VBA & Macro Problems

Fix Excel VBA RichTextBox Crash During Copy or Drag (Error 80010108)

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user experiences random application crashes when copying, cutting, or dragging text within an Excel UserForm that utilizes the Richtx32.ocx ActiveX control.

Product: Microsoft Excel 365
Device & OS: Windows 11
Scenario: Interacting with a legacy RichTextBox ActiveX control inside a VBA UserForm by selecting and moving text.
Observed behavior: Excel randomly crashes and throws automation error 2147417848 (80010108).

Before you start

Before debugging this issue, verify that the legacy Richtx32.ocx ActiveX control is correctly registered in your Windows system using regsvr32, and ensure you have backed up your VBA macro code.

Solution 1Recommended

Consult VBA Developers on Stack Overflow

Because Microsoft Community does not directly troubleshoot custom ActiveX VBA code or legacy control bugs, Stack Overflow is the recommended platform for debugging.

Legacy controls like Richtx32.ocx often conflict with modern memory management in Microsoft 365. Since official support for custom VBA debugging is limited, leveraging developer communities is your best option.

Prepare a reproducible example

Create a minimal version of your Excel workbook that contains only the UserForm and the Richtx32.ocx control necessary to replicate the crash. Strip out any unrelated proprietary code.

Post your question

Navigate to Stack Overflow and write a new question. Include your Office 365 version, Windows 11 OS, the exact error code 2147417848 (80010108), and tag the post with 'vba' and 'excel'.

Solution 2

Open a Microsoft Support Ticket

If developer communities cannot resolve the crash and you require an official response regarding Office 365 bugs, escalating to Microsoft Support is necessary.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What causes automation error 2147417848 (80010108) in Excel VBA?

This automation error indicates that an invoked object has disconnected from its clients. It frequently occurs when legacy ActiveX controls like Richtx32.ocx crash or conflict with modern memory management and threading in Microsoft 365.

Is the Richtx32.ocx control fully supported in Microsoft 365 on Windows 11?

No. Richtx32.ocx is a legacy 32-bit ActiveX control originally designed for Visual Basic 6. Its compatibility with modern 64-bit Office environments and Windows 11 is highly limited, which often leads to instability and application crashes.

Are there stable alternatives to the VBA RichTextBox control?

Yes. To ensure stability on modern systems like Windows 11, developers often replace legacy RichTextBox controls with standard VBA TextBoxes, HTML-based web browser controls, or build custom user interfaces using newer .NET frameworks via VSTO.

Excel & Data Problems