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Why can I copy text and URLs, but cannot paste into Facebook timeline post or comment fields?

  • 8 majibu
  • 2 wana tatizo hili
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by AlSwilling

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I am running Firefox 54.0.1, 32-bit browser on a Windows 10 Professional, 64-bit operating system.

On every previous version of Firefox, I have been able to navigate, post, and comment on Facebook without a hitch. Since I updated to the latest version of Firefox, I can copy text and URLs, but I can no longer paste them into the post field on my timeline, and I cannot paste them into the comment field of someone else's post.

Instead of pasting the data into the field, the field disappears, and the data has not been pasted or posted.

I've tried disabling and uninstalling extensions and plugins in the browser, but nothing helps.

Google Chrome works fine on Facebook, but Firefox does not work well at all.

I am running Firefox 54.0.1, 32-bit browser on a Windows 10 Professional, 64-bit operating system. On every previous version of Firefox, I have been able to navigate, post, and comment on Facebook without a hitch. Since I updated to the latest version of Firefox, I can copy text and URLs, but I can no longer paste them into the post field on my timeline, and I cannot paste them into the comment field of someone else's post. Instead of pasting the data into the field, the field disappears, and the data has not been pasted or posted. I've tried disabling and uninstalling extensions and plugins in the browser, but nothing helps. Google Chrome works fine on Facebook, but Firefox does not work well at all.

Chosen solution

Facebook intercepts your paste to do fancy things with it, like turn URLs into little web page summaries. That requires some scripts to be able to respond to the event of receiving a paste. Could you check to see whether you modified this setting and, if you did, try setting it back to the default:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste CLIPB and pause while the list is filtered

(3) If the dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled preference is bolded and "modified" or "user set" to false, double-click it to restore the default value of true

One other thing to try if that isn't the issue, is to type a space or a word in the box before pasting to make sure the control is primed and ready for input.

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All Replies (8)

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I notice this in your info supplied " Error during ANGLE OpenGL init. " I understand it is for a game. It seems issues with it. https://www.google.ca/search?q=Error+during+ANGLE+OpenGL+init.+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=qih0WfWCLti2jwPMj5XYBA Suggest re-install Video Drivers or Update (maybe to fix as not going there, is just for your info) https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/upgrade-graphics-drivers-use-hardware-acceleration TRY NO ACCELERATION ALSO Be aware Microsoft can change your drivers in Windows 10 \ https://www.howtogeek.com/263851/how-to-prevent-windows-from-automatically-updating-specific-drivers/ Firefox new version expected early Aug for your info.

I suggest you try this as it truly disables Extensions and ... https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode See if things work this way and if does it is a Extension or .... I suggest deleting cookies and cache and not run Ublock https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/delete-cookies-remove-info-websites-stored If you really need something in the above go through it manually. See how that helps...

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

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Pkshadow, thank you for your reply. There is one assumption, though, that you made that isn't accurate. I will answer your response point-by-point:

You wrote: I notice this in your info supplied " Error during ANGLE OpenGL init. " I understand it is for a game. It seems issues with it. https://www.google.ca/search?q=Error+during+ANGLE+OpenGL+init.+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=qih0WfWCLti2jwPMj5XYBA Suggest re-install Video Drivers or Update (maybe to fix as not going there, is just for your info)...

Be aware Microsoft can change your drivers in Windows 10 \ https://www.howtogeek.com/263851/how-to-prevent-windows-from-automatically-updating-specific-drivers/

My Reply: You understand wrong that "it is for a game". As I described in my original post, what I'm trying to do is paste copied text, URLs, etc. into a "share" or "post" field on Facebook. It has nothing to do with online games, nor the games on Facebook. I don't play games on Facebook or anywhere else online. So, no. Your understanding is incorrect.

Regarding my video drivers, I have the newest NVIDIA drivers for my NVIDIA video card. Likewise for my monitor. All my device drivers are up to date, and Windows 10 is using those drivers.

Even if Windows 10 was using its own drivers for one or more device, that should be taken into consideration by all browser and other software developers during development. It's "Software Development 101".

I design and build machinery for a living, and the first thing that one learns is to take all factors into consideration when designing a machine, especially a machine that is being designed to work effectively and efficiently with other machinery. In such a scenario, one does not build a machine that works with other machinery on a hit-or-miss basis. It has to work consistently, and its performance must be flawless. So it is with software. The concept is identical.

You wrote: TRY NO ACCELERATION ALSO

My Reply: I tried that in two different scenarios: First with Add-ons enabled, and second with Add-ons disabled. It makes no difference.

You wrote: I suggest you try this as it truly disables Extensions and ... https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode See if things work this way and if does it is a Extension or .... I suggest deleting cookies and cache and not run Ublock https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/delete-cookies-remove-info-websites-stored If you really need something in the above go through it manually. See how that helps...

My Reply:

I ran Firefox with all Add-ons disabled, and it makes no difference. I tried disabling the add-ons manually, and it made no difference. The problem persists either way.

Additional Information: Firefox performance running on Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit, SP1

My machine is set up for dual boot. I am running Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit; and Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit, with Service Pack 1.

I have also tried uninstalling Firefox 32-bit browser from both Windows 7 and Windows 10 and installing Firefox's 64-bit version on both systems. The 64-bit version exhibited even more problems. It was slower all the way around than the 32-bit version. The general browsing experience was not good, regardless of which operating system I used. Consequently, I uninstalled Firefox 64-bit browser on both operating systems, scrubbed the registry, and reinstalled Firefox 32-bit.

In Windows 7, I can copy, paste, and post just fine in Firefox. I tried it with add-ons enabled, and again with add-ons disabled. I am using the same version of Firefox on both operating systems. The problem with using Firefox with Facebook when using Windows 7 is that it is slower when scrolling, typing, etc.; and performance degrades to the point that I have to close Firefox, clear the cache and all Flash cookies, then restart Firefox.

In contrast to Firefox's behavior, I can open Google Chrome, 64-bit browser in either operating system, and it navigates Facebook just fine. There are no problems, and browsing speed and accuracy are consistent on Facebook from start to finish. However, I do not like Google Chrome for several reasons, not the least of which is security and privacy.

Google may say that it respects the user's privacy, but it does not. Firefox is moving farther and farther away from user security and confidentiality, but it's still better than the alternatives. Almost every browser is more secure and respectful of user privacy than Google Chrome, with the possible exception of Microsoft's Edge browser. I've never used Edge.

Be that as it may, Firefox does not play well with Facebook in Windows 10. The solution, as I see it, is for Mozilla to stop shifting the blame to Windows 10 and simply build a browser that works well in that environment, with Windows 10's quirks taken into account. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, the only one having these same issues.

It's like this: If Google's Chrome developers can build a browser in two flavors (32-bit and 64-bit) that works well and works consistently in Windows 10--and they have--then Mozilla's Firefox developers should be able to do likewise. I realize that the cores of the two browsers are different, but the principle is the same, which is to render web pages and their contents correctly, dependably, and consistently. I read somewhere that at least some of the developers of Google Chrome were former Mozilla developers. Perhaps Mozilla should see about getting them back, so they can fix Firefox's problems.

I am not just some Facebook junkie. I am Indigenous American (Native American) and founder of an international Native American nonprofit organization that deals with human, civil, and Constitutional rights issues that affect Indigenous American tribal nations. Our organization has a page on Facebook and Twitter, as well as our regular website. I need a dependable browser that will allow copying and pasting of content on Facebook, and that will allow me to view the pages as they were designed to be viewed. A lot of what I post on Facebook is text that I write and edit in notepad, then copy and paste into the organization's Facebook page and share to my personal timeline. Links to pertinent articles dealing with indigenous issues, and posts by other Indigenous Facebook users are also shared, sometimes with comments copied and pasted. As things stand, I cannot use Firefox on Facebook. I have to use Google Chrome. Edge is not an option. I refuse to use a Microsoft browser.

I have used Firefox since its first version, and I have trusted the browser from the start, because it was a fast, lightweight, and dependable version of Mozilla that offered the user infinitely better control of content and privacy than Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Other loyal Firefox users and I are really hoping that Firefox will once again be the innovative, trustworthy, and dependable browser that it has historically been. Sadly, at this time, Firefox is not the innovative browser that it has always been. Firefox and the Mozilla team have always led the way and stayed on top of new web developments, while simultaneously protecting the privacy and the computer investments of its users.

I am hopeful that Mozilla's Firefox will once again take its place at the head of the pack, as the leader in browser technology. Many features of other browsers were directly influenced and originally developed by Mozilla and integrated into Firefox. For example, other browsers would not have tabs if it were not for Firefox. There are other things, as well, but that is the most obvious example.

I really hope that Firefox will get itself on track and will get back into the business of paying attention and building the best browser, and of being the innovative trend setter that it has always been, and out of the business of shifting the blame.

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Try the alternative keyboard shortcuts (Insert variant) in case the buttons on the web page or other methods aren't working.

  • Copy: Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert (Mac: Command + C)
  • Paste: Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert (Mac: Command + V)
  • Cut: Ctrl+X or Shift+Delete (Mac: Command + X)
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Suluhisho teule

Facebook intercepts your paste to do fancy things with it, like turn URLs into little web page summaries. That requires some scripts to be able to respond to the event of receiving a paste. Could you check to see whether you modified this setting and, if you did, try setting it back to the default:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste CLIPB and pause while the list is filtered

(3) If the dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled preference is bolded and "modified" or "user set" to false, double-click it to restore the default value of true

One other thing to try if that isn't the issue, is to type a space or a word in the box before pasting to make sure the control is primed and ready for input.

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Thank you, cor-el, for your input. I mostly use keyboard commands to do copy, paste, and delete. Occasionally I will use a combination of mouse clicks and the keyboard to highlight, then keyboard shortcuts to do the actual copy and paste. The results are the same, whether I use the mouse or the keyboard to paste. As soon as I do Ctrl+V or right-click and paste, the post or comment field closes, and the post or comment is canceled.

Regarding your suggestion that I type a word into the field before doing the copy & paste functions, I tried that several times. During the last few posts that I did as "test posts" when trying different potential solutions, I typed the words, "This is a test. This text will be deleted at the conclusion of this test." Then I pasted the copied text. It was when I right clicked and clicked "Paste", or when I did Ctrl+V that the comment field or post field would vanish, and the post never got posted. So, that did nothing to stop the glitch.

I also checked my mouse and keyboard, and used a different mouse and keyboard that I knew were working properly to see if it may have been a faulty mouse switch or stuck key, but it was neither. Once, in the past, a bad mouse switch caused all kinds of problems that seemed to be software or virus related, when it was really hardware related. I eliminated that as a possibility early on, when I first began having the problem.

Thanks again for your response and for your help.

Thank you to all who responded.

Modified by AlSwilling

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Did you try Shift+Insert to paste in case the Ctrl key is intercepted?

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Thank you "jscher2000", for your suggestion.

I tried changing the value of dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled in Firefox 54.0.1 a couple of weeks ago, and it didn't work for me. I tried it both ways, in fact.

HOWEVER, last night I updated Firefox to 55.0.2, and while I was having the same problem on Facebook with the new version's default setting (false), after I changed the dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled setting to "true", the issue was resolved. Thank you very much for prompting me to try that again, even though it did not work in the past. Maybe there was a glitch in my download and installation of the previous version (54.0.1) that was resolved when I updated.

Whatever it was, it works fine now. All I can say, jscher2000, other than "Thank you" is, something that my grandpappy, Ol' Reliable used to say, "Why, thank ya fer yer help! I'll dance at your weddin' fer that!"

As we old hippies used to say, "Peace and blessings to you and yours".

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Cor-el, no, I did NOT try Shift+Insert. Thanks for asking. I will try that if the problem recurs. Thank you very much for bringing that to my attention.

Peace and blessings to you and those you love.