A recent security update for Microsoft Office is currently causing major disruptions to everyday office work. Following the installation of update KB5002914 from September 8, 2026, Microsoft Excel frequently refuses to copy and paste cell contents.
Silent Failures Without Error Messages
The update was released as part of the regular September Patch Tuesday, which addressed nearly 1,000 security vulnerabilities across the Microsoft ecosystem—including 29 flaws in Excel itself. Following previous security cycles, such as the Microsoft-Patchday mit Hunderten behobenen Lücken, administrators already faced substantial validation workloads. Following the latest update, copy operations in the spreadsheet application often fail silently: after pressing Ctrl+C and attempting to paste, the target cell remains empty or retains its previous value. No warning or error message appears; only the familiar border around the source cell remains visible.
The issue occurs across deployment types. Both traditional MSI installations and modern Click-to-Run deployments of Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024 are affected. Furthermore, users report failures of the autofill handle when dragging formulas, blocked copy actions for entire worksheets, crashes with error code 0xc0000005, and failing VBA macros in Office LTSC 2021. Microsoft has not yet officially confirmed these additional issues.
Microsoft Confirms Bug – No Patch Yet
Microsoft officially acknowledged the clipboard bug in its list of known issues on September 10, 2026. While the company is investigating the cause, it has not yet provided a release date for a fix. Affected users are advised to carefully check spreadsheet data and calculation results manually for now.
An out-of-band update released out of schedule on September 14, 2026, for Windows 11 and Windows Server did not provide relief. This emergency patch only addressed issues with Hyper-V shares, Remote Desktop connections, and USB audio drivers, alongside a vulnerability in the User-Mode Power Service (CVE-2026-62721). The Excel malfunction was not addressed in this release.
Practical Tips and Workarounds for Affected Users
Until Microsoft delivers a resolved build, users and administrators must rely on workarounds:
- Uninstall the update: The most reliable solution is removing cumulative update KB5002914 via the Windows Control Panel or rolling back the Office installation to an earlier build.
- Cut instead of copy: Moving content by cutting (Ctrl+X) and pasting often works, provided the source data is no longer needed afterward.
- Paste Special options: Using the “Paste Special” menu sometimes allows values or formulas to be transferred successfully.
- Restart: In some instances, restarting Excel or the entire system temporarily restores clipboard functionality.
Users are cautioned against risky interventions: manually replacing the excel.exe executable carries a significant risk of file corruption and should be avoided. Administrators in enterprise environments should pause the rollout of KB5002914 until an official fix becomes available.
Sources: Borncity.com
