Microsoft Excel users report that this week’s KB5002914 Office security update is breaking copy-and-paste operations and formula dragging, with affected users saying that removing or rolling back the update restores normal functionality.
Microsoft released the security update this week as part of its September 2026 Patch Tuesday, and reports of the problem soon appeared on both Reddit and the Microsoft Q&A forums.
“It seems that security update kb5002914 might have bricked autofill and copy paste in Excel 2016,” a Reddit user reported.
Other users confirmed similar problems, with one saying copy and paste and formula dragging no longer worked and that their entire team was blocked after most employees had already installed the update.
Another user reported that copy/paste shortcuts and formula dragging no longer worked.
Similar reports have appeared in the Microsoft Q&A forums, where users say copying and pasting no longer work after the September 9 update.
Reports indicate the problem isn’t limited to a single Office release or installation method.
One user reported the same issue on Office LTSC Standard 2021, while another said it affects both MSI and Click-to-Run installations and Office versions ranging from 2016 through 2024.
Removing or rolling back the update restores functionality
Affected users report that uninstalling KB5002914 from MSI-based Office installations restores Excel’s copy-and-paste functionality.
One Microsoft Q&A user shared the following PowerShell command for removing the update:
& "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE16\Oarpmany.exe" /removereleaseinpatch "{90160000-0012-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}" "{27882596-A8ED-4382-9C71-6CD2DD19F732}" '1036' "0"
“This worked for me; copy-and-paste is working again,” the user reported.
For Click-to-Run installations, another user said downgrading the Office build using XML or Group Policy also resolves the problem.
Another workaround being shared among affected users involves leaving KB5002914 installed but replacing the updated excel.exe executable with an older version.
BleepingComputer does not recommend using this workaround, as replacing individual Office binaries with files from an older version could leave the installation with mismatched files and potentially cause other stability, compatibility, or security problems.
Microsoft told BleepingComputer that it is aware of the reports and is investigating, and will share guidance as it becomes available.
Update 9/11/26: Microsoft has now formally acknowledged the bug, adding it as a known issue to the KB5002914 release notes.
“In Microsoft Excel 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016, the paste operation might fail silently. Although users try to paste content, the source remains selected and the destination is unmodified. When this issue occurs, users receive no indication of the failure, such as a beep or error message. Microsoft is researching the issue and will post more information in this article when the information becomes available.”
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