Case ce-0019-paste-plain-text-only · Scenario scenario-paste-plain-text

Pasting rich text inserts unwanted formatting

OS: macOS Ubuntu 22.04 Device: Desktop or Laptop Any Browser: Safari 120.0 Keyboard: US Status: draft
paste formatting plain-text safari

Phenomenon

When pasting content from external sources (like Word documents or web pages) into a contenteditable region, unwanted formatting is often included. There is no simple way to paste as plain text without manually stripping the formatting.

Reproduction example

  1. Copy formatted text from a Word document or web page (with bold, colors, fonts, etc.).
  2. Paste it into a contenteditable div.
  3. Observe that all the formatting is included.

Observed behavior

  • Safari pastes rich text with all formatting by default.
  • There is no built-in “Paste as plain text” option.
  • Manual intervention is required to strip formatting.

Expected behavior

  • There should be a way to paste as plain text (e.g., Cmd+Shift+V or a context menu option).
  • The paste behavior should be controllable by the application.
  • The beforeinput event should allow intercepting and modifying paste operations.
Clipboard
Formatted Text
Copied formatted text (Word document, etc.)
After Paste (Bug)
Formatted Text
Paste includes unwanted formatting (color, bold, etc.)
vs
✅ Expected
Formatted Text
Expected: Paste as plain text or selectable format

Browser compatibility matrix

This matrix shows which browser and OS combinations have documented cases for this scenario. The current case is highlighted. Click on a cell to view other cases.

Browser Linux macOS
Chrome
ce-0572
121.0
Safari
Current case
Confirmed
Draft
No case documented

All variants (detailed table)

Complete list of all cases for this scenario with full environment details.

Case OS Device Browser Keyboard Status
ce-0019-paste-plain-text-only macOS Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop or Laptop Any Safari 120.0 US draft
ce-0572 Linux Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop Any Chrome 121.0 US QWERTY confirmed

Playground for this case

Use the reported environment as a reference and record what happens in your environment while interacting with the editable area.

Reported environment
OS: macOS Ubuntu 22.04
Device: Desktop or Laptop Any
Browser: Safari 120.0
Keyboard: US
Your environment
Sample HTML:
Event log
Use this log together with the case description when filing or updating an issue.
0 events
Interact with the editable area to see events here.

Comments & Discussion

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