I don’t have Word. I am trying to C&P some text on a message board. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/4 "2013-11-18T22:03:25Z")
What browser are you using? Does this happen in all browsers? Does it happen in Word or another word processing program? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/5 "2013-11-18T22:09:03Z")
Have you tried shutting down and restarting Windows? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/6 "2013-11-18T22:14:13Z")
Try some simple cut and paste in WordPad or Notepad. By the way… > [@Honey](#): > > I just upgraded to Windows 8.1. Since then I **[…]** got frustrated and gave up. …we understand completely. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/7 "2013-11-18T22:15:54Z")
I am using IE 11. My laptop has been restarted several times. I have no word processing apps installed. It was fine before I upgraded to Windows 8.1. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/8 "2013-11-18T22:20:25Z")
Maybe on your keyboard you need to use the other CTRL key. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/9 "2013-11-18T22:40:05Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Try some simple cut and paste in WordPad or Notepad. > By the way… > …we understand completely. 😃 I opened Wordpad and C&P worked fine. Then I tried it with text on this board, and it works!!! I could kiss you. 😃 How did that fix it? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/10 "2013-11-18T22:45:11Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > I opened Wordpad and C&P worked fine. Then I tried it with text on this board, and it works!!! I could kiss you. 😃 Oh, my. 🆒 > [@](#): > > How did that fix it? Who knows. It’s Windows. Windows 8. I suggested it just to isolate the problem but it sounds like you woke the right demon. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/11 "2013-11-18T22:48:51Z")
Thanks to all who tried to help. You guys are the best. Mods, you can close this now. If you like. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/12 "2013-11-19T00:52:05Z")
Let us know if you have to C&P in WordPad every time you reboot your computer, to get it to work elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ctrl-c-and-ctrl-v-no-longer-working/674203/13 "2013-11-19T01:23:13Z")
Well, it seems the problem is solved, but I was going to say: > [@](#): > > Have you tried turning it off, and then on again? \ 🙂 Seriously. I was having a similar problem with copy and paste on my Windows 7 laptop a few weeks ago. (Maybe not quite the same as it only seemed to have a problem copying from Firefox, and it would occasionally work OK, but not most times.) A regular Cntrl-Shift-Esc reboot did _not_ fix it, and I was contemplating appealing for help here, but, rather to my surprise, when I had to turn the computer completely off, for an unrelated reason, and then restarted it, the problem went away.