Excel Paste Operation Fails Silently After September Patch Tuesday Update
Microsoft's recent security update has caused an unexpected issue in Excel. The September Patch Tuesday update, which was released on September 8, includes a known issue that affects the paste operation in Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024.
According to Microsoft, the paste command 'might fail silently' without any error message or indication of failure. The source cell remains selected, but the destination stays empty. This means that users may not even notice that the paste operation has failed.
The issue is affecting a wide range of Excel versions, including perpetual releases and LTSC editions of Office 2021 and 2024. However, Microsoft 365 Apps for Business is not affected, at least according to current reports.
Users who are experiencing this issue can try using the 'Paste Special' feature instead, which allows them to paste values without formatting or formulas. Alternatively, they can uninstall the KB5002914 update if they have an MSI installation.