diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useEditor.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useEditor.js
index e76c6c8a0e..cd4a75d69f 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useEditor.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useEditor.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { CodeBlockSyntaxHighlight } from '../extensions/CodeBlockSyntaxHighlight
 import { CustomLink } from '../extensions/Link';
 import { Math } from '../extensions/Math';
 import { createCustomMarkdownSerializer } from '../utils/markdownSerializer';
+import { transformPastedHTML } from '../utils/pasteTransform';
 
 export function useEditor() {
   const editor = ref(null);
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ export function useEditor() {
           class: 'prose prose-sm sm:prose lg:prose-lg xl:prose-2xl focus:outline-none',
           dir: 'auto',
         },
+        transformPastedHTML: html => transformPastedHTML(html),
       },
       onCreate: () => {
         isReady.value = true;
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useToolbarActions.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useToolbarActions.js
index 9b77b3deaa..27215c97bd 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useToolbarActions.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/composables/useToolbarActions.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { computed, inject } from 'vue';
 import { getTipTapEditorStrings } from '../TipTapEditorStrings';
-import { sanitizePastedHTML } from '../utils/markdown';
+import { transformPastedHTML } from '../utils/pasteTransform';
 
 export function useToolbarActions(emit) {
   const editor = inject('editor', null);
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export function useToolbarActions(emit) {
           if (item.types.includes('text/html')) {
             const htmlBlob = await item.getType('text/html');
             const html = await htmlBlob.text();
-            const cleaned = sanitizePastedHTML(html);
+            const cleaned = transformPastedHTML(html);
 
             editor.value.chain().focus().insertContent(cleaned).run();
             return;
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/markdown.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/markdown.js
index efe1adc994..a364942e39 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/markdown.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/markdown.js
@@ -58,67 +58,6 @@ export const paramsToMathMd = ({ latex }) => {
   return `$$${latex || ''}$$`;
 };
 
-export function sanitizePastedHTML(html) {
-  if (!html) return '';
-  // This code ine 55 to 66 is geneted with the help of LLM with the prompt
-  // "Create a function that sanitizes HTML pasted from Microsoft
-  // Word by removing Word-specific tags, styles, and classes while preserving other formatting."
-  let cleaned = html;
-  cleaned = cleaned.replace(/<!--\[if.*?endif\]-->/gis, '');
-  cleaned = cleaned.replace(/<\/?(w|m|o|v):[^>]*>/gis, '');
-  const parser = new DOMParser();
-  const doc = parser.parseFromString(cleaned, 'text/html');
-  doc.querySelectorAll('*').forEach(el => {
-    if (el.hasAttribute('style')) {
-      const style = el.getAttribute('style') || '';
-      const filtered = style
-        .split(';')
-        .map(s => s.trim())
-        .filter(s => s && !s.toLowerCase().startsWith('mso-'))
-        .join('; ');
-      if (filtered) {
-        el.setAttribute('style', filtered);
-      } else {
-        el.removeAttribute('style');
-      }
-    }
-    if (el.hasAttribute('class')) {
-      const cls = el
-        .getAttribute('class')
-        .split(/\s+/)
-        .filter(c => c && !/^Mso/i.test(c))
-        .join(' ');
-      if (cls) {
-        el.setAttribute('class', cls);
-      } else {
-        el.removeAttribute('class');
-      }
-    }
-  });
-  const strikeElements = doc.querySelectorAll('s, strike, del');
-  strikeElements.forEach(el => {
-    const nestedLists = el.querySelectorAll('ul, ol');
-    if (nestedLists.length > 0) {
-      nestedLists.forEach(list => {
-        el.parentNode.insertBefore(list, el.nextSibling);
-      });
-    }
-  });
-  const lists = doc.querySelectorAll('ul, ol');
-  lists.forEach(list => {
-    const items = list.querySelectorAll(':scope > li');
-    items.forEach(item => {
-      const nestedLists = Array.from(item.children).filter(
-        child => child.tagName === 'UL' || child.tagName === 'OL',
-      );
-      nestedLists.forEach(nestedList => {
-        item.appendChild(nestedList);
-      });
-    });
-  });
-  return doc.body.innerHTML;
-}
-
 /**
  * Pre-processes a raw Markdown string to convert custom syntax into HTML tags
  * that Tiptap's extensions can understand. This is our custom "loader".
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/pasteTransform.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/pasteTransform.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8f805aa0e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/pasteTransform.js
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+function stripMsoConditionalComments(html) {
+  return html.replace(/<!--\[if.*?endif\]-->/gis, '');
+}
+
+function stripOfficeNamespacedTags(html) {
+  return html.replace(/<\/?(w|m|o|v):[^>]*>/gis, '');
+}
+
+function filterMsoStyleDeclarations(doc) {
+  doc.querySelectorAll('[style]').forEach(el => {
+    const filtered = el
+      .getAttribute('style')
+      .split(';')
+      .map(s => s.trim())
+      .filter(s => s && !s.toLowerCase().startsWith('mso-'))
+      .join('; ');
+    if (filtered) {
+      el.setAttribute('style', filtered);
+    } else {
+      el.removeAttribute('style');
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+function filterMsoClasses(doc) {
+  doc.querySelectorAll('[class]').forEach(el => {
+    const cls = el
+      .getAttribute('class')
+      .split(/\s+/)
+      .filter(c => c && !/^Mso/i.test(c))
+      .join(' ');
+    if (cls) {
+      el.setAttribute('class', cls);
+    } else {
+      el.removeAttribute('class');
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+function hoistListsOutOfStrike(doc) {
+  doc.querySelectorAll('s, strike, del').forEach(el => {
+    el.querySelectorAll('ul, ol').forEach(list => {
+      el.parentNode.insertBefore(list, el.nextSibling);
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+function reparentNestedListsInLi(doc) {
+  doc.querySelectorAll('ul, ol').forEach(list => {
+    list.querySelectorAll(':scope > li').forEach(item => {
+      Array.from(item.children)
+        .filter(child => child.tagName === 'UL' || child.tagName === 'OL')
+        .forEach(nestedList => item.appendChild(nestedList));
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+function stripImages(doc) {
+  doc.querySelectorAll('img').forEach(el => el.remove());
+}
+
+const STRING_TRANSFORMS = [stripMsoConditionalComments, stripOfficeNamespacedTags];
+
+const DOM_TRANSFORMS = [
+  filterMsoStyleDeclarations,
+  filterMsoClasses,
+  hoistListsOutOfStrike,
+  reparentNestedListsInLi,
+  stripImages,
+];
+
+export function transformPastedHTML(html) {
+  if (!html) return '';
+  let cleaned = html;
+  for (const transform of STRING_TRANSFORMS) {
+    cleaned = transform(cleaned);
+  }
+  const doc = new DOMParser().parseFromString(cleaned, 'text/html');
+  for (const transform of DOM_TRANSFORMS) {
+    transform(doc);
+  }
+  return doc.body.innerHTML;
+}
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/pasteTransform.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/pasteTransform.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3f44d938cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/pasteTransform.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+import { transformPastedHTML } from '../TipTapEditor/utils/pasteTransform';
+
+describe('transformPastedHTML', () => {
+  describe('empty inputs', () => {
+    it('returns empty string for empty input', () => {
+      expect(transformPastedHTML('')).toBe('');
+    });
+
+    it('returns empty string for null', () => {
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(null)).toBe('');
+    });
+
+    it('returns empty string for undefined', () => {
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(undefined)).toBe('');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('image stripping', () => {
+    it('strips a single remote img', () => {
+      const input = '<p>before <img src="https://example.com/x.png"> after</p>';
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(input)).toBe('<p>before  after</p>');
+    });
+
+    it('strips a data: URI img', () => {
+      const input = '<p><img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo="></p>';
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(input)).toBe('<p></p>');
+    });
+
+    it('strips img with no src', () => {
+      const input = '<p><img></p>';
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(input)).toBe('<p></p>');
+    });
+
+    it.each([
+      ['http', '<img src="http://x.test/a.png">'],
+      ['blob', '<img src="blob:https://x.test/abc">'],
+      ['file', '<img src="file:///tmp/a.png">'],
+      ['relative', '<img src="../a.png">'],
+    ])('strips img with %s scheme', (_scheme, imgTag) => {
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(`<p>${imgTag}</p>`)).toBe('<p></p>');
+    });
+
+    it('strips multiple imgs in different parents', () => {
+      const input = [
+        '<p>top <img src="a"></p>',
+        '<img src="b">',
+        '<ul><li><img src="c"> item</li></ul>',
+      ].join('');
+      const output = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      expect(output).not.toContain('<img');
+      expect(output).toContain('<p>top </p>');
+      expect(output).toContain('<ul><li> item</li></ul>');
+    });
+
+    it('preserves surrounding marks when stripping mixed imgs', () => {
+      const input =
+        '<p><strong>bold</strong> <img src="a"> <em>italic</em> <a href="https://x">link</a></p>';
+      const output = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      expect(output).not.toContain('<img');
+      expect(output).toContain('<strong>bold</strong>');
+      expect(output).toContain('<em>italic</em>');
+      expect(output).toContain('<a href="https://x">link</a>');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('Word/Office cleanup', () => {
+    it('removes MSO conditional comments', () => {
+      const input = '<p>before <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>junk</xml><![endif]--> after</p>';
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(input)).toBe('<p>before  after</p>');
+    });
+
+    it('removes Office-namespaced tags (w:, m:, o:, v:)', () => {
+      const input =
+        '<p>before<w:hint val="x"></w:hint><o:p></o:p><m:r></m:r><v:rect></v:rect>after</p>';
+      const output = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      expect(output).not.toMatch(/<\/?[wmov]:/);
+      expect(output).toContain('before');
+      expect(output).toContain('after');
+    });
+
+    it('strips mso-* style declarations while keeping other styles', () => {
+      const input =
+        '<p style="mso-list:l0 level1; color: red; mso-bidi-font-size: 11pt; font-size: 12pt">x</p>';
+      const output = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      expect(output).not.toMatch(/mso-/);
+      expect(output).toContain('color: red');
+      expect(output).toContain('font-size: 12pt');
+    });
+
+    it('removes the style attribute entirely when all declarations were mso-*', () => {
+      const input = '<p style="mso-list:l0 level1;mso-bidi-font-size: 11pt">x</p>';
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(input)).toBe('<p>x</p>');
+    });
+
+    it('strips Mso* classes (case-insensitive) while keeping other classes', () => {
+      const input = '<p class="MsoNormal kept-class MSOPlain">x</p>';
+      const output = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      expect(output).toContain('class="kept-class"');
+      expect(output).not.toMatch(/Mso/i);
+    });
+
+    it('removes the class attribute entirely when all classes were Mso*', () => {
+      const input = '<p class="MsoNormal MsoListParagraph">x</p>';
+      expect(transformPastedHTML(input)).toBe('<p>x</p>');
+    });
+
+    it('hoists nested lists out of strike/s/del wrappers', () => {
+      const input = '<s><ul><li>a</li></ul></s>';
+      const output = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      expect(output).toContain('<ul><li>a</li></ul>');
+      expect(output.indexOf('</s>')).toBeLessThan(output.indexOf('<ul>'));
+    });
+
+    it('re-parents nested lists inside <li> to the end of the <li>', () => {
+      const input = '<ul><li>text<ul><li>nested</li></ul>more text</li></ul>';
+      const output = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      expect(output).toMatch(/<li>textmore text<ul><li>nested<\/li><\/ul><\/li>/);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('idempotency', () => {
+    it.each([
+      ['<p>plain text</p>'],
+      ['<p>before <img src="x"> after</p>'],
+      ['<p style="mso-bidi-font-size:11pt;color:red">x</p>'],
+      ['<p class="MsoNormal kept">x</p>'],
+      ['<s><ul><li>a</li></ul></s>'],
+      ['<ul><li>text<ul><li>n</li></ul>more</li></ul>'],
+      ['<!--[if gte mso 9]>x<![endif]--><p>y</p>'],
+    ])('is idempotent: f(f(x)) === f(x) for %s', input => {
+      const once = transformPastedHTML(input);
+      const twice = transformPastedHTML(once);
+      expect(twice).toBe(once);
+    });
+  });
+});