How to Paste Text Into a Linux Terminal Window

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Added by Mark Jacob June 22, 2015

This is just a quick blog to describe a solution I found to an annoying problem.  I was working with Linux virtual machines (although this method will work on a nuts-and-bolts machine just as well) when I wanted to paste text into the window.  Of course, right clicking did nothing.  Control – V did nothing.  I was at a loss.  So I checked the usual web resources, and didn’t find a solution I liked.  Here is how I solved it

This solution does involve having another machine (in this case a Windows box) that can run terminal emulation software.  I used TeraTerm (accessible here Tera Term Home Page), but Putty or SecureCRT or any other terminal emulator will work.  See figure 1 for a screenshot of TeraTerm once it is launched:

Figure 1

I launched TeraTerm on my Windows box and then opened a SSH session to my Linux box.  Back on my Windows box, any command I wanted to enter, especially commands I was repeating frequently, I typed into Notepad.  I would then select text from the Notepad file on the Windows box, click into my TeraTerm window, and then paste the text there.  Since it was in an active session with my Linux box, the text was pasted into Linux as if I typed it there personally.

I am not saying this is the only way to accomplish what I was trying to do, but it certainly was easy, did not require any purchases, and is easy to describe and duplicate.  I hope you find it useful!

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to post them….
Until next time.

Mark Jacob
Cisco and CompTIA Network + Instructor – Interface Technical Training
Phoenix, AZ