The Excel copy-paste fix is here. It covers one version out of four.

Microsoft has shipped a fix for the Excel update that broke copy and paste. It covers one version of Excel out of four.

The damage was done by KB5002914, part of September's security patches, and we wrote about it last week: press Ctrl+V and nothing happens. No error, no beep, the source cells stay selected and the destination is untouched. Autofill and dragging a formula down a column went with it. Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 were all hit, along with Excel on the web.

The fix is KB5002665, released on 18 September through the Microsoft Download Center, and it applies to Office 2016 installed from an .msi installer. That is the older style of Office, the sort that arrived on a disc or as a one-off purchase. If your Office came with a Microsoft 365 subscription, or you are on 2019, 2021 or 2024, this one is not for you, and Microsoft has not said when yours is due.

Until it lands, Paste Special still works. Ctrl+Alt+V opens it, and choosing Values or Formulas pastes the way plain Ctrl+V used to. Removing KB5002914 also cures the symptom, and it is a poor trade: that update closes holes that let a booby-trapped spreadsheet run code on your PC, which is a considerably worse afternoon than retyping a column. Keeping track of which programs have updates waiting is a decent weekly habit regardless, and Tendvane's app update check gathers them into one list, even in a month when an update is the thing that caused the trouble.