diff --git a/src/Spreadsheet.test.tsx b/src/Spreadsheet.test.tsx
index ec498ee5..4423966f 100644
--- a/src/Spreadsheet.test.tsx
+++ b/src/Spreadsheet.test.tsx
@@ -538,6 +538,28 @@ describe("Spreadsheet Ref Methods", () => {
     expect(onActivate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(invalidPoint);
   });
 
+  test("paste preserves literal double quotes in a single value", () => {
+    const onChange = jest.fn();
+    render(
+      <Spreadsheet
+        {...EXAMPLE_PROPS}
+        onChange={onChange}
+      />
+    );
+    const element = getSpreadsheetElement();
+    const cell = safeQuerySelector(element, "td");
+    fireEvent.mouseDown(cell);
+
+    const clipboardData = {
+      getData: (type: string) => (type === "text/plain" ? '"a"' : ""),
+      setData: () => {},
+    };
+    fireEvent.paste(document, { clipboardData });
+
+    const dataViewer = safeQuerySelector(cell, ".Spreadsheet__data-viewer");
+    expect(dataViewer.textContent).toBe('"a"');
+  });
+
   test("ref is properly typed as SpreadsheetRef", () => {
     const ref = React.createRef<SpreadsheetRef>();
 
diff --git a/src/paste.test.ts b/src/paste.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..daca4550
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/paste.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import { parsePastedText } from "./paste";
+
+describe("parsePastedText()", () => {
+  test("keeps literal double quotes when pasting a single value", () => {
+    expect(parsePastedText('"Value"')).toEqual([[{ value: '"Value"' }]]);
+  });
+
+  test("keeps legacy behavior for quoted numeric single values", () => {
+    expect(parsePastedText('"123"')).toEqual([[{ value: "123" }]]);
+  });
+
+  test("preserves literal quotes in simple quoted multi-cell fields", () => {
+    expect(parsePastedText('"aa"\ta')).toEqual([
+      [{ value: '"aa"' }, { value: "a" }],
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("unquotes quoted fields that protect tab separators", () => {
+    expect(parsePastedText('"Value\t1"\tValue2')).toEqual([
+      [{ value: "Value\t1" }, { value: "Value2" }],
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/paste.ts b/src/paste.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..53a916bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/paste.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+import * as Matrix from "./matrix";
+import * as Types from "./types";
+
+/**
+ * Preserve raw text for single-cell paste. Multi-cell paste uses a
+ * clipboard-aware parser that only strips quotes from fields whose quoted
+ * content actually contains separators or escaped quotes. Quoted numeric
+ * single values keep the legacy behavior and are unquoted.
+ */
+export function parsePastedText(text: string): Matrix.Matrix<Types.CellBase> {
+  if (/[\t\n\r]/.test(text)) {
+    return splitClipboardText(text).map((row) => row.map((value) => ({ value })));
+  }
+
+  return [[{ value: parseSinglePastedValue(text) }]];
+}
+
+function parseSinglePastedValue(text: string): string {
+  if (!text.startsWith('"') || !text.endsWith('"')) {
+    return text;
+  }
+
+  const unquoted = text.slice(1, -1);
+  return isNumericValue(unquoted) ? unquoted : text;
+}
+
+function isNumericValue(value: string): boolean {
+  return /^-?(?:\d+\.?\d*|\.\d+)(?:[eE][+-]?\d+)?$/.test(value);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Split clipboard text into a matrix of strings. Unlike Matrix.split(), a
+ * simple quoted field such as `"aa"` keeps its quotes. Quotes are stripped
+ * only when the field uses quoted-field syntax for separators or escaped
+ * quotes.
+ */
+function splitClipboardText(text: string): string[][] {
+  const rows: string[][] = [];
+  const state = {
+    currentRow: [] as string[],
+    index: 0,
+  };
+
+  while (state.index < text.length) {
+    const field = parseClipboardField(text, state.index);
+    state.currentRow.push(field.value);
+    state.index = field.nextIndex;
+
+    if (state.index >= text.length) {
+      break;
+    }
+
+    if (text[state.index] === "\t") {
+      state.index += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const newlineLength = matchNewline(text, state.index);
+    if (newlineLength > 0) {
+      rows.push(state.currentRow);
+      state.currentRow = [];
+      state.index += newlineLength;
+    }
+  }
+
+  rows.push(state.currentRow);
+  return rows;
+}
+
+type ClipboardFieldResult = { value: string; nextIndex: number };
+
+function parseClipboardField(
+  text: string,
+  start: number
+): ClipboardFieldResult {
+  if (text[start] !== '"') {
+    return parseLiteralField(text, start);
+  }
+
+  const state = {
+    unescaped: "",
+    hasSpecialContent: false,
+    index: start + 1,
+  };
+
+  while (state.index < text.length) {
+    const ch = text[state.index];
+
+    if (ch === '"') {
+      if (text[state.index + 1] === '"') {
+        state.unescaped += '"';
+        state.hasSpecialContent = true;
+        state.index += 2;
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      const afterQuote = state.index + 1;
+      const atBoundary =
+        afterQuote >= text.length || isClipboardSeparator(text[afterQuote]);
+
+      if (atBoundary && state.hasSpecialContent) {
+        return { value: state.unescaped, nextIndex: afterQuote };
+      }
+
+      if (atBoundary) {
+        return { value: text.slice(start, afterQuote), nextIndex: afterQuote };
+      }
+
+      break;
+    }
+
+    if (isClipboardSeparator(ch)) {
+      state.hasSpecialContent = true;
+    }
+
+    state.unescaped += ch;
+    state.index += 1;
+  }
+
+  return parseLiteralField(text, start);
+}
+
+function parseLiteralField(
+  text: string,
+  start: number
+): ClipboardFieldResult {
+  const tabIndex = text.indexOf("\t", start);
+  const lineFeedIndex = text.indexOf("\n", start);
+  const carriageReturnIndex = text.indexOf("\r", start);
+  const nextIndex = Math.min(
+    tabIndex === -1 ? text.length : tabIndex,
+    lineFeedIndex === -1 ? text.length : lineFeedIndex,
+    carriageReturnIndex === -1 ? text.length : carriageReturnIndex
+  );
+  return { value: text.slice(start, nextIndex), nextIndex };
+}
+
+function isClipboardSeparator(ch: string): boolean {
+  return ch === "\t" || ch === "\n" || ch === "\r";
+}
+
+function matchNewline(text: string, index: number): number {
+  if (text[index] === "\r" && text[index + 1] === "\n") {
+    return 2;
+  }
+  if (text[index] === "\n" || text[index] === "\r") {
+    return 1;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/reducer.test.ts b/src/reducer.test.ts
index 1963e08e..1c413ffc 100644
--- a/src/reducer.test.ts
+++ b/src/reducer.test.ts
@@ -227,6 +227,133 @@ describe("reducer", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("paste", () => {
+  test("keeps literal double quotes when pasting a single value", () => {
+    const state: Types.StoreState = {
+      ...INITIAL_STATE,
+      active: Point.ORIGIN,
+      model: new Model(createFormulaParser, createEmptyMatrix(1, 1)),
+      selected: new RangeSelection(new PointRange(Point.ORIGIN, Point.ORIGIN)),
+    };
+
+    const nextState = reducer(state, Actions.paste('"Value"'));
+
+    expect(Matrix.get(Point.ORIGIN, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: '"Value"',
+    });
+    expect(Matrix.get(Point.ORIGIN, nextState.model.evaluatedData)).toEqual({
+      value: '"Value"',
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("keeps legacy behavior for quoted numeric single values", () => {
+    const state: Types.StoreState = {
+      ...INITIAL_STATE,
+      active: Point.ORIGIN,
+      model: new Model(createFormulaParser, createEmptyMatrix(1, 1)),
+      selected: new RangeSelection(new PointRange(Point.ORIGIN, Point.ORIGIN)),
+    };
+
+    const nextState = reducer(state, Actions.paste('"123"'));
+
+    expect(Matrix.get(Point.ORIGIN, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: "123",
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("keeps escaped quotes as raw text when pasting a single value", () => {
+    const state: Types.StoreState = {
+      ...INITIAL_STATE,
+      active: Point.ORIGIN,
+      model: new Model(createFormulaParser, createEmptyMatrix(1, 1)),
+      selected: new RangeSelection(new PointRange(Point.ORIGIN, Point.ORIGIN)),
+    };
+
+    const nextState = reducer(
+      state,
+      Actions.paste('"He said ""hello"""')
+    );
+
+    expect(Matrix.get(Point.ORIGIN, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: '"He said ""hello"""',
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("preserves literal quotes in simple quoted multi-cell fields", () => {
+    const state: Types.StoreState = {
+      ...INITIAL_STATE,
+      active: Point.ORIGIN,
+      model: new Model(createFormulaParser, createEmptyMatrix(1, 2)),
+      selected: new RangeSelection(new PointRange(Point.ORIGIN, Point.ORIGIN)),
+    };
+
+    const nextState = reducer(state, Actions.paste('"aa"\ta'));
+
+    expect(Matrix.get(Point.ORIGIN, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: '"aa"',
+    });
+    expect(
+      Matrix.get({ row: Point.ORIGIN.row, column: Point.ORIGIN.column + 1 }, nextState.model.data)
+    ).toEqual({
+      value: "a",
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("unquotes quoted fields that protect tab separators", () => {
+    const state: Types.StoreState = {
+      ...INITIAL_STATE,
+      active: Point.ORIGIN,
+      model: new Model(createFormulaParser, createEmptyMatrix(1, 2)),
+      selected: new RangeSelection(new PointRange(Point.ORIGIN, Point.ORIGIN)),
+    };
+
+    const nextState = reducer(state, Actions.paste('"Value\t1"\tValue2'));
+
+    expect(Matrix.get(Point.ORIGIN, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: "Value\t1",
+    });
+    expect(
+      Matrix.get({ row: Point.ORIGIN.row, column: Point.ORIGIN.column + 1 }, nextState.model.data)
+    ).toEqual({
+      value: "Value2",
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("preserves literal quotes in real-world multi-row paste", () => {
+    const state: Types.StoreState = {
+      ...INITIAL_STATE,
+      active: Point.ORIGIN,
+      model: new Model(createFormulaParser, createEmptyMatrix(5, 5)),
+      selected: new RangeSelection(new PointRange(Point.ORIGIN, Point.ORIGIN)),
+    };
+    const text = [
+      '"aa"\ta\tDrugA\tDrugA\t',
+      '"aa"\ta\tDrugA\tDrugA\t',
+      '"aa"\ta\tDrugA\tDrugA\t',
+      '\t\tDrugA\tDrugA\tDrugA',
+      '\t\t\tDrugA\tDrugA',
+    ].join("\n");
+
+    const nextState = reducer(state, Actions.paste(text));
+
+    expect(Matrix.get({ row: 0, column: 0 }, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: '"aa"',
+    });
+    expect(Matrix.get({ row: 1, column: 0 }, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: '"aa"',
+    });
+    expect(Matrix.get({ row: 2, column: 0 }, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: '"aa"',
+    });
+    expect(Matrix.get({ row: 3, column: 2 }, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: "DrugA",
+    });
+    expect(Matrix.get({ row: 4, column: 3 }, nextState.model.data)).toEqual({
+      value: "DrugA",
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe("hasKeyDownHandler", () => {
   const cases = [
     ["returns true for handled key", INITIAL_STATE, "Enter", true],
diff --git a/src/reducer.ts b/src/reducer.ts
index cb370e6f..244aa314 100644
--- a/src/reducer.ts
+++ b/src/reducer.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
 import { isActive } from "./util";
 import * as Actions from "./actions";
 import { Model, updateCellValue, createFormulaParser } from "./engine";
+import { parsePastedText } from "./paste";
 
 export const INITIAL_STATE: Types.StoreState = {
   active: null,
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ export default function reducer(
         return state;
       }
 
-      const copied = Matrix.split(text, (value) => ({ value }));
+      const copied = parsePastedText(text);
       const copiedSize = Matrix.getSize(copied);
 
       const selectedRange = state.selected.toRange(state.model.data);