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Why can't Firefox copy text anymore?

  • 6 replies
  • 12 have this problem
  • 29 views
  • Last reply by zeroknight

FirefoxUser73
FirefoxUser73
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Why can't Firefox copy text to the clipboard anymore? It won't copy text from a web page, from a URL, or even from about:support "Copy text to clipboard"!!! I'm using version 1.22 64 bit on windows 11. I've reinstalled Firefox but it doesn't make a difference. I've tried "Troubleshoot Mode" and it's still broken!!!

I can paste into Firefox but something has broken copy!

Why can't Firefox copy text to the clipboard anymore? It won't copy text from a web page, from a URL, or even from about:support "Copy text to clipboard"!!! I'm using version 1.22 64 bit on windows 11. I've reinstalled Firefox but it doesn't make a difference. I've tried "Troubleshoot Mode" and it's still broken!!! I can paste into Firefox but something has broken copy!

All Replies (6)

FirefoxUser73
FirefoxUser73 Question owner
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I've also tried creating a new profile and restarting with add-ons disabled. Nothing fixes the problem.

I can copy text from anything else and paste it into Firefox.

When I select text (or the URL) and copy it I can't paste it into Firefox or anything else. The clipboard is empty. If I right click on a field the "paste" option is disabled.

I've tried the control-c shortcut, right mouse button copy, and menu edit copy. Nothing works - the clipboard remains empty. If the clipboard contains text and I try to copy something new from Firefox, the clipboard is emptied.

Modified by FirefoxUser73

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Try to uninstall and reinstall Firefox as a normal user in case there are permission problem with the current installation.

Also check for UAC issues.

zeroknight
zeroknight
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Try installing Firefox from the Microsoft Store.

5p0ng3b0b
5p0ng3b0b
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This has been an unresolved issue for a number of months now. When selecting text on webpages and right clicking, the copy option is randomly greyed out 50% of the time regardless of website or extensions. The only workaround is to click in the address box and then reselect the text. If the recommended action is asking the user to reinstall or even worse resort to use the ms store, then it would appear that Mozilla is suggesting that the user take ownership of the problem rather than investigate and fix the the issue. Might be a sign to move onto a browser that does not have this bug such as Chromium or Thorium!

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Doesn't the keyboard work as well?

Try keyboard shortcuts in case the buttons on the webpage or other methods aren't working.

  • Copy: Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert (Mac: Command+C)
  • Paste: Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert (Mac: Command+V)
  • Cut: Ctrl+X or Shift+Delete (Mac: Command+X)
zeroknight
zeroknight
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Make sure you are not running Firefox in compatibility mode or as admin. Also make sure your system has UAC enabled.

It would be helpful to know if it still happens with Firefox installed from the Microsoft Store.