Command + V not working

Before scrolling down:

After pressing Command + C, try immediately pasting it in TextEdit or Notes to test if the content was really copied.

If it pastes there, the issue may be with Google Docs, not macOS or your keyboard.

Use the Menu Instead of Shortcuts (as a test)

Try using:

Edit → Copy and Edit → Paste from the menu bar instead of keyboard shortcuts.

If this works consistently, the issue might be with keyboard shortcut conflicts.

Check for Conflicting Extensions or Apps

Some clipboard managers or Chrome extensions can interfere with copy/paste.

Ask yourself:

Do you have any Chrome extensions like Grammarly, Clipboard History, or similar?

If yes, try disabling them one at a time and test copy/paste in Google Docs.

How to disable extensions:

Open Chrome.

Go to chrome://extensions

Toggle off one extension at a time and test.

tep245 wrote:

Yes, happens everywhere (e.g. notes, Microsoft word, etc) Also, I reckon there is an issue with command + V not working as opposed to there being an issue with the copy function: sometimes I'd copy something, then paste it two or three times successfully and in succession, but would then be unable to paste on 4th or 5th attempt. I have not had an issue with this until recently.

Restart in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts. The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.

Safe Mode will also eliminate Third Party Software, extensions and drivers from loading. It will only load the Minimum amount of Core Apple Processes to allow the the computer to function at a reduced Level of Performance 

Does the issue present in this mode ?

Sometimes a Safe Boot followed by a Normal Boot will just put things right.

If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.

If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.

Part 2 of 2

To Drill Down further and to avoid a session of Q&A, Q&A  and Q&A  

Download the Application Etrecheck  ( External Link ) directly from the Developer.

The Application is Not a " Silver Bullet "  and is  only a tool to examine the Hardware / Software used on this computer 

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer Hardware / Software used on this computer 

The application is free or paid from added features. 

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 

Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<<

tep245 wrote:

Yes, happens everywhere (e.g. notes, Microsoft word, etc) Also, I reckon there is an issue with command + V not working as opposed to there being an issue with the copy function: sometimes I'd copy something, then paste it two or three times successfully and in succession, but would then be unable to paste on 4th or 5th attempt. I have not had an issue with this until recently.

If you're a Microsoft user, then that's likely to make you more sensitive. This problem is much worse in Microsoft apps like Excel. I don't run Word much anymore so I don't know if it's a problem there. And in all fairness, it's mostly a Microsoft problem. However, because Excel has infuriated you to such an extent, then you notice changes in the underlying behaviour when it occurs in other apps.

Just because this is a basic operation doesn't mean it isn't subject to change. Apple made the clipboard a shared object in its "Continuity" feature so that you can copy on one device and paste on another.

On iOS, scam apps have forced Apple to put additional notifications and privacy protections into the clipboard. These days, macOS is little more than a skinned version of iOS, so those change eventually move over to the Mac. There, they may or may not work well with a bunch of even older legacy Mac logic.

And in Tahoe, Spotlight now includes clipboard content, which is yet more logic and more opportunities for random, edge case bugs. You can turn this off, of course, but that might not have much effect. There's no way to tell at what point Apple stops processing clipboard content for Spotlight. So disabling this feature may provide minimal improvement.

Your description of the eventual failure of the paste command is not something that I've noticed. For me, when I noticed it, I noticed it because my pasted content is not what I had expected. That being said, all the above still applies.

And neuroanatomist's test is also a good exercise, even if the idea is a bit triggering for those of us who lived through the butterfly keyboards. I also had to replace the keyboard on my old 2011 MacBook Pro. I think the heat from that Intel CPU eventually melted some of the internal keyboard connections. But given the obvious improvements in hardware quality, coupled with the obvious decay in software quality, I'm more included to think software would be the problem on a newer machine.

Wondering about the possibility of a hardware problem, such as a bit of debris under the V keycap.

What happens in you open a blank text document and just type v alternating with another letter a couple dozen times – are any V’s missing?

dialabrain wrote:

etresoft wrote:

Is this a common issue with Tahoe?

Yes.

It is? I haven't run into it since the first beta back in June.

I keep seeing references to "common issues" which I have also never seen on any version of Tahoe (beta or release). There is likely something else you must have installed for them to be common. I can certainly see there could be some issues generated with the introduction of the clipboard "history" function in Spotlight.

Barney-15E wrote:

I keep seeing references to "common issues" which I have also never seen on any version of Tahoe (beta or release). There is likely something else you must have installed for them to be common. I can certainly see there could be some issues generated with the introduction of the clipboard "history" function in Spotlight.

I assure you that I run a very lean ship. As the OP said, this is an unpredictable bug. But it also pre-dates Tahoe. But perhaps it's worse now or perhaps people are just more focused on new behaviour in Tahoe.

tep245 wrote:

I would be working a google doc, I'd then copy, scroll all the way down to paste, but would be unable to, so would have to scroll all the way back up to copy again.

Since you specified Google Docs, does it occur with any other apps?

I don't have any problem with copy and paste in Google Docs. Perhaps you should check Google Docs help.

I should add, I only tested the online version of Google Docs.

tep245 wrote:

Is this a common issue with Tahoe?

Yes.

etresoft wrote:

Is this a common issue with Tahoe?

Yes.

It is? I haven't run into it since the first beta back in June.

I assume you meant to reply to the OP.