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When copying text from webpage, Hidden text may be copied too

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Warning

The retired, out-of-support Internet Explorer 11 desktop application has been permanently disabled through a Microsoft Edge update on certain versions of Windows 10. For more information, see Internet Explorer 11 desktop app retirement FAQ.

This article provides information about hidden text that can be copied from a webpage and provides solutions to prevent this behavior.

Original product version:   Internet Explorer 9 and later versions
Original KB number:   2974910

Symptoms

When you copy text from a webpage in Internet Explorer, hidden text may be copied as well, and will become visible when pasting that text into another application.

Cause

When you select the surrounding container of the hidden text, the hidden text is selected also.

Resolution

This issue has been resolved when using Standards Mode from Internet Explorer 9 and later versions. To enable Standards Mode, see How to Enable Standards Support.

More information

The following snippet of a webpage demonstrates the issue when you select both visible lines and then use copy + paste into a text editor:

<html>
    <body>
        This is a visible text.
        <div style="visibility:hidden">This text is hidden</div>
        This is a visible text.
    </body>
<html>