Copy and Paste Not Working on Mac

The most basic things should never crack, but here we are—looking at how to fix copy and paste not working on a Mac. There can be plenty of reasons for that, but the best solution is to ask for professional advice. MacKeeper’s Premium Services experts would love to help you fix that in a matter of minutes.

Why is your copy and paste not working on Mac?

Issues with your Mac not copying and pasting can be caused by many different factors. Some of the most common reasons for this problem include:

• Files being set to read-only
• The macOS clipboard is malfunctioning
• Third-party apps not functioning properly
• Out-of-date software, including your operating system
• Unnecessary apps putting strain on your Mac’s RAM
• Physical issues with your keyboard

A note from our experts: 

Restarting your Mac might be enough to fix the problem of copy and paste not working, but what if it’s not? Try MacKeeper’s Premium Services to get help in fixing such issues professionally, as it could be just what you need.

To get started with MacKeeper’s Find & Fix, do the following:

1. Download and install MacKeeper.
2. Select the Premium Services feature on the left.
3. Click Chat Now.
4. Describe your issue and try the tips advised by our professional team.

How to fix copy and paste option on Mac

Now that you’ve seen some of the potential reasons why you can’t copy and paste on your Mac, let’s look at some of the possible solutions. Look through this list, and by the end, your copy-and-paste functionality should be restored:

1. Check if the file is read-only
2. Restart Your Mac
3. Fix Mac keyboard issues
4. Force close clipboard on Mac
5. Force close and reopen your apps
6. Close other unnecessary programs on your Mac
7. Force close the WindowServer
8. Try starting your Mac in safe mode
9. Try pasting on other Apple devices
10. Update your Mac to the latest version of macOS
11. Use alternative methods for copying and pasting
12. Use a third-party clipboard application

After each fix, make sure to try the coping and pasting again. Hope, it now works as it should. Fingers crossed!

1. Check if the file is read-only

When a file or folder is set to read-only, your Mac will prevent you from making edits to it. That’s useful for protecting important data but annoying when you want to make changes. Here’s how to check if a file is read-only when you’re unable to copy-paste:

1. Right-click the file you want to edit, and select Get Info.
2. Under General, make sure Locked is not checked.
3. Now, scroll down to the bottom, to Sharing & Permissions, and make sure your account is set to Read & Write.

A hint from our expert:

If you need a separate file copy to be created each time during editing—so that changes can be copied but not the original—tickle the ✅Stationery pad option under the General tab.

This way, when using cloud storage services like Google Docs, you can go to the history and select the original version. It can also be useful for transferring files here and there—from cloud to computers and else. Under these manipulations, the original will always remain in its place.

2. Restart your Mac

It’s a cliché, but turning your computer off and on again is one of the best solutions for many issues—including when your Mac is not letting you copy and paste. Follow these steps to take a restart:

1. Click the Apple in the menu bar, and select Restart.
2. Click the Restart button to confirm.

3. Fix Mac keyboard issues

When copy and paste isn’t working on your Mac, make sure to check your keyboard is connected properly, and that there’s nothing lodged in the keys. You should check your Mac’s keyboard settings like this:

1. In System Settings, select Keyboard in the sidebar, then click Keyboard Shortcuts.
2. Select Modifier Keys, then check that Command Key is set to Command.

4. Force close clipboard on Mac

The macOS clipboard is controlled by Pboard, a background process that plays a central role in your Mac’s copy and paste functionality. If you force close Pboard, you can reset copy and paste on Mac, which can get it working again.

4.1 Force close the Pboard server using the Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor is a handy tool that can help with all kinds of issues, including when your MacBook is frozen. You can also use Activity Monitor to force close Pboard:

1. Press Cmd+Spacebar to bring up Spotlight. Type Activity Monitor, then click Activity Monitor to open it.
2. Type pboard in the Activity Monitor search.
3. Double-click pboard, then click Quit.
4. Click Quit or Force Quit to confirm.

4.2 Force close the Pboard server via Terminal

You can also shut down Pboard with the macOS Terminal. Follow these steps:

1. Use Spotlight to open Terminal.
2. In Terminal, type killall pboard and press Return.

5. Force close and reopen your apps

Sometimes, the reason you can’t copy and paste is the particular app you’re using. Remove this potential cause from the equation by quitting and reopening the app:

1. Press Cmd+Opt+Esc to bring up the Force Quit Applications window. Select the app you want to quit, and click Force Quit.
2. Click Force Quit to confirm. Restart the app and try copy-paste again.

6. Close other unnecessary programs on your Mac

In some cases, you might not be able to copy and paste in one app, but the reason is actually a different app running on your Mac. Closing apps will also free up RAM on your Mac. Quit any programs you don’t need, like this:

1. In your Dock, any icon with a black dot under it is a running app.
2. Right-click any running app you want to shut down and select Quit.

7. Force close the WindowServer

As its name suggests, the WindowServer process manages the windows on your Mac. Quitting it may help with formatting and copy-paste issues:

1. Open Activity Monitor using Spotlight, and search for WindowServer.
2. Double-click WindowServer, then click Quit.
3. Click Quit or Force Quit.

8. Try starting your Mac in safe mode

In safe mode, your Mac boots only with the drivers and software it needs to run. If copy and paste works in safe mode, it means you likely have an issue with third-party software.

Here’s how to get your Apple Silicon Mac into safe mode:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Press and hold the power button until you see Loading startup options.
3. Select a volume. Press and hold Shift, then Continue in Safe Mode.

Put your Intel Mac into a safe mode like this:

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold Shift. Release the key when you see the login window.
2. Log into your Mac. If you’re asked to log in again, do as instructed.

9. Try pasting on other Apple devices

If you desperately need to work on a file, rather than fix copy and paste on your Mac, you can try doing it on another machine. Switching to another device will also let you confirm whether the issue is caused by the file or your computer. If you can’t copy and paste on other devices either, then the problem must be with the file itself.

10. Update your Mac to the latest version of macOS

It’s always important to always update macOS when you can. You should be running the latest version that your Mac supports, whether it’s High Sierra, El Capitan, Monterey, Ventura, and so on. Check for updates like this:

1. In System Settings, go to General > Software Update. If you see an update, click Update Now.
2. Click Agree.

11. Use alternative methods for copying and pasting

Instead of pressing Command+C to copy content on your MacBook or desktop machine, you can try a different method. Here’s how:

1. Select the content you want to copy. Right-click and select Copy.
2. Where you want the copied content to go, right-click and select Paste.
3. With most apps, you can also access these options from the menu bar.

A pro tip from us: 

Another way to copy and paste on Mac is by using Trackpad’s Secondary click option. This is when we tap or click with two fingers on the trackpad, which usually works through Control + Click. Note that this function is disabled by default, but you can awaken it anytime. However, if there are problems with the keyboard, Control + Click won’t work as well. If so, try the other options to copy and paste on Mac, which we’ve covered in the other devoted piece.

12. Use a third-party clipboard application

Still can’t get copy and paste working? A third-party clipboard app could be a good option for you. Here are a few free macOS clipboard apps to try:

• Jumpcut: Quickly get access to your clipboard history. Jumpcut is a completely free, open-source app, which has been around for more than 15 years.
• CopyClip: Another simple clipboard manager, CopyClip is accessible from your menu bar. It lets you quickly find things you’ve previously copied.
• Clipy: This open-source clipboard manager makes it easy to access things you’ve previously copied, so you can copy them again if you need to.

How to enable copy and paste on a Mac

There are a few different ways to copy and paste on your Mac. We’ve covered these above, but as a reminder, here are the fastest ways to copy and paste:

1. By using keyboard hotkeys: Highlight some text or an item, then press Cmd+C. Press Cmd+V to paste a copy somewhere else.
2. By using your mouse or trackpad: Highlight the text or item you need to copy. Right-click it, and choose Copy. Right-click where you want to paste the content or item, and click Paste.

Parting thoughts

When copy and paste isn’t working, you’ll quickly realize how important it is. The inability to quickly make copies of content, files, and folders can have a huge impact on your productivity. A restart might fix the issue, or you can quit Pboard and apps using Activity Monitor on Mac. Maybe it’s a matter of updating macOS. Hopefully, working through the solutions in our guide can help you.

You can also save time with MacKeeper’s Premium Services feature. It’ll automatically connect you to one of our tech experts that will help you fix any of your Mac issues, letting you save time and effort, so you can focus on something more important.