The Problem
When using PuTTY to copy and paste text, especially router configurations, it’a far too easy to make a ‘mis-click’ and paste the copied data into the configuration of a router. By default, any text selected in PuTTY is automatically copied to a buffer, ready for pasting. A simple right click can paste to the existing CLI and cause massive configuration errors.
I would think that everyone has done this at least once in their life, and it is a major risk and objection to using putty as a corporate tool.
The Data
There is an option in the PuTTY configuration modify the behaviour of the right click operation. Open the session window and select Window, Selection
By default the Right Button is configured to paste.
The Fix
Change the “Action of Mouse Buttons” to Right CLick brings up the menu.
The Test
Lets select some text.
Right Click †with the mouse now gives a menu of options. The effectively prevents the accidental paste that is so common.
Some Caveats
- If you have existing session defined in PuTTY then you must select each one of those session and edit it for this action.
- You should set the Global Default for all new sessions so that you only have to do this fix for your existing settings.
- If you don’t understand how to create and manage sessions in PuTTY, then look at other posts in the “Working with Putty” series, listed below.
Other posts in the series
- Putty - Fixing Right Click Paste (This post)
- Putty, the Command Line and NO clicky clicky
- Putty - Recommended Default Settings for a Network Engineer
- Setting the Defaults for PUTTY
