Unable to Copy/Paste Text in Microsoft Word

Issue/Question

When I right-click to copy something typed in Word, there is no option to copy or paste.  The only options are to Ignore or Add to Dictionary.

Environment

  • Microsoft Office 2016
    • Word 2016

Cause

When Microsoft Word detects that text is misspelled or grammatically incorrect (indicated by squiggly red or blue lines, respectively), the option to copy the text via right-click is disabled.  

Resolution

While this feature cannot be turned off, there are several options available:

  • Correct the spelling/grammatical error.
  • Right-click the affected text and select Ignore or Add to Dictionary.

 Note: The latter option is not recommended, as spell checker will no longer detect the text as typed as being incorrect.

  • Highlight the affected text and use Ctrl+C to manually copy the text.   
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