# Microsoft fixes Excel paste bug from September update

> A September security update broke copying and pasting in Excel. Microsoft has now released a partial fix, though many users may not have noticed the problem.
- Title: Microsoft fixes Excel paste bug from September update
- Summary: A September security update broke copying and pasting in Excel. Microsoft has now released a partial fix, though many users may not have noticed the problem…
- Keywords: microsoft, excel, paste bug, security update, hotfix, technology, fixes, paste, bug, September, update, TechRadar
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/pro/microsoft-finally-fixes-this-annoying-excel-paste-problem-but-you-probably-never-even-noticed
- Published: 2026-09-21T15:20:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: microsoft, excel, paste bug, security update, hotfix, technology
## Excel paste breaks after security update
A September eighth twenty twenty-six security update to Microsoft Excel introduced a bug that broke copying and pasting across the spreadsheet software.
## The paste fails silently
When users tried to paste content, the source remained selected and the destination stayed unmodified. No error message or sound alerted them to the failure.

> the paste operation might fail silently
## Multiple Excel versions affected
The bug hit Microsoft Excel two thousand twenty-four, two thousand twenty-one, two thousand nineteen, and two thousand sixteen, plus Excel Online in Office Online Server.
## Microsoft releases partial fix
Microsoft released a hotfix just days after the bug appeared. Office LTSC two thousand twenty-one and two thousand twenty-four are now fully fixed, but two thousand nineteen and two thousand sixteen only have mitigations.
## Simple workaround available now
Users can work around the problem by selecting Paste Special from the Home tab instead of using regular paste. Conditional formatting is apparently causing the issue.
## Key takeaway

Microsoft released a hotfix for an Excel paste bug introduced by a September eighth twenty twenty-six security update, though the fix only fully applies to Excel two thousand sixteen.