Xfce Forum

Citizen Snips

Member

Registered: 2020-05-06

Posts: 30

clipboard completely stopped working

I am running XFCE and my clipboard appears to have completely stopped working. If I try to highlight text in any application, the highlighting disappears as soon as I release the left mouse button and the text is not copied to the clipboard. Consequently I am not able to right click the text and click "Copy" and I am also unable to copy the text to the clipboard by just highlighting it.

Is there any way to fix this problem without completely restarting my session?

The command "xfce4-about" is not installed on my system, but if I run "xfce4-panel --version", I get 4.12.1.

CwF

Member

Registered: 2018-01-28

Posts: 305

Re: clipboard completely stopped working

seriously, it's the button.
When it acts up try drawing and holding the selection box on blank desktop like you were selecting a bunch of icons. Faulty buttons can't hold the selection and will skip. I have a trackball that acts up like that, The button contact can 'bounce' and send another click erasing your selection.

And use the keyboard to select so you know that the clipboard is in fact working.

Last edited by CwF (2022-11-03 03:15:29)

Citizen Snips

Member

Registered: 2020-05-06

Posts: 30

Re: clipboard completely stopped working

It doesn't seem to be the mouse button. If I draw a selection box on a blank desktop, the box remains until I manually release the mouse.

In any terminal or application window within my XFCE session, the text remains highlighted for as long as press down on the left mouse button. As soon as I release the left mouse button, the highlighting disappears and the text is not copied to the clipboard.

How do I select text with the keyboard?

CwF

Member

Registered: 2018-01-28

Posts: 305

Re: clipboard completely stopped working

How do I select text with the keyboard?

...in the terminal you mean...good point. I think selection is only a mouse action in a terminal. But checking with text in another program, like this message in a browser you can check with the keyboard, and also with the mouse. Then you know the clipboard is working and reduce the question to a terminal interaction issue or the mouse button. You want to rule out where it does work, to narrow down the possibilities.

You can also try coordinating a middle click with the selection to check the x-clipboard. Select something in any program and middle click on the highlighted text, done with a mouse or keyboard, then open a terminal and middle click to paste it.

Mellowbob

Member

Registered: 2011-10-16

Posts: 286

Re: clipboard completely stopped working

Sadly, there appear to be lots of applications where you cannot highlight a section of text and paste that anywhere (including the clipboard).

I find this really unfortunate ... especially in 2020. But, don't dump on xfce4 for this. It's the same in other desktops as well.