Can't copy chat text

[d25789590]

In some meetings that I host I cannot copy the contents of the chat. For example to copy someone's email address that they share in the chat.

Is there a setting I'm missing? This used to just work and now it has stopped. Now the only option on my right-click menu is "Select All". (Using Windows 10)

Thank you.

[Dan_ZoomSE · Accepted solution]

Hello @d25789590,

The meeting Host has the ability to allow or prevent copying for in meeting Chat.  If you are finding that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't this is due to the host of those meetings having it turned off for their meeting setting.

This may be a little confusing as we do not have a specific setting for allowing/preventing copying of chat.  This is a by-product of the setting called "Allow users to save chat from the meeting".  When this is turned off or set to host only, then saving as well as copying chat is prevented.  Please see the attached screen capture.

If this has answered your question, please click the Accept as Solution button at the bottom of this message so that others in the Community may benefit from the response as well.

Thanks!

[RRS_Zoomer · Accepted solution]

One other observation, the last time this occurred I logged into the meeting on a second device (i.e. my iPhone). As I participant, my Copying and Pasting was unrestricted and worked flawlessly. I hope this helps the developers working on the fix for this issue. 

#SquashTheBug 

#FreeCopyandPaste

[LukeFlegg · Accepted solution]

Absolutely diabolical design.

I've just finished a big workshop and we couldn't actually end it for another 30 mins because we were all struggling to work out how to not lose the chat. I mean, seriously who designed this? It worked great before - "Export chat" or at least allow Copy paste. Just because Zoom messed up big time with security in the past it's now over compensating in the most clumsy way. You can't stop people doing effortless screenshots, which is what we had to do, so literally zero gain security-wise, just a HUGE amount of pain now having to type up the text from 20 screenshots. Wow.

[Dan_ZoomSE · Accepted solution]

Hello @d25789590,

The meeting Host has the ability to allow or prevent copying for in meeting Chat.  If you are finding that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't this is due to the host of those meetings having it turned off for their meeting setting.

This may be a little confusing as we do not have a specific setting for allowing/preventing copying of chat.  This is a by-product of the setting called "Allow users to save chat from the meeting".  When this is turned off or set to host only, then saving as well as copying chat is prevented.  Please see the attached screen capture.

If this has answered your question, please click the Accept as Solution button at the bottom of this message so that others in the Community may benefit from the response as well.

Thanks!

[DianeBerry]

I am the host and I did set so that anyone can save the chat. Still unable to copy text and paste it into the chat.

[UlrichR]

very dissatisfying feature!

[RRS_Zoomer]

As a host, I am unable to Copy and Paste from outside source (e.g. Notes.app). The feature still works inside if it is restricted to Zoom. In other words, I am able to Copy and Paste when inside the chat. But unable to Paste into the chat from other sources. 

[RRS_Zoomer · Accepted solution]

One other observation, the last time this occurred I logged into the meeting on a second device (i.e. my iPhone). As I participant, my Copying and Pasting was unrestricted and worked flawlessly. I hope this helps the developers working on the fix for this issue. 

#SquashTheBug 

#FreeCopyandPaste

[LukeFlegg · Accepted solution]

Absolutely diabolical design.

I've just finished a big workshop and we couldn't actually end it for another 30 mins because we were all struggling to work out how to not lose the chat. I mean, seriously who designed this? It worked great before - "Export chat" or at least allow Copy paste. Just because Zoom messed up big time with security in the past it's now over compensating in the most clumsy way. You can't stop people doing effortless screenshots, which is what we had to do, so literally zero gain security-wise, just a HUGE amount of pain now having to type up the text from 20 screenshots. Wow.

[MostlyGrateful]

Hi:

More than once, I've been in Zoom mtgs where others can copy text from Chat, and I'm not able to do so (both regular text and hypertext).  (Often, I can activate a link in Chat, and then copy it Safari, but that does not solve the problem with regular text.)  I keep my OS (Ventura 13.3.1 now) and Zoom updated.  My computer is one year old (Apple M1 Pro).  

Might this problem have something to do with being a Mac user?  Some months ago, there was a Zoom update that required a download from a different place for M1 users; however, this issue started before that and continues after.    

Thanks for any assistance you might be able to offer. 

[KeyWrangler]

It's April 2023, and our Moderator has not seen an option for enabling users to save their chats. I've sent her your screen shot and links to Zoom's Save Chat support pages  (and excerpts), but it troubles me that there are so many users noting this "bug" long after your Jan 2022 post.  Are we sure it is resolved? For everyone?

Incidentally, Zoom's tech support pages would benefit tremendously if they had screengrabs.

[OscarY]

Hi Dan,

I had the same problem with copying text ( e.g. email address) within the Chat box during a zoom meeting.

My meeting settings follow exactly yours but it still doesn't work. Still can't perform the "copy " function. Only "Reply" and "Delete" functions are available. 

Please see my attached screenshot. 

Thanks! 

[OscarY]

Sorry Dan I forgot to mention in my first reply that I'm not able to copy  text from the zoom meeting Chat box while using zoom mobile app (I'm using Android). 

But my desktop zoom app (Windows) works just fine. 

[MrTee]

This problem still exists and it's been over 1 year since first reported. This is wholly unacceptable, unprofessional, insulting to the community that have to use this product for professional purposes. I think it's about time that we all shift from using this crap service for something that works with proper tech support!

Dan_ZoomSE, clearly you have no shame!!!

[KeyWrangler]

To be fair (I think), Tech Support is absent only for unpaid users. Being a "free" user myself, I can't speak to the quality of Zoom's Support for paid users.  I was glad to find this Community as what I hope is a reasonable substitute.  However, if a product doesn't work as expected, it should not matter whether the user is a subscriber or not.  If the product is frustrating and has no solution, the non-paying user will never become a subscriber. 

I am rather disappointed in this.  Having participated in virtual meetings under various providers (some of which have their own quirks and deficiencies), I had been recommending Zoom as the most businesslike, feature-rich, easy-to-launch, and widely compatible product. Now I find that Zoom has laid off staff and apparently doesn't even repair bugs, let alone enhance its product (I have a list around here somewhere), so my recommendation has gone pretty much neutral.

[RN]

Hi@ @d25789590 @rachaela @KeyWrangler @MrTee @OscarY and everyone else on this thread. Please ensure to update to the latest version of Zoom no matter what device you're on. I would also ensure that your devices are up-to-date as well. Copying from in-meeting chat in a Zoom meeting should be a functionality to use. I am running the latest version of Zoom on the latest version of macOS with no issues. 

For mobile users; I would also ensure the same running the latest version of Zoom from the app store, as well as having your device up-to-date. 

Copy/Paste from Zoom meeting using copy from the drop down menu options. You can also cmd + c, cmd + v (MAC) for copy/paste and on (Windows), ctrl + c, ctrl + v

In-meeting Chat from iOS.

As the Host - I would ensure the security options    are selected for participants to participate in in-meeting chat.  

AND the appropriate options are selected from the '...' from in-meeting chat 

As a last resort, suggest looking into the discussion on Can't copy chat text using institutional account even when others can and see if this solution helps! 

 

 

[OscarY]

hello RN! 

Thanks very much for your reply.

The problem only occurs when I use my Andrioid cellphone, and it happened since the first time I used zoom. I just don't see the copy and paste function after clicking .... I have tried it several times with my colleagues and I even went in to my own meeting  room and same thing happened. 

Please see my attached mobile screen shot of the meeting chat.

Everything seems normal with my desktop zoom. I could see the copy and paste functions in the meeting chat but not with my Android cellpone. 

And I also checked the settings from the main page, and again I have ticked wherever necessary. 

And yes both desktop and mobile versions are all updated. 

I hope this clears things up.

Thank you very much!

[RN · Accepted solution]

Hi @ColabInt @OscarY could you try looking into your https://zoom.us/profile settings to see if the setting under Meeting Chat is disabled? 

Think that disabling the ability to save chat from the web portal will also disable in-meeting chat copy and paste shortcuts. However, after doing some more research, I'm not aware of any setting that would disable copy and paste in-meeting chat. 

[OscarY]

Hi RN,

No changes to this section, the In meeting Chat is always turned on, and 'allow users to save chat in the meeting' is also turned on. 

However, I went into my Meeting Chat this time with my mobile and the "copy", "quote" and "delete" buttons are back! 

 When I use the desktop zoom everything is fine, but it's always the mobile version that is missing these functions, and now they are back! 

[RN]

Hi @OscarY could you please confirm the Zoom version you're currently using that caused the copy/paste functionality to return?

[OscarY]

Hi RN,

I'm currently using version 5.15.2 (14613).

Thanks. 

[MrTee]

When I updated a few weeks ago the version it went to was 5.14.7 (18149).  I'll give it another month before I do another update when I will have more time to deal with any nonsense that might arise.

[ColabInt]

I'm on a licensed Business account, and participants cannot copy chat messages, while hosts & co-hosts can. We all updated our Zoom to the latest version. Please help!

[MrTee]

Hi,

I updated to the latest version of Zoom and the copy/paste of chats now appears to be working as expected.

Thanks for your help.

[lprospero]

@Dan_ZoomSE, why is the option to copy a single message or email address from the chat tied into the option to Save the full chat? If someone can save the full chat, how are private messages handled?

[KeyWrangler]

Technical SNAFUs aside, the Chat feature seems poorly thought out. First, though, I'm very glad that you have it. I just wish it behaved better and were not difficult for a novice moderator to enable. (One moderator went several meetings before she could identify it.) 

Ongoing issues are:

1. Enablement by moderator.

2. Attendee education: A moderator should not have to waste time explaining how to save the chat, and that the meeting will be extended X minutes before closing, so that people will have a chance to save the chat.   It is good that the chat can be saved incrementally throughout the meeting, in case the moderator or attendee forgets or gets confused at the end. But how many attendees know that? How many Moderators know to mention that?  Why not have an option to "Save Chat Automatically when meeting ends"?

3. During several meetings now, involving different organizations, Zoom has frozen on me. Repeatedly. That's a separate issue, critical enough for me to withdraw my recommendation of Zoom as best of breed.  But it exposes a serious Chat shortcoming.  When I restarted (which, BTW, repeatedly required the moderator to let me in--a distraction), my Chat restarted at that point of the meeting. ALL the previous chat content was lost!  This relates not only to the technical problem. What about people who joined the meeting late?  They can't see, let alone save the public chat content that already transpired? 

You should fix these aspects ASAP. 

[aburmeis]

To be honest, this is a complete useless feature imho. Any user can always copy the chat using a screenshot and nowadays using text recognition there is no "security" advantage to prevent copying. This is just creating user frustration.

[akseeker]

Some people in the meeting can copy text in the chat, I can't. I can highlight the text, but get an error-sound when pressing Cmd-C. Same using Ctrl-C.

I'm using macOS 10.13.6, Zoom Version just before 5.17.0 (27246)

Please fix!

[Redrichmond]

This is a bug. We were able to copy text into chat. Now it truncates or chops off the text. Even cutting the text into sections allows some copying but then it hits a maximum number of characters.

please fix it else we cant use use and will revert to MS teams

[BrunoB]

+1 - I agree with what wrote Redrichmond: to me, it is a bug, and i would like it to be fixed.

[canjune]

we have same problem! please fix it!

[burke]

I can't copy chat text in any meeting, even when other people can. I've tried completely uninstalling Zoom, rebooting, and re-installing Zoom, and still can't copy text in chat. It's definitely not a host setting, since other people on the same Zoom call can copy chat text and I cannot. I can also host my own calls & ensure saving chat is enabled and still cannot copy chat text. I haven't been able to copy text in any Zoom chat for well over a year. I can't copy links or text shared in chat. Very frustrating!

____

Running Version: 5.10.7 (7748) on macOS 12.4

[SlamMann]

Please address this feature/bug.  This limits us in meetings and work sessions where tech team members frequently share links.

[hemant_Zoom]

Yes its a bug. I have checked sometimes other meeting participants are able to copy the chat text but not working for me. This gets very frustrating. Please fix it ASAP.

[LConley]

Having the same issue as other users.  Other participants internal and external to our organization can paste into chat but I am unable to do so, even when I am host.  Very frustrating and limiting.  

[RRS_Zoomer]

It only occurs when I am hosting. The last time it happened, I joined the meeting with my phone in addition to the computer I was hosting from. I could copy and paste important announcements and URLs into the chat as a participant without any problem.

Maybe the next update will address this issue. I hope so. 

Thank you, in advance, for addressing this issue.

[samanthaBBB]

Do we have a solution yet!? This is so frustrating!

[RRS_Zoomer]

I don’t know. I had a friend make some suggestions regarding the Chat Settings for the meeting but those did not solve the issue. My workaround has been to join the meeting from a second device. Not ideal, for sure. 

[Tron27]

Very annoying issue - still waiting for resolution...

[aleaven]

Our team routinely needs to send ticket IDs via chat that need to be copied to other workbooks or external sources. Its very annoying that I cannot copy from the chat and paste into other documentation, especially as I have dyslexia and am prone to switching numbers around.

[burke]

FWIW, our institution was using a separate subdomain for secure Zoom account and as security features have become more standard for Zoom, recently merged everyone into a single Zoom subdomain. It turns out my inability to copy chat was something involving my specific institutional account. During that merger, something got fixed with my account so I can now copy chat messages again! So, I'm convinced those folks who are unable to copy chat messages have some "feature" or corruption in their account that's preventing it. I wasn't able to identify what needed to change on the server side (I just got lucky because of the subdomain merger at our institution), but would suggest those who are still stuck in the land of no-copy-for-you-in-Zoom see if they can have their account purged & recreated to see if it fixes the problem.

[gk94122]

My "chat" setting has never changed -- I have always allowed users to save chats -- and yet recently, my users started not being able to copy the text from chats... so something weird must have happened in the Zoom backend?