Windows copy and paste issue is not new, although mostly it works fine on almost all Windows OS types but it could recur in certain cases such as copying and pasting files from one external hard drive to another. Many Windows 10 users have reported that error occurs whenever they try to copy multiple files from one external hard drive to another allowing only single files to be transferred at a time which can be time consuming if amount of data to be transferred is large. There is an easy fix for copy & paste problem on Windows which includes creating clipboard shortcut on Windows 10 as we will explain shortly in this post.
Well, if you have been experiencing Windows 10 copy and paste problem and tried familiar Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V trick to copy files but it also failed then you have come to the right place. Before moving on to our main fix guide, i recommend that you try our simple tips to see if they work.
Tips & Tricks for Solving Copy and Paste issue on Windows:
Scan for Virus
First thing you should do when encountering copy and paste issue on Windows 10 is to scan PC in safe mode using reliable anit-virus tool or Windows defender to detect viruses and malware and try copy pasting multiple files from one drive, both internal or external, to another.
File Explorer
Or, you can go to File Explorer Options > View and enable Reset Folders option from the list.
Copy To Folder/Move To Folder to Context Menu
One solution to ‘Copy and Paste’ problem on Windows 10 could be to add or remove ‘Copy To Folder’ and ‘Move To Folder’ option to Context Menu and then try to copy & paste multiple files from one external medium to another on Windows 10 PC.
With ‘Copy To Folder’ option enabled you can select multiple files and right-click to copy them to destination folder immediately. Similarly, with ‘Move To Folder’ option you can move files to another location and can also delete them from their current location.
Default location of Move To Folder and Copy To Folder options on Windows 10 is in the ‘Home tab’ in File Explorer window. When you select files to move/copy it highlights Move To Folder/Copy To Folder options in the File Explorer’s Home tab, click on which brings drop-down menu with option ‘Choose location’.
Hold CTRL key while dragging and dropping items to copy files from source to destination. Hold SHIFT key to move items from one place to another.
Follow step below to add or remove ‘Copy To Folder’ option to context menu, for this method you must be logged in to the PC as an admin:
- Click here to download ‘Add_Copy_To_Folder.reg’ file. Click here to download ‘Remove_Copy_To_Folder.reg’ file.
- Save the downloaded file on desktop.
- To merge the file run the .reg file by clicking on it, from the prompt click Run, Yes(UAC), again Yes, and OK to complete merging the .reg file.
- Now delete .reg file from your PC.
Repeat above steps for adding/removing Move To Folder option to context menu but replace first step with ‘Add_Move_To_Folder.reg’ here and ‘Remove_Move_To_Folder.reg’ here.
Now that you have ‘Copy To Folder’ option enabled, open the folder where you want to drag and drop files and follow step below:
- Press CTRL key and hold it.
- Click on the file or files you want to drag/copy and right-click on one of them to open context menu
- Click Copy To Folder option from the context menu
- Click ‘Choose Location’ and then ‘Location’ to select the path where you want copy files.
Follow same steps for Move To Folder option. This method nullifies the chances of copying/moving files on to the wrong location or folder because you select destination folder before copying or moving files.
If this didn’t work then move on to our main fix/solution to Windows 10 copy and paste issue/problem.
Fix ‘Copy and Paste’ Problem on Windows 10 with Creating a ‘Clear Clipboard’ shortcut:
First thing here is to know what is clipboard. The Clipboard on Windows 10 is the temporary storage location where you can copy text, documents, audio/video media and more from on location on PC to paste it on to another. Whenever, you save anything on clipboard it replaces/overwrites what is already saved there.
With this tutorial you will be able to create Clear Clipboard shortcut to clear clipboard content on Windows 10 PC and laptops. Whenever you click Clear Clipboard icon, the content in clipboard is cleared and command prompt window appears to inform you about it.
Method 1: Download ‘Clear Clipboard’ shortcut
- Download ‘Clear_Clipboard_shortcut.zip’ file here.
- Save the file on Desktop.
- Unzip the .zip file. Use WinRAR tool to unzip it.
- Open .zip file and drag & drop shortcut to desktop.
- Delete .zip file when done.
Method 2: Manually Create ‘Clear Clipboard’ shorcut
- Right-click on an empty space on desktop and go to New and select Shortcut option from the drop-down menu.
- Copy and paste the location shown below into the ‘Type the location of the item:’ option box and click Next.
%windir%\System32\cmd.exe/c”echo off | clip”
- In “Type a name for this shortcut” box the name, in this case type Clear Clipboard or any other name you like and click Finish.
- Right-click on the new Clear Clipboard shortcut icon and select Properties.
- Under Properties click Shortcut tab and click Change Icon button.
- In Change Icon window under ‘Look for icons in this file’ option copy and paste the location below and press Enter.
%windir%\System32\DxpTaskSync.dll
- Choose any icon you like from the list of icons and click the OK button.
- All done.
You can change the location of Clear Clipboard icon by pinning it to Taskbar, All App, Start, Quick Launch or any other place you like on PC for quick access.
Now copy as many files as you like to move from one external/internal to Clear Clipboard first and then transfer them from there to the destination drive or location. We hope this tutorial addressed you copying and pasting multiple files from one drive to another on Windows 10.
Also See: How to Convert Windows Desktop into an iOS Interface on Windows 10 | How to Shut Down Windows 10 using Cortana Voice Command
