PutInClipboard stores two symbols instead of correct data – How to FIX the issue

Have you experienced that PutInClipboard is not working in Word?

In this article you will learn how you can fix the issue if using .PutInClipboard in VBA for Word puts two symbols in the Clipboard instead of the correct data.

This article was first published January 29, 2023.

You can use the .PutInClipboard method to put data in the Clipboard, Afterwards, you can use VBA to insert the data, e.g. in a Word document, or the user can use Paste to insert the data.

For example, you can use .PutInClipboard in combination with the .Calculate method to calculate the sum of all numbers in the selection. The numbers might be placed in individual cells in a table or be mixed with other types of content. The result of using .PutInClipboard can then be inserted where desired.

However, there has been a bug or odd behavior with .PutInClipboard for years. Instead of getting the desired result, e.g. when pasting, you may see two symbols as shown below. The symbols look like two boxes, each with a question mark inside.

How to fix the issue if PutInClipboard is not working in Word

I have experienced the issue with the two symbols for years but not consistently. Sometimes .PutInClipboard works correctly and sometimes not.

I have not been able to find any consistency as to when the issue occurs. For example, I have not found that the order of staring Word and opening File Explorer is of importance.

Note that the same issue has been reported for .PutInClipboard in Excel. The fix above applies to Excel too.

Related information

Manipulating the clipboard using VBA – an article on The Word MVP Site.

The following Microsoft articles may also be of interest in relation to this article:

PutInClipboard method (Microsoft Forms)
Range.Calculate method (Word)