Pasting from Microsoft Word (Desktop for Mac) omits images

[ricardo-ramosdotcom]

Description

Description of the bug

Copy/paste from Word Online includes images, but Word Desktop for Mac omits images entirely.

Expected

• Images should paste from both Word Online and Word Desktop.

Actual

• Word Online → Gutenberg: ✅ Images included.
• Word Desktop (Mac 16.99.2) → Gutenberg: ❌ Images omitted.

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

1. Create a Word document with headings, paragraphs, inline images, and a two-column section.
2. Test from Word Online in the browser and from Word Desktop for Mac (version below).
3. Copy all, paste into a new post in the WordPress editor (try both Chrome and Firefox).
4. Observe whether images are inserted.

Screenshots, screen recording, code snippet

Screenshots or screen recordings

• I can attach two short clips (Desktop vs Online) showing images missing only from Desktop paste.

Video: https://cloudup.com/ca_bKYbpzZY

Environment info

Environment info

• Microsoft Word for Mac: 16.99.2 (Microsoft 365 Subscription)
• WordPress: 6.8.2
• Theme: Twenty Twenty-Four 1.3
• Plugins:
• OS: macOS Sequoia 15.6
• Browsers:
  • Chrome 138.0.7204.184 (arm64)
  • Firefox 141.0 (Build ID 20250717180000)
• Server (FYI): PHP 8.3.24 (FPM), nginx, MariaDB 11.4.7, WP_DEBUG=true

Please confirm that you have searched existing issues in the repo.

• [x] Yes

Please confirm that you have tested with all plugins deactivated except Gutenberg.

• [x] Yes

Please confirm which theme type you used for testing.

• [x] Block
• [ ] Classic
• [ ] Hybrid (e.g. classic with theme.json)
• [ ] Not sure

[hanneslsm]

Thanks @ricardo-ramos-dot-com for the report. I think those are three issues in total here. It's better to open for each one a separate issue, so it can be discussed and tackled individually.

1. Copy/paste from Word Online includes images, but Word Desktop for Mac omits images entirely.

Let's focus on this one here.

2. In both Online and Desktop, headings paste as plain paragraphs.

I think https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/63824 is about this issue already

3. Word columns are converted to a table.

From my understanding this is intended.

[ricardo-ramosdotcom]

Thanks for the feedback @hanneslsm. I've edited and updated this issue to only include the first part of the missing images.

[Mamaduka]

In both Online and Desktop, headings paste as plain paragraphs.

It looks like we've got a couple of issues for this. Here's a recent one with a possible fix - https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/70770.

P.S. We should probably consolidate those issues.

[ellatrix]

Word Desktop for Mac omits images entirely.

Is there any web editor where this does work? Does it work when you paste into Word Online or Google Docs? I believe that Word doesn't include the images on copy, so it would be impossible to do for any web editor. Please let me know if there is any web editor where this does work.