I had a peculiar issue with copying and pasting files from my local computer to a Remote Desktop session. I could copy and paste locally, but the option to paste would be grayed out on the Remote Desktop computer. There are several ways to solve this problem depending on what you are trying to copy and paste.
Client Settings
- Right-click on the RDP icon that you use to connect, then select “Edit“.
- Select the “Local Resources” tab.
- Check the “Clipboard” option. To allow file copying and pasting, select “More…” and proceed to step 4. If you just need the ability to copy and paste text and not files, stop here and click “OK“.
- Select the “Drives” option. Click “OK“, then “OK” again.
Server Settings
First ensure that the Redirection settings are what you want them to be on the server.
Windows 2008
- Launch “Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration” from the server.
- Under “Connections“, right-click the connection and select “Properties“.
- Select the “Client Settings” tab, and make sure the “Clipboard” box is unchecked. If you want to allow copying and pasting of files, make sure the Drive selection is unchecked. Click OK when done.
I should also note that if you have all of these settings configured correctly and things still don’t work, you may need to restart the server or just kill the rdpclip process.
Windows 2012
- Open “Server Manager“.
- Select “Remote Desktop” Services.
- Select “Collections“.
- Select “Tasks“, then choose “Edit Properties“.
- Under the “Client Settings” tab, ensure the “Clipboard” and “Drive” is enabled.
This should be all you need to enable copying and pasting of files to your Remote Desktop session. I hope this tutorial has helped you. Please share your experience in the Comments section below.
Alex says
I wish there were images of the Server 2012 instructions. I am using a Japanese PC at work and don’t know how to read the menu options. :(
Rustam Shaikh says
Hi Mitch, Thanks for the article. It worked for me!
yogesh says
HI thanks for solution
but i am able to copy all other file except may outlook mail i can’t copy to disk
I have 2012 R2 64 bit and i am using think client to connect my server
Jul Pod says
Get This in a Bat – File:
Taskkill.exe /im rdpclip.exe
Rdpclip.exe
save it as Bat and execute.
Should Work Now.
Note: You have to do this on the Remotedesktop.
Atul Singh Chauhan says
Not working for me on my windows 10 machine. I am using my institute’s rdp (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard 64 bit) for processing files. I am able to copy raw file from my machine, but I am unable to copy the processed file from rdp to my local machine.
Glenn says
I can copy and paste to all “modern” programs, but not to an old legacy DOS program, running in an XP-session in Hyper-V. I wonder why?
Matt Harris says
Windows 7 Enterprise – Solved for me when:
Options > Experience > Change connection speed to ‘LAN (10 Mbps or higher’
I also ticked all the boxes.
Goodluck,
Harris
Avinash Raina says
I am facing the same issue with Windows Server 2012 R2. I followed all these troubleshooting steps but still it can’t fix my problem.
Roksolana says
Long Path Tool help me a lot when i have an issue like file deleting or renaming the file. Also good to use if file name and file extension is too long
Mubashar Ghuman says
hmmm this trick was not helpful for me, these 2 Checks 1: Drive and 2: Clipboard already true on server side, i have just removed these checks, it’s working now :P
Rajesh says
Working!
Praneeth says
Thanks for the detailed explanation. It Worked for me :)
Jason Carpenter says
For anyone who is reading this: I was having an issue with this. I would copy the data from excel on the remote desktop and then paste into excel on my local computer and after a while it would say “Excel is unable to paste the data”. Then the entire remote desktop would freeze up and I would have to kill it and restart it.
What fixed this for me is I would select all (control A) in excel on the remote desktop, and then paste as text on my local computer. This works every time for me.
Zahid Saeed says
How can I securely transfer a MySQL backup file from the virtual machine to my local machine?
Jittu says
Thanks, it worked for me
Paul says
It dosn’t work for me since I upgraded to Windows 10 on my local machine.. It’s still working on an old XP machine..
Ricardo Duarte says
Worked for me, Excelent, the key is enabling the DRIVE
vinod naik says
Worked for me. Thanks for the solution
kowsalya says
Eventhough I have checked the Drive box, I am unable to copy and paste from remote machine.
Is there any other way to make it work ???
Thanks,
Kowsalya.