diff --git a/src/SelectionManager.test.ts b/src/SelectionManager.test.ts
index eb9322b6..dcc9cb5a 100644
--- a/src/SelectionManager.test.ts
+++ b/src/SelectionManager.test.ts
@@ -209,4 +209,20 @@ describe('SelectionManager', () => {
       assert.equal(selectionManager.selectionText, '1\n2\n3\n4\n5');
     });
   });
+
+  describe('hasSelection', () => {
+    it('should return whether there is a selection', () => {
+      selectionManager.model.selectionStart = [0, 0];
+      selectionManager.model.selectionStartLength = 0;
+      assert.equal(selectionManager.hasSelection, false);
+      selectionManager.model.selectionEnd = [0, 0];
+      assert.equal(selectionManager.hasSelection, false);
+      selectionManager.model.selectionEnd = [1, 0];
+      assert.equal(selectionManager.hasSelection, true);
+      selectionManager.model.selectionEnd = [0, 1];
+      assert.equal(selectionManager.hasSelection, true);
+      selectionManager.model.selectionEnd = [1, 1];
+      assert.equal(selectionManager.hasSelection, true);
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/SelectionManager.ts b/src/SelectionManager.ts
index a769afd1..b3316ae6 100644
--- a/src/SelectionManager.ts
+++ b/src/SelectionManager.ts
@@ -2,10 +2,11 @@
  * @license MIT
  */
 
+import * as Mouse from './utils/Mouse';
+import * as Browser from './utils/Browser';
 import { CharMeasure } from './utils/CharMeasure';
 import { CircularList } from './utils/CircularList';
 import { EventEmitter } from './EventEmitter';
-import * as Mouse from './utils/Mouse';
 import { ITerminal } from './Interfaces';
 import { SelectionModel } from './SelectionModel';
 
@@ -183,7 +184,12 @@ export class SelectionManager extends EventEmitter {
    * Gets whether there is an active text selection.
    */
   public get hasSelection(): boolean {
-    return !!this._model.finalSelectionStart && !!this._model.finalSelectionEnd;
+    const start = this._model.finalSelectionStart;
+    const end = this._model.finalSelectionEnd;
+    if (!start || !end) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return start[0] !== end[0] || start[1] !== end[1];
   }
 
   /**
@@ -292,11 +298,23 @@ export class SelectionManager extends EventEmitter {
 
   /**
    * Queues a refresh, redrawing the selection on the next opportunity.
+   * @param isNewSelection Whether the selection should be registered as a new
+   * selection on Linux.
    */
-  public refresh(): void {
+  public refresh(isNewSelection?: boolean): void {
+    // Queue the refresh for the renderer
     if (!this._refreshAnimationFrame) {
       this._refreshAnimationFrame = window.requestAnimationFrame(() => this._refresh());
     }
+
+    // If the platform is Linux and the refresh call comes from a mouse event,
+    // we need to update the selection for middle click to paste selection.
+    if (Browser.isLinux && isNewSelection) {
+      const selectionText = this.selectionText;
+      if (selectionText.length) {
+        this.emit('newselection', this.selectionText);
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -392,7 +410,7 @@ export class SelectionManager extends EventEmitter {
     }
 
     this._addMouseDownListeners();
-    this.refresh();
+    this.refresh(true);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -547,7 +565,7 @@ export class SelectionManager extends EventEmitter {
     if (!previousSelectionEnd ||
         previousSelectionEnd[0] !== this._model.selectionEnd[0] ||
         previousSelectionEnd[1] !== this._model.selectionEnd[1]) {
-      this.refresh();
+      this.refresh(true);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/handlers/Clipboard.ts b/src/handlers/Clipboard.ts
index f22523fd..aa1c1400 100644
--- a/src/handlers/Clipboard.ts
+++ b/src/handlers/Clipboard.ts
@@ -75,12 +75,11 @@ export function pasteHandler(ev: ClipboardEvent, term: ITerminal) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Bind to right-click event and allow right-click copy and paste.
- * @param ev The original right click event to be handled
- * @param term The terminal on which to apply the handled paste event
- * @param selectionManager The terminal's selection manager.
+ * Moves the textarea under the mouse cursor and focuses it.
+ * @param ev The original right click event to be handled.
+ * @param textarea The terminal's textarea.
  */
-export function rightClickHandler(ev: MouseEvent, textarea: HTMLTextAreaElement, selectionManager: ISelectionManager) {
+export function moveTextAreaUnderMouseCursor(ev: MouseEvent, textarea: HTMLTextAreaElement) {
   // Bring textarea at the cursor position
   textarea.style.position = 'fixed';
   textarea.style.width = '20px';
@@ -89,10 +88,7 @@ export function rightClickHandler(ev: MouseEvent, textarea: HTMLTextAreaElement,
   textarea.style.top = (ev.clientY - 10) + 'px';
   textarea.style.zIndex = '1000';
 
-  // Get textarea ready to copy from the context menu
-  textarea.value = selectionManager.selectionText;
   textarea.focus();
-  textarea.select();
 
   // Reset the terminal textarea's styling
   setTimeout(function () {
@@ -104,3 +100,17 @@ export function rightClickHandler(ev: MouseEvent, textarea: HTMLTextAreaElement,
     textarea.style.zIndex = null;
   }, 4);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Bind to right-click event and allow right-click copy and paste.
+ * @param ev The original right click event to be handled.
+ * @param textarea The terminal's textarea.
+ * @param selectionManager The terminal's selection manager.
+ */
+export function rightClickHandler(ev: MouseEvent, textarea: HTMLTextAreaElement, selectionManager: ISelectionManager) {
+  moveTextAreaUnderMouseCursor(ev, textarea);
+
+  // Get textarea ready to copy from the context menu
+  textarea.value = selectionManager.selectionText;
+  textarea.select();
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/Browser.ts b/src/utils/Browser.ts
index 04da698e..68148aeb 100644
--- a/src/utils/Browser.ts
+++ b/src/utils/Browser.ts
@@ -20,3 +20,4 @@ export const isMac = contains(['Macintosh', 'MacIntel', 'MacPPC', 'Mac68K'], pla
 export const isIpad = platform === 'iPad';
 export const isIphone = platform === 'iPhone';
 export const isMSWindows = contains(['Windows', 'Win16', 'Win32', 'WinCE'], platform);
+export const isLinux = platform.indexOf('Linux') >= 0;
diff --git a/src/xterm.css b/src/xterm.css
index 37f661a7..6d6f48fa 100644
--- a/src/xterm.css
+++ b/src/xterm.css
@@ -192,11 +192,14 @@
     position: absolute;
     top: 0;
     left: 0;
+    z-index: 1;
+    opacity: 0.3;
+    pointer-events: none;
 }
 
 .terminal .xterm-selection div {
     position: absolute;
-    background-color: #555;
+    background-color: #fff;
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/xterm.js b/src/xterm.js
index 007b8bc9..a16a4ac7 100644
--- a/src/xterm.js
+++ b/src/xterm.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 import { CompositionHelper } from './CompositionHelper';
 import { EventEmitter } from './EventEmitter';
 import { Viewport } from './Viewport';
-import { rightClickHandler, pasteHandler, copyHandler } from './handlers/Clipboard';
+import { rightClickHandler, moveTextAreaUnderMouseCursor, pasteHandler, copyHandler } from './handlers/Clipboard';
 import { CircularList } from './utils/CircularList';
 import { C0 } from './EscapeSequences';
 import { InputHandler } from './InputHandler';
@@ -537,9 +537,11 @@ Terminal.prototype.initGlobal = function() {
   on(this.textarea, 'paste', pasteHandlerWrapper);
   on(this.element, 'paste', pasteHandlerWrapper);
 
+  // Handle right click context menus
   if (term.browser.isFirefox) {
+    // Firefox doesn't appear to fire the contextmenu event on right click
     on(this.element, 'mousedown', event => {
-      if (ev.button == 2) {
+      if (event.button == 2) {
         rightClickHandler(event, this.textarea, this.selectionManager);
       }
     });
@@ -548,6 +550,19 @@ Terminal.prototype.initGlobal = function() {
       rightClickHandler(event, this.textarea, this.selectionManager);
     });
   }
+
+  // Move the textarea under the cursor when middle clicking on Linux to ensure
+  // middle click to paste selection works. This only appears to work in Chrome
+  // at the time is writing.
+  if (term.browser.isLinux) {
+    // Use auxclick event over mousedown the latter doesn't seem to work. Note
+    // that the regular click event doesn't fire for the middle mouse button.
+    on(this.element, 'auxclick', event => {
+      if (event.button === 1) {
+        moveTextAreaUnderMouseCursor(event, this.textarea, this.selectionManager);
+      }
+    });
+  }
 };
 
 /**
@@ -647,8 +662,7 @@ Terminal.prototype.open = function(parent, focus) {
   this.viewportScrollArea.classList.add('xterm-scroll-area');
   this.viewportElement.appendChild(this.viewportScrollArea);
 
-  // Create the selection container. This needs to be added before the
-  // rowContainer as the selection must be below the text.
+  // Create the selection container.
   this.selectionContainer = document.createElement('div');
   this.selectionContainer.classList.add('xterm-selection');
   this.element.appendChild(this.selectionContainer);
@@ -703,7 +717,17 @@ Terminal.prototype.open = function(parent, focus) {
   this.viewport = new Viewport(this, this.viewportElement, this.viewportScrollArea, this.charMeasure);
   this.renderer = new Renderer(this);
   this.selectionManager = new SelectionManager(this, this.lines, this.rowContainer, this.charMeasure);
-  this.selectionManager.on('refresh', data => this.renderer.refreshSelection(data.start, data.end));
+  this.selectionManager.on('refresh', data => {
+    this.renderer.refreshSelection(data.start, data.end);
+  });
+  this.selectionManager.on('newselection', text => {
+    // If there's a new selection, put it into the textarea, focus and select it
+    // in order to register it as a selection on the OS. This event is fired
+    // only on Linux to enable middle click to paste selection.
+    this.textarea.value = text;
+    this.textarea.focus();
+    this.textarea.select();
+  });
   this.on('scroll', () => this.selectionManager.refresh());
   this.viewportElement.addEventListener('scroll', () => this.selectionManager.refresh());