Copy and Paste not Working in RDP: Quick & Easy Solutions

List of content you will read in this article:

If you need a bit more performance and administrator access then knowing about what is vps is a great solution. However, there is a recurring common issue that arrives many times when using a Windows server. When connecting to the server, the copy and paste not working. This tutorial will help you to solve this problem.

How to Fix Copy and Paste Problem in Windows Server?

At times, the VPS server has a very noticeable issue on login, the copy-paste is not working, here you will diagnose and fix this problem by following the below-listed steps.

Allow clipboard use on your computer

Having problems when copying and pasting files on a remote desktop is a normal issue and it can be fixed easily. Before anything, you need to make sure your local computer is sharing the clipboard with the remote desktop. If you don’t know how, follow this guide. Here we explain how to do it using the native Windows Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) client.

Step 1: Open Remote Desktop Connection

First, start the Windows Remote Desktop Connection client. This is the tool that lets you connect to a different computer remotely. You can easily find the Remote Desktop Connection by looking for it in the Start menu. Alternatively, use 'Win + R' to launch the Run dialog and enter the following command:

mstsc.exe

Press Enter, and the Remote Desktop Connection window will open.

You need this tool to access a remote computer. And to fix clipboard issues, you need to configure it properly as the first step. 

Step 2: Show Options Panel

The Remote Desktop Connection doesn’t show advanced settings by default. for seeing some extra settings, you need to expand the options. So, look for a little button at the bottom left corner that is named "Show Options". Clicking on it will open a menu that contains additional configuration settings. Using them, you can control how your local computer interacts with the remote one, including clipboard access. Here you can fix the copy paste problems. 

Step 3: Navigate to the "Local Resources" Tab

Next, locate the section containing clipboard sharing settings. The top of the extended Remote Desktop Connection window will have multiple tabs. Select the option labeled "Local Resources". The Local Resources tab specifies which local devices (such as printers, disks, and clipboards) are shared by your computer and the remote system.

Step 4: Enable Clipboard Access

Enabling clipboard sharing in the Local Resources tab lets you copy and paste text between the local and remote computers. Under the "Local devices and resources" column, look for the checkbox next to "Clipboard". Make sure this box is checked. This will activate the clipboard feature, allowing you to copy and paste text between local and distant computers. You cannot copy and paste between the two computers if you do not allow this option.

Step 5: Enable Access to Drives (Optional, for File Copy-Paste)

You want to copy and paste files between your local and remote systems too? So, all you need is granting access to your local drives. To do that, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to "Local Resources" tab
2. Select the "More…" button under the "Local devices and resources" section. 
3. In the new window that appears, scroll down to the "Drives" section and tick the box next to it. 
4. Click "OK" to save the changes. 

This will make your local disk drives appear on the remote computer, allowing you to transfer files between the two computers via copy and paste. 

After following these steps, you can ensure that you fixed the copy and paste not working in RDP. Now you can copy and paste text and even transfer files between the local system and the remote one. 

Allow clipboard use on the remote server

Still you have problem when copying and pasting stuff using Remote Desktop? So, you need to make sure that the clipboard access on the “Remote Desktop Server” is enabled. In the mentioned steps, you did it for the local computer. Now, let’s fix the remote one. In this guide, we the Group Policy Editor for doing that. 

Step 1: Run the Group Policy Editor

The Group Policy Editor is used to change system-wide settings, including clipboard access on the remote desktop server. Press `Win + R` to open the Run dialog box. Then type:

gpedit.msc

and press Enter. This will launch the Group Policy Editor, which is a configuration tool for Windows settings.

Once opened, the editor will allow you to modify specific policies that control how the remote server behaves in relation to clipboard access.

Step 2: Navigate to Remote Desktop Configuration

Next, you need to locate the specific policy settings for Remote Desktop services. In the left-hand panel of the Group Policy Editor, follow this path:

1. Computer Configuration
2. Administrative Templates
3. Windows Components
4. Remote Desktop Services
5. Remote Desktop Session Host
6. Device and Resource Redirection

This is where you can control the redirection of devices and resources between the local and remote computers, including the clipboard.

Step 3: Modify Clipboard Redirection Policy

The policy that governs clipboard access is called "Do not allow Clipboard redirection." Look for the policy labeled "Do not allow Clipboard redirection" in the right panel. Double-clicking on it will reveal the policy settings window.

In the new window, toggle the radio button to "Disabled". This allows clipboard redirection, which lets the remote server share clipboard data with the local machine.

Click "OK" to save your changes. This setup allows clipboard data (such as copy-paste capabilities) to be shared between remote and local computers.

Step 4: Restart the Remote Desktop Server

To make the changes take effect, you need to restart the remote server. You can restart the server either by using the remote session itself or through your hosting control panel if you’re managing the server externally. Once the server restarts, the new clipboard settings will be applied.

To fix the copy and paste not working in RDP, we must first instruct the remote computer to allow it. This involves altering some parameters and then restarting it. Once it's back up, you should be able to copy & paste without issue.

Conclusion

We are seeing many of our user commented previously about this issue we are facing an issue with our system while working with a RDP Server i.e. RDP Clipboard/Windows RDP Copy Paste not working. So we hope that with the help of this simple tutorial guide; you were able to fix the copy/paste problem on your Windows Server. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comment section down below.

keep Exploring and Resolving your Problems with Shortcuts and Short Hacks with Monovm.