Remote Desktop is an extremely useful tool when you want to establish a remote connection. In RDP, you can manage the device remotely and even transfer files between the computers. But what happens when the Remote Desktop copy paste is not working? Apart from the frustration it causes, this issue inconveniences you a lot since you are forced to take much longer to perform such simple tasks.
In this piece, we will show you what to do when RDP copy paste is not working through easy-to-follow step-by-step guides.
- Part 1: Why Can’t I Copy and Paste From Remote Desktop?
- Part 2: How to Fix Remote Desktop Copy Paste Not Working
Part 1. Why Can’t I Copy and Paste From Remote Desktop?
The shortest answer to why the Remote Desktop copy paste is not working is because the clipboard is not working during the Remote Desktop session. This can happen because of multiple reasons that you need to be aware of in order to fix it. In more detail, this issue can appear if:
- The clipboard is disabled – when you are setting up the remote connection with RDP, you have the option to choose the devices and resources that you can use during the session, including printers and the clipboard.
- A glitch in the rdpclip.exe – sometimes a simple glitch can prevent functions from working. In that case, rebooting the device or killing and restarting the tasks will solve the issue.
- There are network issues – RDP requires a stable connection. Therefore, any network issues will reflect on how it works.
- Group policy settings are outdated or misconfigured – the RDP copy paste not working issue might also be caused by group policies. For this reason, you must check their settings to ensure that they are not preventing copy and paste.
Part 2. How to Fix Remote Desktop Copy Paste Not Working
From the above, it is easy to understand that there isn't only one solution to this issue. Fortunately, there are several methods to try depending on what's causing the Remote Desktop copy paste not working error. In this section, we will explain the 7 most effective of these fixes.
Fix 1. Ensure Clipboard Redirection is Enabled
The first method that might solve the RDP copy paste not working issue is to enable clipboard redirection. Keep in mind that this fix can be performed on the client.
The steps for enabling clipboard redirection on Remote Desktop are the following:
- Step 1.Launce Remote Desktop on your device. You can do that by using the search bar or by tapping Win + R and typing mstsc.exe.
- Step 2.Click the Show Options button to access the Remote Desktop settings.
- Step 3.Go to the Local Resources tab. Under the Local devices and resources section, check the box next to Clipboard.
- Step 4.Click More. On the popup window, check the box next to Drives to allow access to the files stored on the device.
- Step 5.Click OK to save the changes.
Fix 2. Check for Network Issues
If you have network issues, then Remote Desktop won‘t be working as expected. For this reason, you need to check that your network is connected. Go to Start > Settings > Network & internet to check whether you are connected to the Internet. Apart from that, you can also run the network troubleshooter by following these steps:
- Step 1.Go to Start > Settings > Network & internet.
- Step 2.Click Network troubleshooter under the Advanced network settings section. Wait for a few seconds.
Fix 3. Restart rdpclip.exe
In many cases, simply restarting the rdpclip.exe is enough to fix the issue. Here is how to terminate and restart the Remote Desktop Clipboard Monitoring process:
- Step 1.Right-click on the Start button and click Task Manager to open the task manager.
- Step 2.Find the process RDP Clipboard Monitor on the list in the Processes tab. Right-click on it and click End task to terminate it.
- Step 3.Then, click File and Run New Task or tap Win + R.
- Step 4.Type rdpclip.exe and click OK to restart the process.
Fix 4. Check Group Policy Settings
If you have enabled clipboard redirection on the client and the RDP copy paste not working issue persists, then you can check the group policy settings on the server. Here is how to do that:
- Step 1.Tap Win + R and type gpedit.msc to open the group policy editor.
- Step 2.Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Device and Resource Redirection.
- Step 3.From the options that you will find there, double-click on Do not allow Clipboard redirection.
- Step 4.On the popup window, select Disabled and click OK to save the changes.
Fix 5. Check the Remote Desktop Protocol Version
The following method to fix the Remote Desktop copy paste not working error is to check the Remote Desktop protocol on the remote computer. If it is disabled, you can change it using a network registry connection. The steps for doing that are the following:
- Step 1.Tap Win + R and type regedt32 to open the Registry Editor.
- Step 2.Click File and then Connect Network Registry.
- Step 3.Type the name of the remote computer, click the Check Names button, and click OK.
- Step 4.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Terminal Server and find the file fDenyTSConnections. If its value is 0, then RDB is enabled. If the value is 1, then RDP is disabled. In the latter case, change the value to 0 to enable it.
Fix 6. Update Remote Desktop Client and Server
One more thing that you can do is to update the Remote Desktop app on both client and server. Since this is a built-in application on Windows, the update will be available through a Windows update. Check for available updates by doing this:
- Step 1.Go to Start > Settings > Update & security.
- Step 2.Click the Check for updates button.
Alternatively, you can also find the latest version of the Remote Desktop app on Microsoft Download Center.
Fix 7. Contact Support from Official
If none of these methods work, you can reach out to Windows support from the official website (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus/). A representative of the company will help you find a solution that works.
Wrapping Up
When the Remote Desktop copy paste is not working, it makes it difficult for you to transfer files between the client and the server, especially if you need to copy several files. Knowing the methods that we have explained in this article though, will allow you to fix this error and use the copy and paste function on a remote connection.
