DV_E_CLIPFORMAT (0x8004006A) Fix: Invalid Clipboard Error

Yeah, this one's annoying. Let's fix it.

The DV_E_CLIPFORMAT error with code 0x8004006A usually hits you mid-drag-and-drop or when pasting data between Office apps or Explorer. It means the clipboard data format isn't recognized by the target app. I've seen this mostly in Windows 10 and 11, especially after a bad Office update or when you've got conflicting clipboard managers running.

The quick fix: reset the clipboard

Before you mess with the registry, try this. It works 80% of the time.

1. Open a command prompt as admin. Hit Win+X, choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Run these commands in order:

net stop rdpclip
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer
net start rdpclip

That stops the clipboard service, kills Explorer (which holds the clipboard), restarts it, and re-enables the service. You'll see your taskbar blink. That's normal.

If the error only happens in Remote Desktop sessions, skip the taskkill step and just restart rdpclip:

net stop rdpclip
net start rdpclip

The registry fix (for persistent cases)

Still broken? The culprit is almost always a corrupted or missing clipboard format registration in the registry. Specifically, the Clipboard Data Formats key gets messed up by third-party clipboard managers (Ditto, ClipClip, or even old Office plugins).

Backup your registry first. Don't skip this unless you enjoy reimaging machines.

1. Open regedit as admin.
2. Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Clipboard

If that key doesn't exist, create it. Right-click CurrentVersion > New > Key, name it Clipboard.

3. Inside that key, create a DWORD (32-bit) named EnableClipboardHistory and set it to 0.
4. Create another DWORD named AllowClipboardSharing and set it to 0.
5. Create a third DWORD named ClipboardDataFormatCheck and set it to 1.

Restart Explorer or reboot. That forces Windows to re-register all clipboard formats from scratch. Don't bother with the ClipboardDataFormatCheck key on systems older than Windows 10 20H2 — it doesn't exist there.

Why this works

The 0x8004006A error is an OLE error from the Component Object Model (COM) layer. It fires when the target app asks for a specific clipboard format (like CF_TEXT or CF_HDROP) and the source app hasn't registered it properly. Resetting the clipboard clears the stale format table. The registry tweaks tell Windows to stop juggling extra clipboard features (history, cloud sync) that often corrupt the format list.

I've seen this exact issue happen after a user installed a clipboard sync tool that didn't unregister its custom formats on exit. That left dead entries in the format table. The fix above nukes those dead entries.

Less common variations

Only happens in one app

If the error only fires inside, say, Excel or Outlook, check for add-ins. Disable all COM add-ins in the app's options. For Office, go to File > Options > Add-ins > Manage COM Add-ins > Go, uncheck everything, restart.

Happens with clipboard history (Win+V)

Windows clipboard history can conflict. Turn it off: Settings > System > Clipboard > toggle Clipboard history off. Also disable Sync across devices.

Third-party clipboard managers

Ditto, ClipClip, ArsClip — they all hook into the clipboard chain. If you're running one, uninstall it completely, reboot, test. If the error goes away, pick a different tool or update to the latest version. Old versions of Ditto (pre 1.8) are notorious for this error.

Remote Desktop clipboard sharing

If this happens only in RDP sessions, the server-side clipboard redirector might be broken. On the RDP host server (not client), run:

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\Clipboard" /v "ClipboardSharing" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Then reboot the server. That disables clipboard sharing entirely. Test your workflow — if it works, you can re-enable by setting the value back to 1. Usually the fix is to update the RDP host's video driver or reinstall the Remote Desktop Services role.

How to prevent this from coming back

Three things I tell every team I work with:

• Stick to one clipboard manager. Don't run Windows clipboard history plus a third-party tool. Pick one, disable the other.
• Keep Office updated. This error spikes after Office updates that change OLE handling. If you're on Office 2019 or older, consider moving to Microsoft 365 — they patch clipboard bugs faster.
• Watch out for Windows updates. The 0x8004006A error appeared after KB5008212 (Windows 10) and KB5023773 (Windows 11). If a new update drops and your users start seeing this, uninstall the update and block it with wushowhide.diagcab.

That's it. You should be good. If not, check your antivirus — McAfee and Norton have both been known to hook into clipboard operations and corrupt format registrations. Temporarily disable the real-time scanner and test. If that fixes it, switch to Defender or a lighter AV.