# why does Excel say "Cannot empty the clipboard" and shut down



## haskellbob (Mar 5, 2006)

This happens frequently. I must be doing something wrong. I get the message, complete with moving dotted line around the rectangle, that they "Cannot empty the clipboard" and Excel shuts down.

What can I do to avoid this?

Thanks.

BH


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## mommabear (Apr 5, 2008)

When copy/paste to notepad keeps putting in old text and not the one I'm pasting now, I sometimes have to clear the clipboard manually. You can create a shortcut to your clipboard this way:



> The ClipBook Viewer isn't listed in the Accessories folder on the Start menu in Windows XP, so you might want to create a shortcut to it on your desktop:
> 
> 1.
> Right-click your desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.
> ...


or you can use this registry hack to add the clipboard to the Control Panel and from there you can put a shortcut to it in a handy place.

#130 to the right side "Add Clipboard to the Control Panel"
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

When you bring up the clip board, highlight all and delete to clean it out.

Back up your registry as a precaution before applying this. But I've used it in the past. It shouldn't hurt anything.


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