How can I turn off "middle mouse button paste" functionality in all programs?

Question

I don't like having the middle mouse button paste, because I often end up with uncompilable code in Eclipse. How can I turn this off (in all programs)? I'm running Fedora.

Answer 1

This solution will work globally and preserve the middle mouse functionality under Xorg.

1. Install xbindkeys xsel xdotool

2. Place this in ~/.xbindkeysrc

   "echo -n | xsel -n -i; pkill xbindkeys; xdotool click 2; xbindkeys"
   b:2 + Release
   

3. Reload xbindkeys -p

Run xbindkeys on startup, pkill xbindkeys to stop.

Answer 2

Scrollwheel mice support a middle-button click event when pressing the scrollwheel. This is a great feature, but you may find it irritating. Fortunately it can be disabled.

First, you need to know the id of the mouse, like this:

$ xinput list | grep 'id='

which prints something like

⎡ Virtual core pointer                      id=2    [master pointer  (3)]
⎜ Virtual core XTEST pointer                id=4    [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎜ PixArt Dell MS116 USB Optical Mouse       id=12   [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard                     id=3    [master keyboard (2)]
  Virtual core XTEST keyboard               id=5    [slave  keyboard (3)]
  Power Button                              id=6    [slave  keyboard (3)]
  Video Bus                                 id=7    [slave  keyboard (3)]
  Power Button                              id=8    [slave  keyboard (3)]
  Sleep Button                              id=9    [slave  keyboard (3)]
  Dell KB216 Wired Keyboard                 id=10   [slave  keyboard (3)]
  Dell KB216 Wired Keyboard                 id=11   [slave  keyboard (3)]
  Eee PC WMI hotkeys                        id=13   [slave  keyboard (3)]

My Dell Usb mouse has printed here for which id=12

so, I can view the my mouse button mapping like:

$ xinput get-button-map 12

which prints

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

here only the first three numbers have meaning for me. They represent the left, middle, and right mouse buttons.

I can turn the middle mouse button off by setting it to 0:

$ xinput set-button-map 12 1 0 3

Or I can turn the middle-mouse button into a left-mouse button by setting it to 1:

$ xinput set-button-map 12 1 1 3

ref. link https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Config/Input

it works for me ( kubuntu 18.04 LTS )

Answer 3

In Fedora 24 you can install gnome-tweak-tool using the following command:

$ sudo dnf install gnome-tweak-tool

Open gnome-tweak-tool and go to the "Keyboard and Mouse" tab and disable "Middle-click-Paste".

Answer 4

Solution for both Wayland and X11 users

This script will disable middle mouse paste, it supports both Wayland and X11, and you will still be able to use the middle mouse button normally:

#!/bin/sh
#Script to disable middle mouse paste; Dependencies: xsel, wl-clipboard

if [ "$XDG_SESSION_TYPE" == "wayland" ]; then
    wl-paste -p --watch wl-copy -p </dev/null # Usually works.
    #wl-paste -p --watch wl-copy -cp  # 100% Effective, may cause issues selecting text in GTK applications.
fi

while [ "$XDG_SESSION_TYPE" == "x11" ]; do
    xsel -fin </dev/null    # 100% Effective, May cause issues selecting text in GTK applications.
done

Old Answer (A way for X11 that shouldn't cause issues with text selection in GTK): https://unix.stackexchange.com/revisions/472464/6

Update: Fighting GTK's bugs!

So I noticed that some applications on Wayland will only clear the primary clipboard if you use the wl-copy -cp route (looking at you! chromium!), but that breaks selection in GTK applications. Now the ideal solution was if the GTK devs fixed their broken shit, but nobody has time to wait for that, so I figured out a workaround (it's not pretty, but it works) for this problem, unfortunately however on wayland this is, and can only ever be a compositor specific solution which means I can't give everyone the perfect solution, but luckily the concept is extremely simple and it's only 4 lines of code so anyone should be able to figure out how to modify it for their machine.

Here is the workaround for Hyprland:

1. First, we disable the primary clipboard for the problematic GTK applications:

   gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-enable-primary-paste false
   

2. Obtain this script:

   #!/bin/bash
   applist="thunar gedit kitty"
   
   #If current window is not in the applist, clear primary clipboard
   if ! hyprctl -j activewindow | jq .class | grep -Ei "$(echo $applist | sed 's: :\|:g')" >/dev/null; then
       wl-copy -cp
   fi
   

3. Edit for your compositor. If you are not on Hyprland, then you need to replace this snippet: hyprctl -j activewindow | jq .class with something that will spit out the class of your currently active window.

4. Add any apps which have selection problems to the applist in the script:

   applist="gedit thunar mousepad gparted pcmanfm and so on"
   

   These apps need to be a good match for the identifier you are using to find these windows in the script(in this case the value shown for 'class' by hyprctl activewindow)

5. Execute the script:

   wl-paste -p --watch /path/to/the/script
   

In theory the same could be done on X11 using xprops instead of hyprctl activewindow, and replacing wl-copy -cp with xsel -cp but I have not tested it yet, I will probably update this answer later once I do.

Answer 5

Having the middle button paste is a unix user interface standard, like having the left button select or activate, and the right button do something else (such as extending, toggling, firing up a menu, …). You'll find it bound to pasting in most unix applications.

If your problem is that your mouse is overly sensitive when you put your finger on the wheel, I suggest getting a better mouse. There are plenty of cheap decent mice.

You can reassign mouse button 2 to a different number. Applications identify the left, middle and right mouse buttons as buttons 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Put this code in a script that's executed when your X session starts (how to do that depends on your desktop environment).

echo 'pointer = 1 6 3 4 5' | xmodmap -

Answer 6

EDIT: I just found an issue with the solution I've posted: in some programs (gitk at least, not sure how common it is) this will prevent text selection from working. So try it, but if you have problems with selecting text in a program you use regularly, then the solution is to stop using this.

Install xsel, and then run the following shell script:

#!/bin/sh
while true; do
    xsel -fin </dev/null
done

As long as this script is running (you can set it to run on login) the middle mouse button will not paste in any application. So technically it will still paste, but there will always be nothing to paste.

The way it works is it runs xsel and has it copy (-i) the contents of /dev/null, without forking to the background (-n), and to actually hold that empty string in the buffer instead of just clearing it and exiting (-f). Every time it exits, it will invoke xsel again with the same options. Since xsel will keep running until another program "relieves it of duty" by copying something else, it won't constantly create new processes, instead keeping a single process running precisely until it is needed again. (Unless you have multiple instances of the script running, but there's no need to do that.)

Also no, this won't interfere with regular copy/paste, because the middle-click paste uses a separate clipboard.

Answer 7

Expanding the @flarn2006 answer, I have created a daemon switch and a simple eraser:

Requirements

xsel, notify-send, and a shortcuts manager (in my case is xfce4-keyboard-setting)

First create a .middle-paste/ folder in $HOME and add two files:

#!/bin/sh
# toggler.sh

# Set the lock file and program paths
PROGRAM_PATH="$HOME/.middle-paste/"
LOCKER_FILE="$PROGRAM_PATH/lock"

# Check if there is a lock file
if [ -f "$LOCKER_FILE" ]; then
    # If exists, read the PID of the daemon, which is contained inside the file
    daemon_pid=$(cat $LOCKER_FILE)

    # Then kill the daemon
    kill "$daemon_pid"

    # And delete delete the lock
    rm $LOCKER_FILE

    notify-send --urgency=critical --expire-time=500 \
    'Middle Mouse Paste Disabled' \
    'There could be some troubles handling the middle mouse button in some apps.'
else
    # If the file does not exist, create it
    edit > $LOCKER_FILE

    # Then run the daemon to disable middle click pasting
    sh $PROGRAM_PATH/daemon.sh &

    # A little pause
    sleep 0.1s

    # Get the daemon PID to show it in the notification
    daemon_pid=$(cat $LOCKER_FILE)

    notify-send --urgency=critical --expire-time=500 \
    "Middle Mouse Paste Enabled ("$daemon_pid")" \
    'There could be some troubles selecting text in some apps.'
fi

#!/bin/sh
# daemon.sh

# Set the lock file and program paths
PROGRAM_PATH="$HOME/.middle-paste/"
LOCKER_FILE="$PROGRAM_PATH/lock"

# Append the PID of this process the lock file
echo $$ > $LOCKER_FILE

# Run the daemon
while true; do
    xsel -fin < /dev/null
done

Second configure the switcher

It can be a launcher, a button in your panel, or even a shortcut, you only need to

1. Add sh $HOME/.middle-paste/toggler.sh to a SUPR + X shortcut to quickly toggle the daemon. Please substitute the $HOME variable with your real home path or the Shortcut Manager could fail finding the script (eg. /home/user/.middle-paste/toggle.sh)
2. Add xsel -c to a SUPR + V shortcut to clear the middle mouse clipboard quickly without the need of a daemon. This is useful when you know that you will not get out of the application where you will not copy, but you will use the middle mouse button (Like Figma or Inkscape, where this issue is problematic only when there are something in the clipboard already).

Answer 8

It's a common convention that many programs abide by. There is no global way to turn it off, you must do it on a program by program basis.

EDIT: (short of, as Gilles says, disabling mouse button 2. But some programs do have other uses for mouse button 2, so I would not recommend this.)

Answer 9

With KDE an additional step may be required to solve the problem.

It seems that Klipper, the clipboard manager provided by KDE, breaks the scripts that fix the behavior by clearing the clipboard selection.

The following will globally disable paste on middle click while retaining all middle mouse button and ctrl+c/v functionality.

Follow the steps described in Radivarig's answer, that is:

1. Install xbindkeys xsel xdotool

2. Place this in ~/.xbindkeysrc

   "echo -n | xsel -n -i; pkill xbindkeys; xdotool click 2; xbindkeys"  
   b:2 + Release
   

3. Reload xbindkeys -p

In step 2. you may need to remove the + Release part as described in this post, depending on what works on your machine.

Then open Klipper, e.g. via the clipboard icon in the system tray > right click > Configure Clipboard. Uncheck the option 'Prevent empty clipboard'. Reboot and the problem should be solved.

The idea of the latter is thanks to milaq's XMousePasteBlock.

Answer 10

I've been coding for decades but mainly on a Windows machine. Only recently I've been delving into the world of coding under Linux and now I've run into this annoyance - my most recent project was peppered with random text because the middle button on the mouse I was using was rather sensitive - I was totally stumped until decide to google the issue and landed here.

I have never intentionally used the middle button to click anything ever, perhaps because it doesn't do anything in Windows by default. I have only ever used the middle scroll wheel to scroll. After reading a few of the various solutions on the web and in this thread, I've decided on a simpler solution.

Here it is:

1. Unplug the mouse from the USB port.
2. Go get a #1 phillips screw driver and a pair of electronic side-cutters
3. Look under the mouse and find the screw to open the bottom cover.
4. Remove the screw and remove the cover.
5. Find the little microswitch that is underneath the spring-loaded scroll wheel arm.
6. Use the side-cutters to crush that switch and cut off the guts of it. Try not to damage the optical wheel and sensors. Enjoy the feeling of getting your revenge for having to scan through all your code for random bits of text.
7. Clean out the debris and re-assemble the mouse.
8. Plug the mouse back into the USB port.
9. Observe the scroll wheel working. Try to click the middle mouse button - oh look, nothing happens!

Aaaahhhhh! That's much better!

p.s. You can use this opportunity to clean out all the crud that builds up inside your mouse - your mouse will perform so much better now!

Answer 11

If you are using KDE desktop manager, KDE Plasma 5.18 for example, you could open Configure Desktop in right-click menu at desktop window. Then check Mouse Actions to configure/remove the action for Middle-Button.

You can also refer to this tutorial for more information: Detailed Guide to Configure KDE Plasma Desktop.

PS: I have been puzzled over the default paste action of middle button for a long time. It is a bit weird that such configuration cannot be accessed in System Settings. And it is just be discovered accidentally. Hope it would help you if you are using KDE.

Answer 12

I found yet another solution using sxhkd.

It disables plain middle click (without hold down a modifier key) for all XWayland applications, like Chromium, Konsole, Discord. (Maybe even all applications when using Xorg.)

This fix has no effect on real Wayland applications, like Terminal and Firefox (with Wayland enabled). For these, it is still needed to use something like gnome-tweaks and about-config.

This solution also solves the problem of accidentally opening tabs with random links when using a thinkpad trackpoint keyboard II to scroll on a webpage. Mine literately middle clicks every time I scroll.

Also, with the echo -n | xsel -n -i trick, the cursor position still changes when pasting a empty clipboard. This still can be really annoying when you just want to continue typing where you left off after some scrolling.

Another benefit of this fix is that the middle click paste functionality still works! You just need to hold down one of the modifier keys while middle clicking.

Install sxhkd:

sudo apt install sxhkd

Make a sxhkd config at ~/.config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc (or append if one already exists) to capture middle click, without replaying it to the application:

mkdir ~/.config/sxhkd
# capture plain middle click with the no-op ':'
cat << EOF >> ~/.config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc
button2
     :
EOF

Run sxhkd:

sxhkd

To automatically run sxhkd at startup, it can be added using 'Startup Applications', or use this command:

# run sxhkd at startup (this is the same as doing it manually via 'Startup Applications')
cat << EOF > ~/.config/autostart/sxhkd.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=sxhkd
Hidden=false
NoDisplay=false
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
Name=sxhkd
Comment=catch plain middle click in non Gnome apps
EOF

If you do a lot of horizontal scrolling by holding down shift, you can also add these lines to your config. Then also middle mouse clicks when holding down shift gets captured.

shift + button2
     :

EDIT: After some time using this solution, I found another really nice feature. Middle click on an unfocused XWayland window now just focuses it, without clicking! So you don't lose selected text or your cursor position, and you don't have to click carefully around all active areas. In Gnome this has the same effect as Super-Click or Alt-Tab.

Answer 13

For those using Linux Mint w/ Cinnamon, gnome-tweaks no longer seems to work at all; I'm not sure why it's even still in the repositories. Instead you can now use the "Mouse and Touchpad" app and turn off the option "Paste the current selection when middle-click is pressed".