Case ce-0024 · Scenario scenario-paste-formatting-loss

Pasting rich text preserves unwanted HTML structure

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

Phenomenon

When pasting content from external sources (like Word documents or web pages) into a contenteditable region in Safari, the HTML structure is preserved, including unwanted elements like <span> tags with inline styles, <div> elements, and other formatting markup.

Reproduction example

  1. Copy formatted text from a Word document or web page.
  2. Paste it into a contenteditable div in Safari.
  3. Inspect the DOM structure of the pasted content.

Observed behavior

  • Safari preserves the full HTML structure from the source.
  • Unwanted elements like <span style="...">, <div>, and other formatting tags are included.
  • The pasted content may have inconsistent styling.

Expected behavior

  • The paste operation should normalize or clean the HTML structure.
  • Or, there should be a way to control what gets pasted (plain text vs. formatted).

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 Windows macOS
Chrome
ce-0006
120.0
Firefox
ce-0039
120.0
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-0006 Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Chrome 120.0 US draft
ce-0024 macOS Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop or Laptop Any Safari 120.0 US draft
ce-0039 Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Firefox 120.0 US draft

Playground for this case

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Reported environment
OS: macOS Ubuntu 22.04
Device: Desktop or Laptop Any
Browser: Safari 120.0
Keyboard: US
Your environment

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Event log
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