diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1f267fa2..960428fe 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -78,6 +78,8 @@
   marked as obsolete by POSIX.
 * `alt+tab` now emits `ESC \t` instead of `CSI 27;3;9~`
   (https://codeberg.org/dnkl/foot/issues/900).
+* File pasted, or dropped, on the alt screen is no longer quoted
+  (https://codeberg.org/dnkl/foot/issues/379).
 
 
 ### Deprecated
diff --git a/selection.c b/selection.c
index 91523d3b..595fd1c8 100644
--- a/selection.c
+++ b/selection.c
@@ -1552,6 +1552,7 @@ struct clipboard_receive {
     int timeout_fd;
     struct itimerspec timeout;
     bool bracketed;
+    bool quote_paths;
 
     void (*decoder)(struct clipboard_receive *ctx, char *data, size_t size);
     void (*finish)(struct clipboard_receive *ctx);
@@ -1641,9 +1642,13 @@ decode_one_uri(struct clipboard_receive *ctx, char *uri, size_t len)
     ctx->add_space = true;
 
     if (strcmp(scheme, "file") == 0 && hostname_is_localhost(host)) {
-        ctx->cb("'", 1, ctx->user);
+        if (ctx->quote_paths)
+            ctx->cb("'", 1, ctx->user);
+
         ctx->cb(path, strlen(path), ctx->user);
-        ctx->cb("'", 1, ctx->user);
+
+        if (ctx->quote_paths)
+            ctx->cb("'", 1, ctx->user);
     } else
         ctx->cb(uri, len, ctx->user);
 
@@ -1830,6 +1835,7 @@ begin_receive_clipboard(struct terminal *term, int read_fd,
         .timeout_fd = timeout_fd,
         .timeout = timeout,
         .bracketed = term->bracketed_paste,
+        .quote_paths = term->grid == &term->normal,
         .decoder = (mime_type == DATA_OFFER_MIME_URI_LIST
                     ? &fdm_receive_decoder_uri
                     : &fdm_receive_decoder_plain),
@@ -1900,6 +1906,7 @@ receive_offer(char *data, size_t size, void *user)
     xassert(term->is_sending_paste_data);
     term_paste_data_to_slave(term, data, size);
 }
+
 static void
 receive_offer_done(void *user)
 {