diff --git a/src/browser/tests/element/html/textarea.html b/src/browser/tests/element/html/textarea.html
index f820288e..eddacdde 100644
--- a/src/browser/tests/element/html/textarea.html
+++ b/src/browser/tests/element/html/textarea.html
@@ -42,6 +42,34 @@
   testing.expectEqual('initial text', $('#textarea1').defaultValue)
 </script>
 
+<script id="defaultValue_set">
+  {
+    const textarea = document.createElement('textarea')
+    testing.expectEqual('', textarea.defaultValue)
+    testing.expectEqual('', textarea.value)
+
+    // Setting defaultValue should update the text content
+    textarea.defaultValue = 'new default'
+    testing.expectEqual('new default', textarea.defaultValue)
+    testing.expectEqual('new default', textarea.value)
+    testing.expectEqual('new default', textarea.textContent)
+
+    // Setting value should not affect defaultValue
+    textarea.value = 'user input'
+    testing.expectEqual('new default', textarea.defaultValue)
+    testing.expectEqual('user input', textarea.value)
+
+    // Test setting defaultValue on element that already has content
+    const textarea2 = document.createElement('textarea')
+    textarea2.textContent = 'initial content'
+    testing.expectEqual('initial content', textarea2.defaultValue)
+
+    textarea2.defaultValue = 'modified default'
+    testing.expectEqual('modified default', textarea2.defaultValue)
+    testing.expectEqual('modified default', textarea2.textContent)
+  }
+</script>
+
 <script id="disabled_initial">
   testing.expectEqual(false, $('#textarea1').disabled)
   testing.expectEqual(true, $('#textarea3').disabled)
@@ -149,3 +177,55 @@
     testing.expectFalse(textarea.outerHTML.includes('required'))
   }
 </script>
+
+<script id="clone_basic">
+  {
+    const original = document.createElement('textarea')
+    original.defaultValue = 'default text'
+    testing.expectEqual('default text', original.value)
+
+    // Change the value
+    original.value = 'user modified'
+    testing.expectEqual('user modified', original.value)
+    testing.expectEqual('default text', original.defaultValue)
+
+    // Clone the textarea
+    const clone = original.cloneNode(true)
+
+    // Clone should have the runtime value copied
+    testing.expectEqual('user modified', clone.value)
+    testing.expectEqual('default text', clone.defaultValue)
+  }
+</script>
+
+<script id="clone_preserves_user_changes">
+  {
+    // Create a fresh element to avoid interfering with other tests
+    const original = document.createElement('textarea')
+    original.textContent = 'initial text'
+    testing.expectEqual('initial text', original.defaultValue)
+    testing.expectEqual('initial text', original.value)
+
+    // User modifies the value
+    original.value = 'user typed this'
+    testing.expectEqual('user typed this', original.value)
+    testing.expectEqual('initial text', original.defaultValue)
+
+    // Clone should preserve the user's changes
+    const clone = original.cloneNode(true)
+    testing.expectEqual('user typed this', clone.value)
+    testing.expectEqual('initial text', clone.defaultValue)
+  }
+</script>
+
+<script id="clone_empty_textarea">
+  {
+    const original = document.createElement('textarea')
+    testing.expectEqual('', original.value)
+
+    original.value = 'some content'
+    const clone = original.cloneNode(true)
+
+    testing.expectEqual('some content', clone.value)
+  }
+</script>
diff --git a/src/browser/webapi/element/html/TextArea.zig b/src/browser/webapi/element/html/TextArea.zig
index c87b8798..e9a1dcb1 100644
--- a/src/browser/webapi/element/html/TextArea.zig
+++ b/src/browser/webapi/element/html/TextArea.zig
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (C) 2023-2025  Lightpanda (Selecy SAS)
+// Copyright (C) 2023-2026  Lightpanda (Selecy SAS)
 //
 // Francis Bouvier <francis@lightpanda.io>
 // Pierre Tachoire <pierre@lightpanda.io>
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ const Form = @import("Form.zig");
 const TextArea = @This();
 
 _proto: *HtmlElement,
-_default_value: ?[]const u8 = null,
 _value: ?[]const u8 = null,
 
 pub fn asElement(self: *TextArea) *Element {
@@ -39,9 +38,12 @@ pub fn asConstElement(self: *const TextArea) *const Element {
 pub fn asNode(self: *TextArea) *Node {
     return self.asElement().asNode();
 }
+pub fn asConstNode(self: *const TextArea) *const Node {
+    return self.asConstElement().asConstNode();
+}
 
 pub fn getValue(self: *const TextArea) []const u8 {
-    return self._value orelse self._default_value orelse "";
+    return self._value orelse self.getDefaultValue();
 }
 
 pub fn setValue(self: *TextArea, value: []const u8, page: *Page) !void {
@@ -50,7 +52,29 @@ pub fn setValue(self: *TextArea, value: []const u8, page: *Page) !void {
 }
 
 pub fn getDefaultValue(self: *const TextArea) []const u8 {
-    return self._default_value orelse "";
+    const node = self.asConstNode();
+    if (node.firstChild()) |child| {
+        if (child.is(Node.CData.Text)) |txt| {
+            return txt.getWholeText();
+        }
+    }
+    return "";
+}
+
+pub fn setDefaultValue(self: *TextArea, value: []const u8, page: *Page) !void {
+    const owned = try page.dupeString(value);
+
+    const node = self.asNode();
+    if (node.firstChild()) |child| {
+        if (child.is(Node.CData.Text)) |txt| {
+            txt._proto._data = owned;
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // No text child exists, create one
+    const text_node = try page.createTextNode(owned);
+    _ = try node.appendChild(text_node, page);
 }
 
 pub fn getDisabled(self: *const TextArea) bool {
@@ -119,7 +143,7 @@ pub const JsApi = struct {
     };
 
     pub const value = bridge.accessor(TextArea.getValue, TextArea.setValue, .{});
-    pub const defaultValue = bridge.accessor(TextArea.getDefaultValue, null, .{});
+    pub const defaultValue = bridge.accessor(TextArea.getDefaultValue, TextArea.setDefaultValue, .{});
     pub const disabled = bridge.accessor(TextArea.getDisabled, TextArea.setDisabled, .{});
     pub const name = bridge.accessor(TextArea.getName, TextArea.setName, .{});
     pub const required = bridge.accessor(TextArea.getRequired, TextArea.setRequired, .{});
@@ -127,20 +151,10 @@ pub const JsApi = struct {
 };
 
 pub const Build = struct {
-    const CData = @import("../../CData.zig");
-
-    pub fn complete(node: *Node, _: *const Page) !void {
-        var self = node.as(TextArea);
-
-        // Get default value from text content
-        if (node.firstChild()) |child| {
-            if (child.is(CData.Text)) |txt| {
-                self._default_value = txt.getWholeText();
-            }
-        }
-
-        // Current state starts equal to default
-        self._value = self._default_value;
+    pub fn cloned(source_element: *Element, cloned_element: *Element, _: *Page) !void {
+        const source = source_element.as(TextArea);
+        const clone = cloned_element.as(TextArea);
+        clone._value = source._value;
     }
 };