# Why won't Vista let me copy the browser address? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669 "2009-04-02T01:45:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/1 "2009-04-02T01:45:36Z")
Into the link tool on this board, that is. I tried the edit menu (copy option greyed out) and Ctrl-C, with no joy. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/2 "2009-04-02T02:02:39Z")
You using IE? Right-click the address bar and click Copy on the context menu. IE is stupid and won’t let you use the Edit \> Copy menu to grab the address bar URL. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/3 "2009-04-02T02:03:00Z")
Is it a secure site? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/4 "2009-04-02T16:16:22Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > You using IE? Right-click the address bar and click Copy on the context menu. IE is stupid and won’t let you use the Edit \> Copy menu to grab the address bar URL. Thank you. One more IE glitch to get used to. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/5 "2009-04-02T22:43:19Z")
I am using IE6 and I can highlight the address and use edit-copy although I never do this and rather highlight the address and then click ctrl-C. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/6 "2009-04-03T01:15:55Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I am using IE6 and I can highlight the address and use edit-copy although I never do this and rather highlight the address and then click ctrl-C. I used to do that as well. Apparently IE7 lost that part of its brain. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/7 "2009-04-03T01:44:50Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Thank you. One more IE glitch to get used to. Or ditch it and move to a quality web browser such as Firefox, #1 browser in Europe now. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/8 "2009-04-03T07:06:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I used to do that as well. Apparently IE7 lost that part of its brain. That is one reason I stick with what I have and I have no interest in moving to Vista or anything else. What I have works for me. I have learnt the gltches and the work-arounds for them and I have no interest in learning everything all over again just because someone decided to move everything around and having to learn workarounds for new glitches. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/9 "2009-04-03T15:10:20Z")
Some websites have code that tells your browser not to permit copying of the url. This even affects Firefox. The way to get around it is to bookmark the page, then copy the url from the bookmark. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/10 "2009-04-03T18:01:14Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > That is one reason I stick with what I have and I have no interest in moving to Vista or anything else. What I have works for me. I have learnt the gltches and the work-arounds for them and I have no interest in learning everything all over again just because someone decided to move everything around and having to learn workarounds for new glitches. No thanks. I needed a laptop for our upcoming saga, so had to buy what’s currently offered on PC or struggle with learning Apple. I had no interest in buying someone else’s used problems, blahblahblah, so Vista it is. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/11 "2009-04-03T18:42:04Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I needed a laptop for our upcoming saga, so had to buy what’s currently offered on PC or struggle with learning Apple. I had no interest in buying someone else’s used problems, blahblahblah, so Vista it is. I can understand the problem. I am currently looking at buying a couple of laptops and I am looking at buying Dell which still offers Vista with downgrade to XP for $100 extra. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vista-let-me-copy-the-browser-address/491669/12 "2009-04-03T19:45:16Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I can understand the problem. I am currently looking at buying a couple of laptops and I am looking at buying Dell which still offers Vista with downgrade to XP for $100 extra. :rolleyes: I have personal animus against Dell after being saddled with them for years in the workplace, so I didn’t even look at them. There was one highly-rated laptop that offered XP, but the cost was up in the $2500-$3000 range. I figured for half that, this Lenovo T-61 was just fine, even with Vista.