When you paste an image from the modern Paint app in Windows 11 to Microsoft Word or Microsoft Outlook, the following error may occur:
Word has encountered a problem.
The error message is the same when you paste the copied image (from Paint) into Outlook.
However, the image may get pasted from the Clipboard after you dismiss the dialog by clicking Ok.
Cause
The above error occurs due to a missing Ole32.dll registry value. For some reason, the modern Paint app doesn’t create the registry value during installation. This causes Word or Outlook to return an error when attempting to paste the item as an OLE item (that’s how Paint stores images on the Clipboard).
This is not a problem generated by Microsoft Office. Also, Windows 10 doesn’t have this issue, as it comes with the classic Paint app, and the OS creates the entries by default. Unless the missing registry key is created, restoring the classic Paint app on Windows 11 also doesn’t resolve the issue.
Solution
To resolve the error “Word has encountered a problem” when pasting images from Paint, follow these steps:
Create the MS Paint Ole32.dll Registry key
- Start the Registry Editor (
regedit.exe). - Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{D3E34B21-9D75-101A-8C3D-00AA001A1652} - Create a subkey named “
InProcHandler32“ - Select
InProcHandler32and set its(default)value data to “ole32.dll”
- If you’re using Office 32-bit, make the same changes under this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Classes\CLSID\{D3E34B21-9D75-101A-8C3D-00AA001A1652} - Exit the Registry Editor.
REG file to automate/deploy the above setting:
Download word-paste-ole-fix.zip, unzip, and run “word-paste-ole-fix.reg“.
Contents of the REG file (FYI)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{D3E34B21-9D75-101A-8C3D-00AA001A1652}\InProcHandler32]
@="ole32.dll"
;For Office 32-bit running on Windows 11 (which is 64-bit)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Classes\CLSID\{D3E34B21-9D75-101A-8C3D-00AA001A1652}\InProcHandler32]
@="ole32.dll"
If you want to reverse the changes, run the undo.reg file.
That fixes the Office apps error when pasting images from MS Paint.
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This worked, thank you very much. 👌
Hey, this has been months of headaches, and I was getting ready for bed, man thank you so much!!!!!!!
Thank you. This problem has been driving me crazy. Greatly appreciated.
Thank you. This problem has been driving me crazy also. Greatly appreciated.
Thank you, Ramesh!
Hello Ramesh. I believe I am up to doing this although I don’t have all that much experience working this level of programming. I have learned to do it right the first time or be prepare for trouble beyond my skills. My system is running the 64 bit version of Windows 11. I would like to do your fix and I would also like to get classic Paint back (I use Paint a lot and don’t care for modern Paint much). Two questions: would I ‘put on’ classic Paint before completing your fix, or put it on after your fix? And how/where will I find classic Paint. I know I had it after the upgrade to Windows 11 originally but it seems to me it was over-ridden by modern paint when I did one of the updates so often called for. I already want to thank you because this bug is really driving me crazy but I just need a little more advice to do it right. Thank you.
@Sharon: You can get classic Paint using the instructions in article How to Get Windows 10 Classic Paint in Windows 11. The registry fix (for the Copy/Paste error) can be applied at any time regardless.
This works great, but it introduces a new problem.
When you double-click the image in Word it opens Paint.
It there a setting to prevent that?
Excellent! Works perfect.