Clipboard Is Stuck on OS X

These steps can be taken regardless of whether you have a MacBook, iMac or MacBook Pro.

The OS X "Clipboard" stores the information that you copy using the "Apple + C" or "Edit" menu "Copy" input. Sometimes, however, this Clipboard can become stuck on one piece of information, meaning that you can no longer copy and paste new information. If this happens you can fix the problem in several ways, including repairing your computer's permissions, deleting the Finder preferences file and, as a last resort, reinstalling the OS using your Mac OS X installation disc.

Instructions

Repair Permissions

1. Click the "Finder" icon in the computer's dock, followed by the "Applications" folder icon.

2. Click the "Utilities" folder icon and double-click the "Disk Utility" application icon to launch the application.

3. Click on the "Macintosh HD" option in the Disk Utility window. Click the "Repair Disk Permissions" button to repair the computer's disk permissions. Once the permission repairing process is finished, test out the Clipboard to see if it is still stuck. If it is, move on to Section 2.

Delete Finder Preferences

1. Click the "Finder" icon in the computer's dock, followed by the "Home" folder icon.

2. Click the "Library" folder icon, followed by the "Preferences" folder icon. Locate the file titled "com.apple.finder.plist."

3. Drag the "com.apple.finder.plist" file into the Trash icon in the computer's dock. Right-click the Trash icon and select the "Empty Trash" option.

4. Click the "Apple" icon in the computer's task bar at the top of the screen, and select the "Force Quit" option. Click the "Finder" option and click the "Relaunch" button to relaunch the Finder and rebuild the Finder preferences.

5. Test out the Clipboard to see if it is still stuck. If it is, move on to Section 3.

Reinstall OS

1. You will only want to use this option as a last resort -- and may prefer to have a Mac computer professional check out your system first. Insert your Mac OS X installation disc into the computer's disc drive. Double-click on the installation disc icon on the computer's desktop.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions to start the reinstallation process. Select your Mac OS X disk as the destination. Click the "Options" button and be sure to only select the "Archive and Install" option, followed by the "Preserve Users and Network Settings" option. Click the "Continue" button. Do not click "Erase and Install" unless you want to erase the entire contents of your hard drive.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the reinstallation process. Click "Continue" then "Install." With the operating system reinstalled, the Clipboard will be unstuck.

References

• Apple Docs: Reinstalling OS X