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Can't paste text anywhere into FireFox Mac from the clipboard after a short period of time

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After a short period of time, I can't paste text anywhere into FireFox Mac from the system clipboard. Restarting FireFox temporarily solves the issues but then again after a short period of time, I can't paste text anywhere into FireFox Mac from the system clipboard.

After a short period of time, I can't paste text anywhere into FireFox Mac from the system clipboard. Restarting FireFox temporarily solves the issues but then again after a short period of time, I can't paste text anywhere into FireFox Mac from the system clipboard.

الحل المُختار

Ok, so it turns out it it's a macOS High Sierra issue and not a FireFox issue so I'm closing this out and will start troubleshooting elsewhere. Sorry to waste anyone's time.

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All Replies (18)

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Quick clarification: I can't paste in text from the system clipboard that was copied outside of FireFox. I can copy new text from within FireFox and it will replace the system clipboard with that new text so I can paste it into FireFox anytime.

But any text copied from any other application, like TextEdit, cannot be pasted into FireFox after FireFox has been open for a short period of time.

This has only been a bug in the last couple of months.

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Many have had trouble with copy/paste between programs, Copy from the original. Paste to a 'word' type program. Now copy from 'word' to where you want to go.

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FredMcD ... thank you for the reply but it doesn't help in this particular situation.

Copying from one program into program doesn't solve the issue that FireFox isn't pasting text from the system clipboard. When attempting this solution, FireFox still doesn't paste in the text from the system clipboard.

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Are you using any add-ons that use the clipboard?

Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link} by holding down the <Shift> (Mac=Options) key, and then starting Firefox.

A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh). Is the problem still there?

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I've been testing this out in SafeMode for a while and I still have the same issue. Has anyone else experienced this issue? My specific environment is FireFox (now 59.0.1) and macOS High Sierra (10.13.3).

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الحل المُختار

Ok, so it turns out it it's a macOS High Sierra issue and not a FireFox issue so I'm closing this out and will start troubleshooting elsewhere. Sorry to waste anyone's time.

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It's not a waste of time if a solution is found. Especially if someone else has the same problem.

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I have this same problem. When using Firefox on Mac OS I can't paste anything in the YouTube blogs. I have no problem with Chrome or Safari.

I have not tried other sites to see if this is just Firefox/YouTube or a general problem with paste in Firefox.

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dickcheneyisaliar You should test on other forums/websites. If there is a problem on other sites, then it's likely Firefox. If the problem is only on one site . . . .

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Modified by cor-el

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I have no such app as pboard in my application/utilities folder

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the application you are looking for is in applications >> utilities and it's called activity monitor. search for pboard using the search bar. click on 'pboard' in the list. click on the 'force a process to quit' button (it is the button with an 'x' as the icon). then in the pop up click 'force quit'.

Modified by benvoth

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The pboard application you talk of does not exist in my Mac.

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I think that what you need to do is to close/kill the current clipboard process via the activity monitor, so a new process will be started the next time you use the universal clipboard.

Did you check the Activity Monitor?

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cor-el said

I think that what you need to do is to close/kill the current clipboard process via the activity monitor, so a new process will be started the next time you use the universal clipboard. Did you check the Activity Monitor?


How many times do I have to keep saying that there is no pboard on my Mac? It is not in applications/utilities/ It is not in any other folder, it just does not exist on my system. Yet I keep getting suggestions that I should find it and do whatever.... Can you at least tell me why I don't have pboard and where I can get it? Will it work in my Mac or is that some obsolete program that is no longer used in Mac OS?

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You need to open this application:

  • Applications -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor

The Activity Monitor has its own search bar and in this search bar you need to type pboard to locate this specific application in the Activity Monitor. This is a system component and it is quite likely that you won't find it as a file or application.

Use Activity Monitor on your Mac - Apple Support:

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cor-el said

You need to open this application:
  • Applications -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor
The Activity Monitor has its own search bar and in this search bar you need to type pboard to locate this specific application in the Activity Monitor. This is a system component and it is quite likely that you won't find it as a file or application. Use Activity Monitor on your Mac - Apple Support:

I did find the pboard and did as you said and not change. I still can't past text in a youtube blog. This problem seems only with YouTube. I can cut and past here with no problem, only YouTube.

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The latest release of FF fixed the problem but broke something else. I'm beginning to doubt FF is worth all these problems.