The strange thing is that the copy still works for me, but I have to keep clicking OK to remove the error message. After some read and playing around on my own, I’ve learned that this error can happen for all kinds of wacky reasons and so there are a number of things you can try to rectify the situation.
cannot empty the clipboard
For the most part, you’ll see this error in Microsoft Excel and Word, especially when you are trying to copy cells in Excel. Here are some fixes to try:
Method 1:
Sometimes in Excel you can get this error if a cell has been copied and you try to copy another cell. You can try to press the ESC key to deselect the copied cell and then try to copy again.
This method might let you copy, but you may still get the error message on the next attempt to copy. It’s not a permanent fix.
Method 2:
Another thing you can try is to open the clipboard in Windows and leave it open. Somehow doing this can help get rid of the error. It’s not a great solution, but these are the strange things you have to do in Windows!
You can open the Clipboard by going to Start, Run and typing in clipbrd.exe. You can also go to your Windows\System32 directory and double-click on clipbrd.exe.
clipbook viewer
Method 3:
If you’ve been using Remote Desktop, you may get the cannot copy to clipboard error because Remote Desktop uses the clipboard and it can cause weird issues with Excel.
Go to Task Manager and then click on the Processes tab and kill the process called rdpclip.exe and see if that fixes your problem! If you have UltraVNC installed, it may also be the culprit! Any kind of remote desktop software could be causing the issue, so make sure to check to see if you have the problem when one of those programs are running.
Method 4:
Go to Excel, click on Tools, then Options, and go to the Calculation tab.
excel automatic calculation
Make sure that Automatic is selected from the three options. Also, try rebooting your machine.
Method 5:
If you have a program like GetRight or Flashget installed on your computer, you will have to go in and uncheck the option for “Monitor the clipboard”. Any other program that may try to use the Windows Clipboard could be causing the problem, so uninstall any third party software that you know uses the clipboard.
Method 6:
Clear the office clipboard by going to Edit and choosing Office Clipboard. This will only work for Office XP and 2003. Now go ahead and click Clear All to clear the office clipboard completely.
clear all office clipboard
Also, at the bottom of the screen, you should see an Options button. Click on that and select the “Collect without showing office clipboard” option.
Method 7:
Microsoft has written about this error in their KB and they have a hotfix for it, but it may or may not work for you. It’s only for Windows Server 2003 and it has to do with Terminal Services.
You can download the hotfix here: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=840872.
That’s all the solutions I could find for not being able to empty the clipboard! If you have another solution that has worked for you, post a comment here! Good luck!