If you've been following an n8n video tutorial and tried to right-click to paste a node or workflow, you may have noticed the paste option isn't there. This article explains how copy and paste actually works in n8n, along with a handy alternative for importing full workflows.

Why there's no right-click paste in n8n

Unlike most desktop applications, the n8n editor canvas does not include a "Paste" option in its right-click context menu. Copying and pasting nodes in n8n is done entirely through keyboard shortcuts. This trips up a lot of new users, so don't worry — you're not missing a hidden setting.

Copying and pasting nodes with keyboard shortcuts

Use the following keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste nodes within a workflow, or between workflows:

  • Copy: Ctrl + C (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + C (Mac)
  • Paste: Ctrl + V (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + V (Mac)

The pasted nodes will appear on the canvas with their configuration intact, ready to be connected up.

Selecting nodes before copying

Before you can copy, you'll need to select the node or nodes you want. There are a few ways to do this:

  • Single node: Click the node once to select it.
  • Multiple nodes (click-drag): Click an empty area of the canvas and drag a selection box around the nodes you want to include.
  • All nodes: Press Ctrl + A (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + A (Mac) to select every node in the current workflow.

Pasting between workflows

The same shortcuts work across workflows, which is handy when you want to reuse a group of nodes:

  1. Open the source workflow and select the nodes you want to reuse.
  2. Press Ctrl + C (or Cmd + C) to copy them.
  3. Open the destination workflow.
  4. Press Ctrl + V (or Cmd + V) to paste the nodes onto the new canvas.

All node configuration, including credentials references and parameters, will be carried over.

Alternative: import a workflow via the editor menu

If you've been given an entire workflow as a JSON file or a block of JSON text, you don't need to copy-paste node by node. Instead, use the import option from the editor menu:

  1. Open the workflow editor in n8n.
  2. Click the menu icon (usually represented as three dots or lines) in the top-right of the editor.
  3. Select Import from File to upload a JSON file, or Import from URL to pull a workflow from a link.
  4. The full workflow will load onto the canvas, ready to review and run.

You can also paste raw workflow JSON directly onto an empty canvas using Ctrl + V / Cmd + V — n8n will detect the JSON and build the workflow from it.

Quick reference

  • Copy nodes: Ctrl/Cmd + C
  • Paste nodes or workflow JSON: Ctrl/Cmd + V
  • Select all nodes: Ctrl/Cmd + A
  • Select multiple nodes: Click-drag a selection box on the canvas
  • Import full workflow: Editor menu → Import from File / URL

Once you know the shortcuts, moving nodes and workflows around in n8n becomes quick and easy — even without a right-click paste option.