Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

This thread was closed and archived. Please ask a new question if you need help.

cannot paste copied text

  • 26 replies
  • 9 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by AliceWyman

more options

For just over 1 year now, copied text will not paste into online forums. left-click HIGHLIGHT text - right-click COPY - right-click PASTE This FireFox Browser "is always" checked for updates on a weekly schedule. I also clear cookies 2 - 5 times a week. This is becoming ver-veRY-VERY! irritating when I write a fair amount of text and try to post it but cannot. WHEN will this FF problem be fixed?

For just over 1 year now, copied text will not paste into online forums. left-click HIGHLIGHT text - right-click COPY - right-click PASTE This FireFox Browser "is always" checked for updates on a weekly schedule. I also clear cookies 2 - 5 times a week. This is becoming ver-veRY-VERY! irritating when I write a fair amount of text and try to post it but cannot. WHEN will this FF problem be fixed?

Chosen solution

fm.usa said

It will paste but will not display after hitting ENTER or POST. I use other browsers and do not have this problem. So this is a FF issue.

So obviously that is very strange, because the site shows you the text is there while you are composing your post, but when you submit the post the text is missing.

This site uses standard HTML form controls. Some sites use "rich text" editors that capture your paste and reformat it behind the scenes.

(Sometimes you can tell the difference because rich text editors allow bold and italic while you compose, and/or they offer an HTML or Source view in the editor. But in other cases, it may not be apparent.)

One common reason for problems with pasting into rich text editors is if you disable their ability to detect pastes in their scripts. Could you check this setting:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste CLIP and pause while the list is filtered

(3) If the dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled preference is bolded and "user set" to false, double-click it to restore the default value of true

If you changed that, does it help?

If that preference already had its default value, do you want to give an example of a site or two where pasting doesn't work?

Read this answer in context 👍 3

All Replies (20)

more options

Hi   !
Instead of right-clicking   PASTE,   have you tried:   Ctrl + v   ?

more options

Yes I have tried CTRL-V, same issue. It will paste but will not display after hitting ENTER or POST. I use other browsers and do not have this problem. So this is a FF issue.

more options

(TEST - copy/paste) Yes I have tried CTRL-V, same issue. It will paste but will not display after hitting ENTER or POST. I use other browsers and do not have this problem. So this is a FF issue.

more options

Since Copy/Paste worked here, it's obvious this problem is selective to differently written web-sights. FF will need to update itself to accommodate.

more options

fm.usa said

Since Copy/Paste worked here, it's obvious this problem is selective to differently written web-sights. FF will need to update itself to accommodate.

As it seems to have worked here;   would you try the same thing on other sites,   where it hasn't worked before   ?

more options

I don't need to try it on other sites, I already have, many times. Hence the reason for posting my question here.

more options

fm.usa said

I don't need to try it on other sites, I already have, many times. Hence the reason for posting my question here.

That's why I said:   where it hasn't worked before,   as it worked on this page today,   something might have changed and I was merely curious to see if maybe now it would work on those other pages as well.

more options

Went back to 2 other sites that it would not CTRL-P and right-click PASTE, both would not. __ Still at square one for FF to fix this issue.

more options

fm.usa said

Went back to 2 other sites that it would not CTRL-P and right-click PASTE, both would not. __ Still at square one for FF to fix this issue.

You say:   CTRL-P    -     is that a typo, maybe   ?
You   did   try   Ctrl + v   before,   didn't you   ?

more options

My woops, yes I meant CTRL-V . (brainfart P for Paste) Could have assumed that I meant V since it was in my first several posts.

more options

If this has been going on for over a year,   it's very understandable that you are not exactly happy   .......
And this only happens in   Firefox   ?
I don't use a mouse,   just my touchpad;   and here's how I do it:
I put my cursor at the beginning of the text, till it turns into a Roman numeral; right-click twice,  then I put my cursor at the end of the text, and when it turns into a Roman numeral, while pressing  Shift, I right-click twice and then I press   Ctrl + c.
And when I want to paste the thus copied text,   I press   Ctrl + v.
If this doesn't work for you either,   I can only hope that somebody else will come to your rescue   ........

more options

I have shorter shortcuts. Both keyboard and/or mouse. Left-click anywhere on text, CTRL-A then CTRL-C. .. .. there isn't any real difference in which way it's done, the outcome is the same. "Different doctors, different procedures, it cures the same ailment."

more options

As nobody else has come to your rescue yet,   let's try this:

Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, resets some settings, and disables add-ons (extensions and themes).

If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Safe Mode from the Help menu:

  • Click the menu button New Fx Menu, click Help Help-29 and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled.

If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Safe Mode as follows:

  • On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  • On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
  • On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
    (you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)

When the Firefox Safe Mode window appears, select "Start in Safe Mode".

SafeMode-Fx35

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, theme, or hardware acceleration. Please follow the steps in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.

To exit Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

Sure hope this will work   !

more options

Only just noticed that you're using an old   Firefox version;   any particular reason   ?
Updating to the latest version   (49.0.2)   just might do the trick   !

more options

Sorry I hadn't stopped by before. The problem with failed copy/paste is the format not compatible between one to the other. Copy whatever you want and then paste it to a Word type document. Then copy from Word to where you want to go.

The powers that be are aware of this problem.

Modified by FredMcD

more options

Over this past year+...

  • _I did the Safe Mode a few times. Didn't work.
  • _I've uninstalled FF (includes delete files) several times. Didn't work.
  • _Created a New Partition 'D' and loaded the OS and other absolute basics which I use to repair 'C' drive. (I always do this anyways). Same issue in 'D' drive, can't copy/paste.
  • _I used the newest version of FF up until this past spring. It was suggested I use the more compatible version to older PC's, ver-38 I believe. (I just looked, is now ver-45.4)
  • _I have stored older versions and installed "Firefox Setup 32.0.1.exe" and it worked just fine. Somewhere around ver-38 is where FF started to go south.

. Don't blame our older PC's, if it works why buy a new one. FF should ALWAYS be backwards compatible. If not then have available 2 versions. All major appliances, vehicle MFG's, PC MFG's... etc. all have multiple versions of their products. . SO... as you can see I have done a LOT! of trials and testing in whatever i can without messing with the "aboutconfig". Which I do as a last ditch effort because it does not save to the next update. Why waste yet more of my time fixing what FF should have repaired in there next version? That's like going out to repair a flat tire on your every week, it gets OLD FAST. Also, this is not just my problem, I read here a lot of others have the same issue and FF Guru's continue to make us users jump through the hoops of 'Try this and Try that' when FF should just MAN-UP and fix it. That's what I do when I mess up something I made or repaired for a customer.

Modified by fm.usa

more options

YES, I do copy/paste, do my edits, then copy/paste in different venues like, Email, NotePad, MS Word, etc.. HECK I even tried MS Excel once because I had it open at the time. It's all the same and the problem continues. Simply... Mozilla needs to fix its software. It started going south around ver-38.

" *IF* the powers that be are aware of this problem, WHY is it not being fixed? It's been WELL OVER a year. The powers that be are constantly blaming us users and out machines.

Modified by fm.usa

more options

fm.usa said

The powers that be are constantly blaming us users and our machines.

Well,   at least the volunteers here on the forum definately are   not   blaming you or any other user,   you can be sure of that   !
All we can do is try our best to find a solution for you,   and I'm so sorry that so far we haven't been able to come up with   the   solution.
You've tried everything and nothing has worked ;   that must be sooo frustrating.
Keeping my fingers crossed that somebody will come to the rescue here   .......

more options

Frustrating? YES. Impossible to work with? no. I'll keep plugging along with this FF but when another browser works the way it should, I will change in a heartbeat... UNLESS it's fixed. But after over a year, I'm not holding my breath. . As I look at my other FF questions I see this Copy/Paste problem has gone on for nearly 2 years. That's a rather LONG time for something not being corrected. If I remember correctly, around ver-38 was the last working browser, that in itself is a "slight" hint where to start looking. BUT we know all to well there's hard heads, folks wearing blinders and now days "way to many" have a one track mind. ... ... THANKS for the help. I will hang for a while here hoping for someone who has a fix.

Modified by fm.usa

more options

I'm going to call for help   ........

  1. 1
  2. 2