Can't paste in Firefox on Google websites
I have been struggling to use the copy and paste function on Google websites (Drive, Email, etc) within Firefox, but not in other browsers (Chrome). Please help!
All Replies (1)
Hi jdmpgh, is this problem with the built-in methods or with buttons supplied by the site? What I mean by built-in methods is:
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Ctrl+c to copy
- Ctrl+v to paste
- Right-click context menu items
Heavily scripted sites sometimes modify what happens when you copy or paste, and replace normal form controls with editable regions or hidden fields. In this case, changing clipboard related preferences or using script-restricting add-ons can affect how well the site works.
Here is one setting to check:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.
(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste CLIPB and pause while the list is filtered
(3) If the dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled preference is bolded and "modified" to false, double-click it to restore the default value of true
If a site is generally known to work in Firefox, these are standard suggestions to try when it stops working normally:
Double-check content blockers: Firefox's Content Blocking feature and extensions that counter ads and tracking may break websites that embed third party content (meaning, from a secondary server).
(A) Do you see a shield icon toward the left end of the address bar, near the lock icon? More info on managing the Tracking Protection feature in this article: Content Blocking.
(B) Extensions such as Adblock Plus, Blur, Disconnect, Ghostery, NoScript, Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin or uMatrix should provide toolbar buttons to manage blocked content in a page. There may or may not be a number on the icon indicating the number of blocked items; you may need to click the button to see what's going on and test whether you need to make an exception for this site.
Cache and Cookies: When you have a problem with one particular site, a good "first thing to try" is clearing your Firefox cache and deleting your saved cookies for the site.
(1) Clear Firefox's Cache
See: How to clear the Firefox cache
If you have a large hard drive, this might take a few minutes.
(2) Remove the site's cookies (save any pending work first). While viewing a page on the site, try either:
- right-click (on Mac Ctrl+click) a blank area of the page and choose View Page Info > Security > "Clear Cookies and Site Data"
- (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "Clear Cookies and Site Data"
- click the padlock or "i" icon in the address bar, then the ">" button, then More Information, and finally the "Clear Cookies and Site Data" button
In the dialog that opens, you will see one or more matches to the current address so you can remove the site's cookies individually without affecting other sites.
Then try reloading the page. Does that help?
Testing in Firefox's Safe Mode: In its Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.
If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox. (On Mac, hold down the option/alt key instead of the Shift key.)
If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
- (menu bar) Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
and OK the restart.
Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).
Any improvement?