Unable to Copy and Paste to and from Remote Desktop Session in Windows 10 or 11: How Do I Fix?

Copy Paste not working over Windows 10 RDP connection

It's annoying if you are unable to copy and paste to and from Remote Desktop (RDP) session in Windows 10/11, especially when you urgently need to transfer essential files from remote desktop to your local PC.  When you are stuck in the same issue, keep reading to realize why copy-paste isn't working over RDP and how to enable copy and paste in Remote Desktop session. 

Causes and fixes to "unable to copy and paste to/from Remote Desktop session" Windows 10/11

Various components like wrong Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) settings and rdpclip.exe not synchronizing in the RDP sharing chain can cause RDP copy-paste not to work. To fix it, you can restart rdpclip.exe, change RDC settings and configure Remote Desktop Services.

Fix 1. Restart rdpclip.exe on the remote computer

Based on many users' feedback, copy and paste can work after rdpclip.exe is restarted on the remote computer. 

Step 1. Access Task Manager on the remote computer after you press Windows + R, input taskmgr.exe, and click OK in the Remote Desktop Connection window. 

Note: Remote Desktop Clipboard is a Windows utility that enables you to manage a shared clipboard between a local host and remote desktop. It runs on the remote PC rather than on your local PC. 

Step 2. Go to Process, right-click rdpclip.exe and click End task. 

Step 3. Click File, choose Create new task, and input rdpclip.exe. Then, click OK to run rdpclip.exe. 

Then, you can try to copy files from remote desktop to your local PC or from local PC to the remote computer to see whether copy and paste can work. 

Fix 2. Check Remote Desktop Connection Settings on the local computer

If you still can't copy and paste to or from RDP session, you can check whether you have set up Remote Desktop Connection correctly. 

Step 1. End the current remote desktop session. On your local computer, press Windows + R, input "mstsc" to open Remote Desktop Connection.

Step 2. On the pop-up window, go to Local Resources and check the box before Clipboard. 

Step 3. Go to General and establish a remote connection again to see whether you can copy and paste between the connected computers. 

Fix 3.  Enable Clipboard redirection via Registry Editor

Supposed that the issue unable to copy and paste files to/from Remote Desktop session occurs even after trying Fix 1 and Fix 2, you can enable clipboard redirection via Registry Editor on both the local computer and the remote computer.  The steps are listed below.

Step 1.  Press Windows + R, input  ”regedit” and press Enter to open Registry Editor.

Step 2. Go to Computer>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Control>Terminal Server>WinStations>RDP-Tcp > fDisableClip.

Step 3. Double-click fDisableClip and make sure the value data is set to 0. 

Step 5. Close the window. Run the Remote Desktop session and try to copy and files again. 

 Fix 4. Disable "Do not allow clipboard redirection" in group policy

For Windows 10/11 Pro and Windows Server 2016, you can check the  Grop Policy Settings on the remote computer to fix unable to copy and paste to/from RDP session. 

Step 1. Open Group Policy on the remote computer after you press Windows key and R and type “gpedit.msc” and click OK.

Step 2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Device and Resource Redirection, and find Do not allow Clipboard redirection. Double click it, choose Disabled, and click OK.

Switch to remote access software with File Transfer: AnyViewer

If all the listed fixes are not workable for fixing unable to copy and paste to/from Remote Desktop session, it's time to switch to another remote access software with File Transfer feature.  AnyViewer supports you to transfer files between remote computer and local computer with fast speed in remote session. Besides, it supports you to state remote file transfer without taking full control of the remote computer. Now, free download the tool and follow the steps to transfer files from one computer to another computer remotely. 

Option 1. Transfer files in from remote desktop or to remote desktop in remote session

If you need to fully access the remote computer and then exchange files between the two computers, choose this one. 

Step 1. Sign up for an AnyViewer account and sign in to the same account on the two computers. The device will be assigned to the account once logged in. 

 Step 2. On the local computer, go to Device and locate the remote PC. Click it and choose One-click control to access an unattended computer with one click. 

Step 3. In the remote session over AnyViewer, click Files to launch File Transfer window.

In this window, choose the files you want to move and click the triangle icon to start the operation.

Option 2. Transfer files between two computers without full control

If you just need to transfer files from one PC to another PC over the internet without fully controlling another computer, you can choose this one. 

Step 1.  Launch AnyViwer on both computers. Sign up for an AnyViwer account. Sign in to this account on the computer where you want to start remote file transfer. 

Step 2. Then go to Connect, input the device ID of the remote computer, choose File Transfer and click OK.

Step 3. Select the first option if there is someone to accept your request for file transfer on the other end. Choose the second one and input the security code of the remote computer if you have security code for it.

Then, you'll access the File Transfer window directly without fully accessing the remote computer. You can transfer files from the local computer to the remote computer or from the remote computer to your local PC as you want.

Conclusion

When you are unable to copy and paste to/ from Remote Desktop session in Windows 10 or 11, you can try the fixes aforementioned one by one. Or you can just switch to another remote desktop software with File Transfer feature to transfer files between two computers easily and securely.