Solved Ghostly "Paste" still in desktop context menu

I still have this ghost Paste command in my desktop context menus on both my main W11 machines. It's there no matter how many times I've restarted, and no matter what I've done recently. It does nothing, of course, because it's greyed out. The only way I can bring it to life (apparently) is to copy something like a shortcut. Then it goes black, and its partner, Paste Shortcut, shows up.

I've still found nothing on the Net that addresses this ghost.

Anybody here have any idea how to exorcize this ghost?

my paste menu item is also grayed out.
it's not grayed only if there is something to paste.

your context menu looks just fine to me.

Is your Paste item a permanent entry on your desktop context menu?

Anybody else have Paste always there and always grey, unless you've copied something paste-able?

Wisewiz said:

Is your Paste item a permanent entry on your desktop context menu?

Click to expand...

yes, it's always there and always grayed out unless I have copied something.

Example, it's grayed out:

Well, I don't believe for a second that you and I have the only W11 computers with ghost Paste entries in the desktop context menu, so I guess it's a non-issue. Maybe I'm just trying to solve a mystery that isn't one. If a ghost Paste entry is just standard issue for W11 desktop context menus, I'll stop worrying about it.

I'm kinda hoping, though, that someone else will pop into this thread and tell me he/she does not have the permanent Paste entry.

Paste is greyed out until you actually copy something that can be pasted.

Create an empty text file on the desktop, right click on the file and select copy. Then move to an empty space on the desktop and right click. Paste will no longer be greyed out and will be functional.

Wisewiz said:

Well, I don't believe for a second that you and I have the only W11 computers with ghost Paste entries in the desktop context menu, so I guess it's a non-issue. Maybe I'm just trying to solve a mystery that isn't one. If a ghost Paste entry is just standard issue for W11 desktop context menus, I'll stop worrying about it.

I'm kinda hoping, though, that someone else will pop into this thread and tell me he/she does not have the permanent Paste entry.

Click to expand...

It's a normal thing. Paste is greyed out if there is nothing in the clipboard to paste - it doesn't disappear.

well at least you can conclude that the ghost was indeed just a ghost and not real lol.

Wisewiz said:

Well, I don't believe for a second that you and I have the only W11 computers with ghost Paste entries in the desktop context menu, so I guess it's a non-issue. Maybe I'm just trying to solve a mystery that isn't one. If a ghost Paste entry is just standard issue for W11 desktop context menus, I'll stop worrying about it.

I'm kinda hoping, though, that someone else will pop into this thread and tell me he/she does not have the permanent Paste entry.

Click to expand...

Ghost paste has existed forever - ever since win95 all the way up ... if you don't have anything to paste then the paste option is grayed out

Thank you, one and all. I now know I was chasing a ghost, not a real glitch. It's been there all the time, and I just never noticed it until I started customizing my context menus, and couldn't get rid of Paste. I've marked this Solved.