Copying and pasting is all screwed up
The basic copy/paste function in Firefox seems to have changed on me and I need it back to the way it was.
It used to work like it does in any other Windows program. I could use Ctrl-C or right-clicking and selecting "copy" from the popup to copy, Ctrl-V or right-click-and-select to paste. But now that's all messed up because it seems that merely *SELECTING* text is enough to copy it. I can see how for some people that would be a productivity gain, but it messes up a lot of things I need to be able to do.
For example, I frequently need to select text and REPLACE it with something pasted from elsewhere. I can no longer do this; I have to delete the text manually then separately do the copy/paste, adding an unnecessary extra step. Another should-be-dirt-simple operation that this bug turns into an exercise in frustration is turning text I've previously written (in, say, a blog entry) into a link; this no longer works. Workarounds exist, but they're slower with more steps than the way I'm used to doing things, or else they only work in narrow, specific scenarios that don't always apply.
In short, for the way I work it is an ***ABSOLUTE, NON-NEGOTIABLE REQUIREMENT*** that selecting and copying be TWO DISTINCT THINGS.
When and why did this change, and more importantly, how do I change it back?
Chosen solution
Sorry about the "mystery windows" phrase, I should have modified that after pasting from another thread.
The only extension that looks as though it would care about selected text is "count-word-professional". Hmm... researching...
Yes, it does seem to have a feature of automatically copying to the clipboard, according to its page on the Add-ons site. Based on the screen shots, it seems to have an option on the right-click menu that might toggle between manual and automatic:
If that doesn't work, you might find the extension's settings on the Add-ons page. Either:
- Ctrl+Shift+a
- "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons
In the left column, click Extensions. Then find the extension on the right and look for an Options button.
Read this answer in context 👍 1All Replies (6)
Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.
- Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
- Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window
If Safe Mode doesn't behave normally, I suspect your program files are corrupted since obviously what you are experiencing is completely wrong. For that, the usual approach is:
Clean Reinstall
We use this name, but it's not about removing your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean (no inconsistent, corrupted, or alien code files). As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. Do NOT uninstall Firefox, that's not needed.
(1) Download a fresh installer for Firefox 39.0 from https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/ to a convenient location. (Scroll down to your preferred language.)
(2) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).
(3) Rename the program folder, either:
(64-bit Windows folder names)
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox
to
C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox
(32-bit Windows folder names)
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
to
C:\Program Files\OldFirefox
(4) Run the installer you downloaded in #1. It should automatically connect to your existing settings.
Any reduction in mystery windows?
Note: Some plugins may exist only in that OldFirefox folder. If something essential is missing, look in these folders:
- \OldFirefox\Plugins
- \OldFirefox\browser\plugins
I'll try these things as soon as it's practical and report back.
Well, it behaved normally in Safe Mode, but is back to the behaviour I described above now. (This would seem to mean there's no need for the clean install; I also am not sure what the above post means by "mystery windows" and wonder if there might not be a misunderstanding of the problem there.)
To reiterate the problem: Any time I select text in Firefox, it goes to the clipboard and that text is what appears whenever I use the Paste function. This obviously is a problem when, for example, I selected that text for the purpose of replacing it with text copied from elsewhere (that text gets "replaced" with itself, net result - nothing happens). This only happens when I select text in Firefox, not any other program, but the problem occurs no matter what application I paste into.
I know there are add-ons that do this on purpose but I don't have any of them installed. (EDIT: This later turned out not to be true. Say rather, I didn't have any that explicitly advertised that as their main feature installed.)
I have ruled out hardware acceleration as the source of the problem. Do any of the add-ons I have installed particularly look like likely sources of the problem? You should be able to see them under the Question Details above. Just wondering if anyone happens to be aware of a known issue along these lines with any of them, since apparently this is not, as I at first assumed, an intentional change in Firefox.
Modified by purpleplatypus
Chosen Solution
Sorry about the "mystery windows" phrase, I should have modified that after pasting from another thread.
The only extension that looks as though it would care about selected text is "count-word-professional". Hmm... researching...
Yes, it does seem to have a feature of automatically copying to the clipboard, according to its page on the Add-ons site. Based on the screen shots, it seems to have an option on the right-click menu that might toggle between manual and automatic:
If that doesn't work, you might find the extension's settings on the Add-ons page. Either:
- Ctrl+Shift+a
- "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons
In the left column, click Extensions. Then find the extension on the right and look for an Options button.
That's the culprit, all right! Removed that extension and it's back to normal.