Fix Copy/Paste (Clipboard) Not Working on Ubuntu via RDP (XRDP)

Applies to Ubuntu 24.04 and Ubuntu 22.04 when connecting with Microsoft Remote Desktop (mstsc).

1. Quick Summary

If clipboard is enabled in the RDP client but Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V still does not work inside Ubuntu, the most common cause on XRDP is that the channel server process (xrdp-chansrv) is not starting or is installed in a different path than XRDP expects. Without xrdp-chansrv, the clipboard (cliprdr) channel cannot connect.

2. Symptoms

Typical symptoms include:

·   Clipboard option is enabled in mstsc, but paste does nothing inside Ubuntu.

·   XRDP logs contain errors like: xrdp_mm_chansrv_connect: ... error

·   The xrdp-chansrv process is not present in the RDP session.

3. Windows (mstsc) Checks

Before changing Ubuntu, confirm the Windows client is configured correctly.

1. Step-by-step:

2. Open Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc).

3. Go to Local Resources.

4. Ensure Clipboard is checked.

5. Reconnect to Ubuntu.

Screenshot: mstsc > Local Resources (Clipboard enabled).

Figure 1 - Microsoft Remote Desktop (mstsc) Local Resources tab with Clipboard enabled.

If you are doing a double-hop (PC -> Windows VM -> Ubuntu), clipboard must work on both hops. Fix clipboard in the first hop before troubleshooting Ubuntu.

4. Ubuntu-Side Diagnosis (XRDP)

Run the following checks inside Ubuntu (locally or via an existing RDP session).

4.1 Confirm XRDP is running:

systemctl status xrdp --no-pager

4.2 Check whether xrdp-chansrv is running in your session (after you log in via RDP):

ps aux | grep -E "xrdp-chansrv|chansrv" | grep -v grep

4.3 Search for the xrdp-chansrv binary (common mismatch cause):

sudo find /usr /usr/local -type f -name xrdp-chansrv -executable 2>/dev/null

4.4 Review XRDP logs for channel errors:

sudo tail -n 200 /var/log/xrdp.log

sudo tail -n 200 /var/log/xrdp-sesman.log

Screenshot: XRDP status and logs showing channel server errors.

Figure 2 - Example output showing XRDP running and errors related to chansrv connection.

Screenshot: locating xrdp-chansrv under /usr/local.

Figure 3 - Example find output showing xrdp-chansrv present only under /usr/local.

5. Fix: xrdp-chansrv Path Mismatch (Most Common)

If find shows xrdp-chansrv only under /usr/local (for example /usr/local/sbin/xrdp-chansrv) and XRDP logs show xrdp_mm_chansrv_connect errors, create a symlink to the expected Ubuntu path.

5.1 Create the expected folder and symlink:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/lib/xrdp

sudo ln -sf /usr/local/sbin/xrdp-chansrv /usr/lib/xrdp/xrdp-chansrv

sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/sbin/xrdp-chansrv

sudo systemctl restart xrdp xrdp-sesman

5.2 Disconnect and reconnect your RDP session (clipboard channels often initialize on login).

6. Verify the Fix

After reconnecting to Ubuntu via RDP:

6. 1) Try copying plain text from your local machine and pasting into a text editor inside Ubuntu.

7. 2) Confirm the symlink:

ls -l /usr/lib/xrdp/xrdp-chansrv

8. 3) Confirm xrdp-chansrv is running:

ps aux | grep -E "xrdp-chansrv|chansrv" | grep -v grep

7. Alternative Fix: Reinstall Ubuntu-Packaged XRDP (Stability Option)

If XRDP was built from source under /usr/local, you may prefer to revert to the Ubuntu-packaged XRDP (more predictable file locations and channels). This is especially useful if you see repeated channel failures.

Commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install --reinstall -y xrdp xorgxrdp xclip

sudo systemctl restart xrdp xrdp-sesman

8. Ubuntu 22.04 Notes

Ubuntu 22.04 uses the same XRDP clipboard architecture (cliprdr via xrdp-chansrv). The diagnosis and fixes are the same: ensure Clipboard is enabled in mstsc, XRDP is running, and xrdp-chansrv can be launched from the expected location.

Recommended checks on Ubuntu 22.04:

systemctl status xrdp --no-pager

sudo find /usr /usr/local -type f -name xrdp-chansrv -executable 2>/dev/null

ls -l /usr/lib/xrdp/xrdp-chansrv

ps aux | grep -E "xrdp-chansrv|chansrv" | grep -v grep

sudo tail -n 200 /var/log/xrdp.log

sudo tail -n 200 /var/log/xrdp-sesman.log

If xrdp-chansrv is only under /usr/local on Ubuntu 22.04, apply the same symlink fix:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/lib/xrdp

sudo ln -sf /usr/local/sbin/xrdp-chansrv /usr/lib/xrdp/xrdp-chansrv

sudo systemctl restart xrdp xrdp-sesman

Disconnect and reconnect via RDP, then retest copy/paste.

9. Tips and Common Pitfalls

·   Clipboard redirection is most reliable for plain text. File copy via clipboard may not work; use drive redirection or SCP for files.

·   If you are connected through a Windows jump box (double-hop), fix the clipboard on the first hop first.

·   If you change XRDP config or channel binaries, always reconnect the session to reinitialize channels.