Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 18, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Jerry is trying to cut information from one cell and paste it into another cell. He can cut it just fine, but when he tries to paste it he gets an error message, "Cannot Empty the Clipboard." Jerry wonders what causes this error.
This has been a problem in Excel for some time. (Actually, the problem seems to crop up in several different Office applications, not just Excel.) The solutions for the problem depend upon what is causing the problem and which version of Excel you are using. As an example, here are two different articles at the Microsoft Knowledge Base that address the issue:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196620 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899266
Note that the articles are focused on entirely different versions of Excel and entirely different causes. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't seen fit to create a "here's how to fix it" article that addresses the wider range of potential causes. There are, however, resources available on the wider Internet that address the issue. Here's a good one:
http://www.online-tech-tips.com/ms-office-tips/cannont-empty-clipboard/
You can find lots of other such resources by searching for the phrase "cannot empty the keyboard" (make sure you include the quote marks).
The underlying idea for all these potential causes and solutions is that there is some program (whether it be Terminal Services, GetRight, Flashget, RealVNC, or Quickeys) that is interfering with how Excel wants to use the Clipboard. The idea is to figure out which program it is an either stop using the program or implement some sort of workaround that is specific to that program.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9809) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!
If you have trouble seeing the information presented in a worksheet, you can use Excel's zooming capabilities to ease the ...
Discover MoreDo you need to both transpose and link information you are pasting in a worksheet? It isn't as impossible to do as it ...
Discover MoreThere are a variety of ways to pick a range of cells in Excel. Here are three of them you'll find useful.
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-06-22 04:18:47
Yes, Microsoft often make useful updates no longer available. :(
It can be very annoying:- Although it is probably good practice to remove out of date things,
there are never-the-less, often occaisions when they may still be useful.
I wish there weas some repository or archaive somewhere where all updates ever made available by Microsoft could be got from.
Alan ELSTON
2022-06-21 11:01:54
ESeb
dead microsoft site links
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments