diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/grid/interact.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/grid/interact.rs
index cee691b43..7aaed8ff3 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/grid/interact.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/grid/interact.rs
@@ -634,8 +634,18 @@ fn handle_dragging(app: &mut SheetApp, input: &InteractionInput<'_>) {
     let (geo, sh, wb, sel, pos) = (input.geo, input.sheet, input.workbook, &input.selection, input.position);
     let resp = input.response;
     // Esc during a header-boundary drag cancels it: undo the preview, ignore the release. egui
-    // aborts the drag on Esc, so `resp.dragged()` is already false in this frame.
-    if matches!(app.grid.drag, Drag::ResizeCol { .. } | Drag::ResizeRow { .. }) && input.context.input(|i| i.key_pressed(egui::Key::Escape)) {
+    // aborts the drag on Esc, so `resp.dragged()` is already false in this frame. The key is
+    // spent on the drag, so the grid's Esc doesn't also drop a pending copy or Format Painter.
+    if matches!(app.grid.drag, Drag::ResizeCol { .. } | Drag::ResizeRow { .. })
+        && input.context.input_mut(|i| {
+            let pressed = i.key_pressed(egui::Key::Escape);
+            if pressed {
+                // With any modifiers, as before: the drag is cancelled and every Esc press spent.
+                i.events.retain(|e| !matches!(e, egui::Event::Key { key: egui::Key::Escape, pressed: true, .. }));
+            }
+            pressed
+        })
+    {
         // Undo back to where the drag began, but never past it into an earlier edit.
         let steps = resize_steps(app);
         if steps > 0 {
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/header_autofit.rs b/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/header_autofit.rs
index 08f0b1099..e8fb39305 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/header_autofit.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/header_autofit.rs
@@ -374,3 +374,44 @@ fn escaping_a_resize_drag_leaves_redo_history_as_it_was() {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn escaping_a_resize_drag_keeps_a_pending_copy_and_format_painter() {
+    // Esc cancels the drag only: the marked copy and Format Painter stay, whether the release comes
+    // in a later frame or in the same frame as Esc.
+    for rows in [false, true] {
+        for (same_frame, modifiers) in [(false, Modifiers::NONE), (true, Modifiers::NONE), (false, Modifiers::SHIFT)] {
+            let mut h = harness(if rows { "1:3" } else { "A:C" });
+            h.state_mut().session.execute("edit.copy", json!({"range": "A1:B2"})).unwrap();
+            h.state_mut().session.execute("edit.formatPainter", json!({"sticky": true})).unwrap();
+            h.run_steps(2);
+            assert!(h.state().session.clipboard.is_some() && h.state().session.format_painter.is_some());
+            let before = sizes(&h, rows);
+            let (start, _) = edge(&h, rows, 1);
+            let delta = if rows { vec2(0.0, 30.0) } else { vec2(30.0, 0.0) };
+            button(&mut h, start, true);
+            h.input_mut().events.push(Event::PointerMoved(start + delta / 2.0));
+            h.step();
+            h.input_mut().events.push(Event::PointerMoved(start + delta));
+            h.step();
+            assert_ne!(sizes(&h, rows), before, "the drag previews");
+            let pos = start + delta;
+            let esc = Event::Key { key: egui::Key::Escape, physical_key: None, pressed: true, repeat: false, modifiers };
+            if same_frame {
+                h.input_mut().events.extend([esc, Event::PointerButton { pos, button: PointerButton::Primary, pressed: false, modifiers }]);
+            } else {
+                h.input_mut().events.push(esc);
+                h.step();
+                h.input_mut()
+                    .events
+                    .extend([Event::PointerMoved(pos), Event::PointerButton { pos, button: PointerButton::Primary, pressed: false, modifiers }]);
+            }
+            h.step();
+            h.run_steps(2);
+            let what = format!("rows: {rows}, same frame: {same_frame}, modifiers: {modifiers:?}");
+            assert_eq!(sizes(&h, rows), before, "the drag is cancelled ({what})");
+            assert!(h.state().session.clipboard.is_some(), "the copy is still marked ({what})");
+            assert!(h.state().session.format_painter.is_some(), "Format Painter is still on ({what})");
+        }
+    }
+}