Great fixes for copy and paste that don’t work on Mac.
Can’t copy or paste files, texts, and other items to your Mac laptop or desktop? We’ll explain why this happens and recommend possible solutions to copy and paste problems on macOS.
Before proceeding, make sure you are using the correct keyboard shortcuts assigned to the copy, cut, and paste functions. As a reminder, “Command + C” copies the data, “Command + X” cuts the data, and “Command + V” pastes the copied data.
These keyboard shortcuts may not work if there is a problem with your Mac’s keyboard. Some keys may not work properly on the keyboard. If the hotkeys don’t work, try copying and pasting from your Mac’s menu bar.
Select a file or text, choose Edit from the menu bar, and choose Cut, Copy, Paste, or Paste and Match Style.
You can also copy and paste data from the macOS context menu. Select and right-click (or Control-click) what you want to copy, right-click or Control-click and choose Copy from the context menu. Navigate to the destination folder, application, or text field and select “Paste” from the context menu.
If you can’t copy and paste to your Mac using either of these methods, try the troubleshooting steps below.
1. Force Close and Reopen Your Apps
If the issue is specific to multiple Mac applications; force close and reopen affected applications. This will update the app and possibly restore the copy and paste functionality.
Press Command + Spacebar to launch a Spotlight search. Type activity monitor in the search field and press return or select Activity monitor.
Or go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
Select the affected application and click the Stop icon (x icon) in the Activity Monitor toolbar.
Select Force logout at the confirmation prompt.
Repeat these steps for all affected applications. Restart your apps and check if you can copy or paste content.
2. Force Close the Pboard Server
“Begoard” means “Cardboard”. The Pasteboard server is an important background process that plays a significant role in copying and pasting data on your Mac. Pegboard functions as a macOS clipboard daemon, temporary storage that stores and transfers copied data from a source to a destination folder or application.
Copy and paste may not work on your computer if there is a problem with the editing server. Force quitting the process will clear your Mac’s clipboard, refresh your copy and paste functionality, and help restore order.
Force Quit Pboard Using Activity Monitor
Quit the Edit Server in Activity Monitor, wait a few seconds, and try copying and pasting the content when macOS automatically restarts the process.
Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities and double-click Activity Monitor.
Tap the search icon in the top right corner.
Type pboard in the search bar and double-click pboard in the Activity Monitor window.
Select Sign out.
Click the “Force Quit” button.
Force close Pboard via terminal
You can also kill system processes using the terminal on macOS. Here’s how to force close the pboard process using a terminal command.
Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities and double click Terminal.
Paste or type sudo killall pboard in the console and press the return key on your keyboard.
Enter your Mac’s password and press the return key.
Close the Terminal and check if you can copy and paste in all applications.
3. Force Close the WindowServer
WindowServer is another system component that is critical to the operation of the Mac operating system. Shutting down WindowServer can help resolve system-level glitches that prevent copy and paste from working on your Mac.
We recommend that you close all active applications and save all current work before forcibly exiting WindowServer. This is because this operation will log you out of your Mac, close all active applications, and refresh your Mac operating system.
All closed applications will automatically launch when you sign in to your Mac, but you may lose any unsaved data.
Open Activity Monitor, type WindowServer in the search bar, and double-click WindowServer.
Select Sign out.
Select Force Quit.
Enter your Mac password on the login screen and check if you can now copy and paste data using keyboard shortcuts and other methods.
4. Reboot Your Mac
If you’re still unable to copy and paste after trying the troubleshooting fixes listed above, restart your Mac and check again. Before restarting your Mac, be sure to close all open applications so you don’t lose any unsaved data.
Select the Apple logo in the menu bar and choose Restart.
5. Boot in Safe Mode
Starting your Mac in Safe Mode can help determine if the problem is caused by corrupted or unreliable third-party software such as extensions, startup programs, fonts, etc.
The steps for booting into Safe Mode vary depending on the hardware configuration of your device—Macs based on Intel or Apple Silicon processors. We have created a detailed guide on how to boot and use your Mac in safe mode.
Restart your Mac in normal mode and check if copy and paste work without any issues.
6. Update or Downgrade Your Mac
The first version of major macOS updates usually comes with the biggest bugs and issues. Copy and paste failure is one of the biggest problems with macOS Big Sur.
Some Mac users who recently upgraded to macOS Big Sur were unable to find the “paste” option in the context menu when using the Finder. Apple has since released an update that fixed this issue. Update your Mac and check if that solves the problem.
Open System Preferences, select Software Update and install any update available on the page.
If your Mac is up to date and you still don’t see Paste, roll back to a stable version of the operating system. This macOS downgrade guide has everything you need to know about rolling back an update on your Mac.
Reset your Mac’s NVRAM and SMC, if none of the possible fixes are listed here restore copy and paste functionality on Mac. Visit your nearest Genius Bar or Apple Authorized Service Provider to have your Mac repaired or serviced.
Great fixes for copy and paste that don’t work on Mac
Great fixes for copy and paste that don’t work on Mac