Microsoft’s Latest Patch Update Causes Copy and Paste Chaos in Excel
A growing number of Microsoft Excel users are experiencing a frustrating issue with copy and paste functionality after installing the recent KB5002914 security update. The problem, which has been confirmed by Microsoft itself, affects various versions of Excel, including 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016.
According to user reports on Reddit and Microsoft’s own Q&A forums, the issue causes copy and paste operations to silently fail, leaving users with no indication that anything is amiss. This means that even if a user attempts to paste content into an Excel spreadsheet, the source remains selected, and the destination remains unmodified. The lack of error messages or beeps can make it difficult for users to diagnose the problem.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue in an updated support document, stating that a code regression is responsible for the problems. In other words, a mistake was made during the development process that’s causing Excel’s copy and paste functionality to break. The company is actively working on resolving the bug and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The impact of this issue is significant, given that KB5002914 was released just last week as part of Microsoft’s September 2026 Patch Tuesday. This update aimed to patch a range of remote code execution and information disclosure vulnerabilities, but instead, it introduced this new problem. The fact that affected users have reported that uninstalling the KB5002914 update restores copy and paste functionality suggests that this is not an isolated issue.
To restore copy and paste functionality on their systems, affected Excel users can try uninstalling the KB5002914 update using a series of commands outlined in Microsoft’s support document. However, it’s worth noting that these workarounds are temporary solutions until a permanent fix is released by Microsoft.
This incident highlights the importance of careful testing and validation during the development process to prevent such issues from arising. It also underscores the need for users to exercise caution when installing security updates, especially those that address critical vulnerabilities. By understanding the potential risks associated with new patches, users can make informed decisions about when to apply them and how to mitigate any problems that may arise.
Ultimately, this episode serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in delivering software updates and the importance of collaboration between developers, testers, and users. As Microsoft continues to work on resolving this issue, affected users should be vigilant and keep an eye out for future updates that address this problem.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-09-15