Numbers 3.6 Cut & Copy Broken

I'm working with a document created before the update to 3.6. Last time I worked with the doc, Saturday I believe, I was able to duplicate an existing sheet just like I have been doing since doc was created (right click on tab, choose duplicate from the drop-down menu). I try the same thing one day later and it crashes every time.

I had this problem with El Capitan and Numbers 3.6, no way to copy or duplicate without program quitting. So I exported my Numbers document to Excel format and then opened this document in Numbers again. Now it works, maybe the new conversion from excel to Numbers 3.6 made the trick.

This workaround works! Thank you man! But I think this is till not right. I will not open now all my numbers documents, export them to excel and re-import them in numbers. To much work! Apple has here some debugging to do!

OS X 10.10.5, Numbers 3.6 (formerly 3.5.3); same problem with one certain file

I have a file that I using daily for the past year (it began with a copy of a file I’ve been using before for two years).

After updating to Numbers 3.6 I experience this:

No matter what I copy to the clipboard, Numbers always crashes, be it a cell or just part of its contents, be it a row or column.

What happens after I press cmd+C is this: the “Edit” menu inverts, then I get the SBBOD, and then Numbers dies.

However, when I tested this with new documents and with other documents I’ve been using, it did not crash.

Exporting to Excel and reimporting to Numbers, as was suggested, is NOT an option for me (I’ve tested it!) because it breaks too many formulae and the conditional formats that are essential to the document. (Just in case somebody’s wondering: one of my other documents that also contains conditional formats does NOT make Numbers 3.6 crash when I copy something.)

Exporting to Numbers 09 and reimporting leads to the same crashes.

For now I’ll try reverting to Numbers 3.5.3, but I’d be extremely happy if there were any other way to make that file work again, i.e. NOT make Numbers crash when copying anything, any workaround or a safe way to export it to some exchange format that doesn’t lose my formulae and conditional formats.

TIA Tom

Follow-up to my own comment, a few minutes later:

IF you revert to 3.5.3, you will first need to export your files as Numbers 09 files using Numbers 3.6 because 3.5.3 won’t open 3.6 files 😠

Thanks, this worked!!

Thank you. This workaround worked. It has been a frustrating day!!!

I have the same problem using Numbers 3.6 and El Capitan on a MacBook Air as Tom in Germany. So how do I revert to the previous version? I need a step by step process "for dummies" please.

Hurls55:

I restored 3.5.3 from my backup clone (on an external hard drive). I don't know whether this works with Time Machine since I don’t use that.

If you have a backup, then you need to export all the files that have been saved with 3.6 because 3.5.3 won't open them.

1. Launch Numbers 3.6
2. Open all the files you’ve saved using 3.6
3. Export them as Numbers 09 files (I added “_n09” to all names to avoid confusion)
4. Compress Numbers 3.6 and delete the uncompressed instance
5. Copy Numbers 3.5.3 from your backup to the “Applications” folder
6. Open the exported Numbers 09 files; you may have to adjust some stuff, but AFAIK it’s only some appearance that may get lost this way.
7. Save
8. Done

HTH & good luck!

Tom

Hello...I also have this problem. Everytime I try to copy or cut a cell, it crashes.

This happened after I recently updated Numbers, and it doesn't happen with all sheets.

Can anyone help ?

Thks

Thanks Tom in Germany.

I did steps 1,2,3 and then paused. I saved the file in 9 format using a different name. Then I closed and re-opened Numbers 3.6 and loaded that new file. I began to edit it the file and it said "would you like to edit a copy?" So I said yes (now I had three files 1. the original 2. the 9 format file and 3. the copy of the 9 version which Numbers created). The editing worked and Numbers did not crash. So I saved the third file with a new name and all is right with the world. It retained the conditional formatting and there have been no crashes with that file. So, it seems this may be another workaround for folks to try. Hope this helps.

Hurls55, I don’t know what to think of this … I just tried this exactly as you describe (with “edit a copy”), hoping that Numbers would save that as a “clean” file, and it does NOT work for my essential file. So, for the meantime I’m back to 3.5.3 again.

Awesome. Thanks. Worked like a charm.

The suggestion to export my Numbers file to Excel format, then reopen in Numbers worked great for me. I can now use copy command with no issues. Very easy to do and the new file needed just a few minor edits (a couple column widths was all I've noticed so far). Thank you, lars 141!

I recently upgraded OS to El Capitan. Previously, my Numbers files were in Numbers 09. My problems started after upgrading to El Capital and started using Numbers 3.6. After performing the fix above, can now use Numbers 3.6 with no problems.