Microsoft Fixes Excel 2016 Copy-Paste Bug
A new Excel 2016 build resolves a bug that blocked copying and pasting in workbooks with conditional formatting.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Software
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Microsoft's KB5002934 update for Excel 2016 reintroduced a copy-and-paste bug that had previously been fixed by the KB5002665 hotfix. Microsoft has released Excel build 16.0.5574.1006 to fix the issue.
Why it matters
The bug caused copy-and-paste to fail silently in workbooks containing conditional formatting, disrupting routine spreadsheet work for Excel 2016 users. Newer Excel versions are not affected.
The fix ships as Excel build 16.0.5574.1006 or later, which replaces the KB5002934 update for Excel 2016. The extraction does not specify how many installations were affected.
The players
Microsoft
Microsoft is the software company that develops and distributes Excel and ships its updates through Windows Update.
The details
The KB5002934 update for Excel 2016 brought back a bug that prevents copying and pasting when a workbook contains conditional formatting, and the function fails without showing an error message. Excel updates are delivered through Windows Update but are separate from operating system updates.
Timeline
October 2026: The October release caused the copy-and-paste bug to return.
One month before October 2026: An earlier update had broken Excel functionality and prompted the first occurrence of the bug.
Tech Race
The regression follows the earlier KB5002665 hotfix, which had resolved the same copy-and-paste defect in Excel 2016. The recurrence shows how a patch can supersede a prior fix and reintroduce an old problem.
Excel 2016 users with conditional formatting in their workbooks need build 16.0.5574.1006 or later to restore normal copy-and-paste behavior. Users of newer Excel versions are not affected by this bug.
The takeaway
Excel 2016 users should confirm they are running build 16.0.5574.1006 or later, since an update can reintroduce bugs that earlier fixes had resolved. Checking the build number after updating helps catch regressions like this one.
Further reading
For more on how software updates are rolled out and tested, see Software.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Windows Central.
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