diff --git a/packages/quill/src/core/editor.ts b/packages/quill/src/core/editor.ts
index a19485840d..b6391a7cd4 100644
--- a/packages/quill/src/core/editor.ts
+++ b/packages/quill/src/core/editor.ts
@@ -370,7 +370,8 @@ function convertHTML(
     return blot.html(index, length);
   }
   if (blot instanceof TextBlot) {
-    return escapeText(blot.value().slice(index, index + length));
+    const escapedText = escapeText(blot.value().slice(index, index + length));
+    return escapedText.replaceAll(' ', ' ');
   }
   if (blot instanceof ParentBlot) {
     // TODO fix API
diff --git a/packages/quill/src/modules/clipboard.ts b/packages/quill/src/modules/clipboard.ts
index e4c3f755b5..ea3df80403 100644
--- a/packages/quill/src/modules/clipboard.ts
+++ b/packages/quill/src/modules/clipboard.ts
@@ -624,9 +624,12 @@ function matchTable(
   return delta;
 }
 
+const NBSP = '\u00a0';
+const SPACE_EXCLUDE_NBSP = `[^\\S${NBSP}]`;
+
 function matchText(node: HTMLElement, delta: Delta, scroll: ScrollBlot) {
   // @ts-expect-error
-  let text = node.data;
+  let text = node.data as string;
   // Word represents empty line with <o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
   if (node.parentElement?.tagName === 'O:P') {
     return delta.insert(text.trim());
@@ -639,12 +642,8 @@ function matchText(node: HTMLElement, delta: Delta, scroll: ScrollBlot) {
     ) {
       return delta;
     }
-    const replacer = (collapse: unknown, match: string) => {
-      const replaced = match.replace(/[^\u00a0]/g, ''); // \u00a0 is nbsp;
-      return replaced.length < 1 && collapse ? ' ' : replaced;
-    };
     text = text.replace(/\r\n/g, ' ').replace(/\n/g, ' ');
-    text = text.replace(/\s\s+/g, replacer.bind(replacer, true)); // collapse whitespace
+    text = text.replace(new RegExp(`${SPACE_EXCLUDE_NBSP}{2,}`, 'g'), ' '); // collapse whitespace
     if (
       (node.previousSibling == null &&
         node.parentElement != null &&
@@ -652,7 +651,7 @@ function matchText(node: HTMLElement, delta: Delta, scroll: ScrollBlot) {
       (node.previousSibling instanceof Element &&
         isLine(node.previousSibling, scroll))
     ) {
-      text = text.replace(/^\s+/, replacer.bind(replacer, false));
+      text = text.replace(new RegExp(`^${SPACE_EXCLUDE_NBSP}+`), '');
     }
     if (
       (node.nextSibling == null &&
@@ -660,8 +659,9 @@ function matchText(node: HTMLElement, delta: Delta, scroll: ScrollBlot) {
         isLine(node.parentElement, scroll)) ||
       (node.nextSibling instanceof Element && isLine(node.nextSibling, scroll))
     ) {
-      text = text.replace(/\s+$/, replacer.bind(replacer, false));
+      text = text.replace(new RegExp(`${SPACE_EXCLUDE_NBSP}+$`), '');
     }
+    text = text.replaceAll(NBSP, ' ');
   }
   return delta.insert(text);
 }
diff --git a/packages/quill/test/unit/core/editor.spec.ts b/packages/quill/test/unit/core/editor.spec.ts
index 0c595332bb..2d47a1dec9 100644
--- a/packages/quill/test/unit/core/editor.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/quill/test/unit/core/editor.spec.ts
@@ -28,9 +28,11 @@ import { ColorClass } from '../../../src/formats/color.js';
 import Quill from '../../../src/core.js';
 import { normalizeHTML } from '../__helpers__/utils.js';
 
-const createEditor = (html: string) => {
+const createEditor = (htmlOrContents: string | Delta) => {
   const container = document.createElement('div');
-  container.innerHTML = normalizeHTML(html);
+  if (typeof htmlOrContents === 'string') {
+    container.innerHTML = normalizeHTML(htmlOrContents);
+  }
   document.body.appendChild(container);
   const quill = new Quill(container, {
     registry: createRegistry([
@@ -54,6 +56,9 @@ const createEditor = (html: string) => {
       SizeClass,
     ]),
   });
+  if (typeof htmlOrContents !== 'string') {
+    quill.setContents(htmlOrContents);
+  }
   return quill.editor;
 };
 
@@ -1246,6 +1251,25 @@ describe('Editor', () => {
       );
     });
 
+    test('collapsible spaces', () => {
+      expect(
+        createEditor('<p><strong>123 </strong>123<em> 123</em></p>').getHTML(
+          0,
+          11,
+        ),
+      ).toEqual('<strong>123&nbsp;</strong>123<em>&nbsp;123</em>');
+
+      expect(createEditor(new Delta().insert('1   2\n')).getHTML(0, 5)).toEqual(
+        '1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2',
+      );
+
+      expect(
+        createEditor(
+          new Delta().insert('  123', { bold: true }).insert('\n'),
+        ).getHTML(0, 5),
+      ).toEqual('<strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;123</strong>');
+    });
+
     test('mixed list', () => {
       const editor = createEditor(
         `
diff --git a/packages/quill/test/unit/modules/clipboard.spec.ts b/packages/quill/test/unit/modules/clipboard.spec.ts
index 0ba7c159ed..69142690a2 100644
--- a/packages/quill/test/unit/modules/clipboard.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/quill/test/unit/modules/clipboard.spec.ts
@@ -244,6 +244,12 @@ describe('Clipboard', () => {
       expect(delta).toEqual(new Delta().insert('0\n1 2  3  4\n5 6  7 8'));
     });
 
+    test('multiple whitespaces', () => {
+      const html = '<div>1   2    3</div>';
+      const delta = createClipboard().convert({ html });
+      expect(delta).toEqual(new Delta().insert('1 2 3'));
+    });
+
     test('inline whitespace', () => {
       const html = '<p>0 <strong>1</strong> 2</p>';
       const delta = createClipboard().convert({ html });
@@ -256,19 +262,23 @@ describe('Clipboard', () => {
       const html = '<span>0&nbsp;<strong>1</strong>&nbsp;2</span>';
       const delta = createClipboard().convert({ html });
       expect(delta).toEqual(
-        new Delta()
-          .insert('0\u00a0')
-          .insert('1', { bold: true })
-          .insert('\u00a02'),
+        new Delta().insert('0 ').insert('1', { bold: true }).insert(' 2'),
       );
     });
 
     test('consecutive intentional whitespace', () => {
       const html = '<strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;1&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>';
       const delta = createClipboard().convert({ html });
-      expect(delta).toEqual(
-        new Delta().insert('\u00a0\u00a01\u00a0\u00a0', { bold: true }),
-      );
+      expect(delta).toEqual(new Delta().insert('  1  ', { bold: true }));
+    });
+
+    test('intentional whitespace at line start/end', () => {
+      expect(
+        createClipboard().convert({ html: '<p>0 &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp; 2</p>' }),
+      ).toEqual(new Delta().insert('0  \n  2'));
+      expect(
+        createClipboard().convert({ html: '<p>0&nbsp; </p><p> &nbsp;2</p>' }),
+      ).toEqual(new Delta().insert('0 \n 2'));
     });
 
     test('newlines between inline elements', () => {
diff --git a/packages/quill/tsconfig.json b/packages/quill/tsconfig.json
index ad105b7c1e..062af2c011 100644
--- a/packages/quill/tsconfig.json
+++ b/packages/quill/tsconfig.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "compilerOptions": {
     "outDir": "./dist",
     "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
-    "target": "ES2020",
+    "target": "ES2021",
     "sourceMap": true,
     "resolveJsonModule": true,
     "declaration": false,
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index 87860003ec..146b141a1f 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   },
   "compilerOptions": {
     "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
-    "target": "ES2020",
+    "target": "ES2021",
     "sourceMap": true,
     "declaration": true,
     "module": "ES2020",