---
title: "Options for the PowerPaste plugin"
description: "Information on the options provided by the PowerPaste plugin."
canonical_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/latest/powerpaste-options/"
md_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/6/powerpaste-options/index.md"
version: "6"
last_updated: "2023-08-07T07:53:38Z"
tokens: 3517
---
Important This page documents TinyMCE 6. For new projects, Tiny recommends using the latest, most up-to-date version. [See TinyMCE 8 documentation](../../latest/powerpaste-options/).
# Options for the PowerPaste plugin

## Options

### `paste_as_text`

This option enables you to set the default state of the `Paste as text` menu item under the `Edit` menu dropdown. It’s disabled by default.

**Type:** `Boolean`

**Default value:** `false`

**Possible values:** `true`, `false`

#### Example: using `paste_as_text`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  toolbar: 'paste',
  paste_as_text: true
});
```

### `paste_merge_formats`

This option enables the merge format feature when pasting content. This merges identical text format elements to reduce the number of HTML elements produced. For example: `<b>abc <b>bold</b> 123</b>` becomes `<b>abc bold 123</b>` since the inner format is redundant. This option is enabled by default but can be disabled if retaining nested or identical format elements is important.

**Type:** `Boolean`

**Default value:** `true`

**Possible values:** `true`, `false`

#### Example: using `paste_merge_formats`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  toolbar: 'paste',
  paste_merge_formats: false
});
```

### `paste_tab_spaces`

This option controls how many spaces are used to represent a tab character in HTML when pasting plain text content. By default, when tab characters are pasted they will be converted into 4 sequential space characters.

**Type:** `Number`

**Default value:** `4`

#### Example: using `paste_tab_spaces`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  toolbar: 'paste',
  paste_tab_spaces: 2
});
```

### `powerpaste_word_import`

This option controls how content pasted from Microsoft Word is filtered.

**Type:** `String` or `Function`

**Default value:** `'prompt'`

**Possible values:** `'clean'`, `merge`, `prompt` **or** a `Function`

What the supported string-based values do:

| Value | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| `clean` | Preserves the structure of the content such as headings, tables, and lists. <br>Removes inline styles and classes. <br>This results in simple content that uses the site’s CSS stylesheet while retaining the semantic structure of the original document. |
| `merge` | Preserves the inline formatting and structure of the original document. <br>Removes invalid and proprietary styles, tags and attributes. <br>This ensures the HTML is valid while more closely matching the original document formatting. |
| `prompt` | Prompts the user to choose between the `clean` and `merge` options after attempting to paste HTML content. |

Alternatively, this option can take an asynchronous function that returns a [Promise](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Promise) which will resolve with the string `clean` or `merge`. This allows the paste mode to be dynamically set each time a user pastes relevant content. It can be used, for example, to replicate the `prompt` dialog with a custom dialog.

> **Note:** When using the Windows operating system, copying and pasting content from Microsoft Word 2013 (or later) in "Protected View" will result in plain, unformatted text. This is due to how Protected View interacts with the clipboard.

#### Example: `powerpaste_word_import` using an asynchronous function

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  powerpaste_word_import: () => new Promise((resolve) => {
    // use a native confirm dialog to prompt the user to choose between clean and merge
    if (confirm('Would you like to keep formatting?')) {
      resolve('merge');
    } else {
      resolve('clean');
    }
  })
});
```

### `powerpaste_googledocs_import`

This option controls how content pasted from Google Docs is filtered.

**Type:** `String` or `Function`

**Default value:** `'prompt'`

**Possible values:** `'clean'`, `merge`, `prompt` **or** a `Function`

What the supported string-based values do:

| Value | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| `clean` | Preserves the structure of the content such as headings, tables, and lists. <br>Removes inline styles and classes. <br>This results in simple content that uses the site’s CSS stylesheet while retaining the semantic structure of the original document. |
| `merge` | Preserves the inline formatting and structure of the original document. <br>Removes invalid and proprietary styles, tags and attributes. <br>This ensures the HTML is valid while more closely matching the original document formatting. |
| `prompt` | Prompts the user to choose between the `clean` and `merge` options after attempting to paste HTML content. |

Alternatively, this option can take an asynchronous function that returns a [Promise](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Promise) which will resolve with the string `clean` or `merge`. This allows the paste mode to be dynamically set each time a user pastes relevant content. It can be used, for example, to replicate the `prompt` dialog with a custom dialog.

#### Example: `powerpaste_googledocs_import` using an asynchronous function

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  powerpaste_googledocs_imports: () => new Promise((resolve) => {
    // use a native confirm dialog to prompt the user to choose between clean and merge
    if (confirm('Would you like to keep formatting?')) {
      resolve('merge');
    } else {
      resolve('clean');
    }
  })
});
```

### `powerpaste_html_import`

This option controls how content pasted from sources other than Microsoft Word and Google Docs are filtered.

**Type:** `String`

**Default value:** `'clean'`

**Possible values:** `'clean'`, `merge`, `prompt`

What the supported string-based values do:

| Value | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| `clean` | Preserves the structure of the content such as headings, tables, and lists. <br>Removes inline styles and classes. <br>This results in simple content that uses the site’s CSS stylesheet while retaining the semantic structure of the original document. |
| `merge` | Preserves the inline formatting and structure of the original document. <br>Removes invalid and proprietary styles, tags and attributes. <br>This ensures the HTML is valid while more closely matching the original document formatting. |
| `prompt` | Prompts the user to choose between the `clean` and `merge` options after attempting to paste HTML content. |

> **Note:** Pasting from a TinyMCE instance to a TinyMCE instance Content copied or cut from a TinyMCE instance and then pasted into a TinyMCE instance (eg, copyied or cut from one part of a TinyMCE document and pasted into another place within the same document) is not processed by `powerpaste_html_import`.
> 
> In this circumstance, whatever is copied or cut is exactly what is pasted.

#### example: using `powerpaste_html_import` to require a prompt when pasting html

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your html
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  powerpaste_html_import: 'prompt',
});
```

### `powerpaste_allow_local_images`

When set to `true`, Base64 encoded images using a data URI in the copied content will not be removed after pasting.

**Type:** `Boolean`

**Default value:** `true`

**Possible values:** `true`, `false`

> **Note:** If you configure ***PowerPaste*** to allow local images, you can have TinyMCE automatically upload Base64 encoded images for conversion back to a standard image as described on the [image upload documentation](../upload-images/).

### `powerpaste_block_drop`

Due to browser limitations, it is not possible to filter content that is dragged and dropped into the editor. When `powerpaste_block_drop` is set to true dragging and dropping content into the editor will be disabled. This prevents the unfiltered content from being introduced. Copy and paste is still enabled.

**Type:** `Boolean`

**Default value:** `false`

**Possible values:** `true`, `false`

#### Example: using `powerpaste_block_drop`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  powerpaste_block_drop: false
});
```

### `powerpaste_clean_filtered_inline_elements`

This option allows for configuration of PowerPaste’s **"clean"** paste filters for inline elements. These filters are run when `powerpaste_word_import` or `powerpaste_html_import` are set to `"clean"`; or when a user clicks the **"Remove formatting"** button on the paste prompt dialog.

The list of inline elements that should be removed on paste can be specified by setting `powerpaste_clean_filtered_inline_elements` to a comma-separated string of inline element tag names.

**Type:** A comma-separated string or `Array`

**Default value:** `[]`

#### Example: `powerpaste_clean_filtered_inline_elements`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  powerpaste_word_import: 'clean', // optional
  powerpaste_html_import: 'clean', // optional
  powerpaste_clean_filtered_inline_elements: 'strong, em, b, i, u, strike, sup, sub, font'
});
```

### `powerpaste_keep_unsupported_src`

Due to browser limitations, PowerPaste is not able to support all image types supported by Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. When `powerpaste_keep_unsupported_src` is set to `true`, PowerPaste will store the original `src` of unsupported images in a `data-image-src` attribute on the pasted image element. This enables developers to add further image support via post-processing.

For example, browsers do not allow PowerPaste to access the file system. If your application has access to the file system, setting `powerpaste_keep_unsupported_src` to `true` may allow you to replace unsupported images during post-processing using the original file paths.

**Type:** `Boolean`

**Default value:** `false`

**Possible values:** `true`, `false`

#### Example: using `powerpaste_keep_unsupported_src`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  powerpaste_keep_unsupported_src: true
});
```

### `smart_paste`

The `smart_paste` function will:

- Detect text that resembles a URL and change the text to a hyperlink.
- Detect text that resembles the URL for an image and will try to replace the text with the image.

To disable the `smart_paste` functionality, set `smart_paste` to `false`. To configure which image file types are recognised, see [Image & file options - images_file_types](../file-image-upload/#images_file_types).

**Type:** `Boolean`

**Default value:** `true`

**Possible values:** `true`, `false`

#### Example: using `smart_paste`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  toolbar: 'paste',
  smart_paste: false
});
```

### `images_file_types`

This option configures which image file formats are accepted by the editor. Changing this option will adjust the following editor behaviour:

- Which image file formats are allowed to be uploaded in the [Image](../image/) dialog.
- Which image file formats are recognized and placed in an `img` element by the core paste and [PowerPaste](../introduction-to-powerpaste/) `smart_paste` functionality.

**Type:** `String`

**Default value:** `'jpeg,jpg,jpe,jfi,jif,jfif,png,gif,bmp,webp'`

**Possible values:** A list of valid web image file extensions. For a list of possible values see: [MDN Web Docs - Image file type and format guide](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Formats/Image_types).

#### Example: using `images_file_types`

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',  // change this value according to your HTML
  plugins: 'image',
  toolbar: 'image',
  images_file_types: 'jpg,svg,webp'
});
```

## Advanced Options

### Pre-filtering and post-filtering callbacks

Developers can add custom filtering before and after **PowerPaste** 's filters are run using the pre-filtering and post-filtering callbacks. These can be added as init options or at runtime using event listeners.

> **Note:** These callbacks are also triggered by the core paste functionality, but when triggered by PowerPaste they are passed more data.

### `paste_preprocess`

This option allows you to run custom filtering on the content from the clipboard before it is run through PowerPaste’s filters. The callback is passed two arguments: the PowerPaste plugin instance and an object containing event data. This object contains:

- Standard paste event data.
- `content` - A string containing the content to be pasted.
- `mode` - A string indicating whether PowerPaste is in `clean`, `merge`, or `auto` mode.
- `source` - A string indicating which kind of filtering PowerPaste will run based on the source of the content. This will return `html`, `msoffice`, `googledocs`, `image`, `imagedrop`, `plaintext`, `text`, or `invalid`.

> **Note:** The mode 'auto' is used when the content source does not have formatting to "clean" or "merge". For example, when pasting an image with no text or markup content.
**Type:** `Function`

#### Example TinyMCE configuration:

```js
const yourCustomFilter = (content) => {
  // Implement your custom filtering and return the filtered content
  return content;
};

tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  paste_preprocess: (pluginApi, data) => {
    console.log(data.content, data.mode, data.source);
    // Apply custom filtering by mutating data.content
    // For example:
    const content = data.content;
    const newContent = yourCustomFilter(content);
    data.content = newContent;
  }
});
```

### `paste_postprocess`

This option allows you to run custom filtering on the pasted content after it is run through PowerPaste’s filters. The callback is passed two arguments: the PowerPaste plugin instance and an object containing event data. This object contains:

- Standard paste event data.
- `node` - A DOM node containing the DOM structure of the filtered paste content.
- `mode` - A string indicating whether PowerPaste is in `clean`, `merge`, or `auto` mode.
- `source` - A string indicating which kind of filtering PowerPaste will run based on the source of the content. This will return `html`, `msoffice`, `googledocs`, `image`, `imagedrop`, `plaintext`, `text`, or `invalid`.

> **Note:** The mode 'auto' is used when the content source does not have formatting to "clean" or "merge". For example, when pasting an image with no text or markup content.
**Type:** `Function`

#### Example TinyMCE configuration:

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: 'textarea',
  plugins: 'powerpaste',
  paste_postprocess: (pluginApi, data) => {
    console.log(data.node, data.mode, data.source);
    // Apply custom filtering by mutating data.node
    const additionalNode = document.createElement('div');
    additionalNode.innerHTML = '<p>This will go before the pasted content.</p>';
    data.node.insertBefore(additionalNode, data.node.firstElementChild);
  }
});
```