Gemini Copy Bug With Links | Generated by AI
Question: Is it true that when using Gemini, if there is a link or YouTube preview in the response, the copy function in the frontend has issues?
Answer: Yes, there have been recurring reports of this issue. Users frequently encounter bugs where the “Copy” button in the Gemini web interface fails to work properly or results in a blank clipboard when the response contains specific interactive elements like YouTube previews, embedded links, or Markdown formatting.
Why this happens
The issue is typically a client-side JavaScript bug in the Gemini frontend. When a response contains a YouTube preview or a rich-text link, the “Copy” script sometimes fails to parse the underlying HTML or Markdown correctly.
- Clipboard API Conflicts: Modern browsers often block scripted “Copy” actions if they use older or deprecated APIs, which can happen when the site tries to package complex data (like a video embed) into the clipboard.
- Markdown Formatting Errors: Recent reports indicate that even when the copy function “works,” it may incorrectly format links as
[URL](URL)instead of[Display Text](URL), or strip the links entirely. - UI False Positives: The interface may show a “Copied” checkmark even if the clipboard remains empty because the UI state updates before verifying the success of the background clipboard operation.
Common Workarounds
If you are experiencing this, you can try the following:
- Manual Selection: Highlight the text with your cursor and use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+C on Windows, Cmd+C on Mac) instead of clicking the “Copy” button.
- Copy as Markdown: Some versions of the interface offer a “Copy as Markdown” option under the three-dot menu, which is sometimes more reliable for responses with links.
- Paste without Formatting: Try using Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Shift+V (Mac) when pasting to see if the content was copied but is simply failing to render in your destination app.
- Incognito Mode: Occasionally, browser extensions (especially ad-blockers) can interfere with the way Gemini renders YouTube previews and handles the clipboard.
References:
- Bug in Gemini Business: “Copy link” is blank
- Gemini’s copy response function incorrectly formatting Markdown
- Gemini Copy & Paste Not Working Discussion
Would you like me to provide a specific prompt you can use to force Gemini to provide text-only links without previews to avoid this bug?