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Ctrl-C Copy causes Office apps to freeze 30-60 seconds (first time only)

Problem driving me nuts: when I open Excel, Word, or Outlook 2019, the first time I use Ctrl-C to copy anything, the application freezes for 30-60 seconds.  Subsequent copies/pastes are fine after this.

I've tried repairing the Office installation, tried looking for and disabling add-ins that may be problematic, and the problem ALSO occurs when I open these apps in safe mode.

It also appears it only happens when I have "Save multiple items" set to Yes in Windows 10 Clipboard Settings.  Turning the setting off seems to resolve the problem, but this feature is so useful in my work that I am not willing to disable it.

This is a persistent, recurring, and entirely reproducible problem.  Any suggestions for how to troubleshoot and resolve this?

Hi severtki, hope you're doing well. I’m Ian, an Independent Advisor and Microsoft user like you.
I'm sorry to hear about this issue.

This is quite strange and also CTRL C is a Windows functionality.
May you try to open a Notepad and check if the issue occurs?

As a workaround for Office apps, Go to File > Options then select Advanced.
Under "Cut, copy, and paste" section, uncheck the "Show Paste Options button when content is pasted" and "Show Insert Options buttons"

This is a user-to-user support forum and I am a fellow user.
I hope this helps, but please let me know if you need anything else.

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The problem does not occur in non-Office applications.  It does not occur in Notepad.

I unchecked "Show Paste Options button when content is pasted" option but do not have an option for "Show Insert Options buttons" visible in that area of settings in Office 2019.  There was no effect when I unchecked the option.  Pasting does not trigger the freeze in the way that Copy does.  Using the toolbar icon "Copy" does have the same effect as Ctrl-C (it freezes).

Is there any way to troubleshoot what the hold-up is?  I do not see high CPU % levels or app activity in the Task Manager during the freeze.  Seems to be some inter-process communication, but I can't tell where.

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I see. Since you've done already most of the troubleshooting on your side like repair, reinstallation and add in disabling, the only thing we can check is the Windows itself.

Please try to log in as a different user on that pc, see if problem persist.
If yes, try to create a new profile and check again.

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Maybe you could use the Office Clipboard in Word (see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/copy-and-paste-using-the-office-clipboard-714a72af-1ad4-450f-8708-c2931e73ec8a). It should work (within Office) the same way as the Windows 10 Clipboard History.
Stefan Blom
MS 365 Word MVP since 2005
Volunteer Moderator
MS 365, Win 11 Pro
~~~
Note that I do not work for Microsoft
https://mvp.microsoft.com/
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Please specify Word version & OS in your question

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Last updated January 13, 2025 Views 4,343 Applies to: