diff --git a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/include/rewriterview.h b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/include/rewriterview.h
index 9672fdc35d2..ac64b97cd3f 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/include/rewriterview.h
+++ b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/include/rewriterview.h
@@ -179,6 +179,8 @@ public:
     void setIsDocumentRewriterView(bool b);
 #endif
 
+    void setRemoveImports(bool removeImports);
+
 signals:
     void modelInterfaceProjectUpdated();
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/rewriterview.cpp b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/rewriterview.cpp
index 02f5c2f05d3..d94846d234a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/rewriterview.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/rewriterview.cpp
@@ -678,6 +678,11 @@ void RewriterView::setIsDocumentRewriterView(bool b)
 }
 #endif
 
+void RewriterView::setRemoveImports(bool removeImports)
+{
+    m_textToModelMerger->setRemoveImports(removeImports);
+}
+
 Internal::ModelNodePositionStorage *RewriterView::positionStorage() const
 {
     return m_positionStorage.get();
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.cpp b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.cpp
index 57785a1a570..f9f56923378 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.cpp
@@ -702,8 +702,10 @@ void TextToModelMerger::setupImports(const Document::Ptr &doc,
         }
     }
 
-    for (const Import &import : std::as_const(existingImports))
-        differenceHandler.importAbsentInQMl(import);
+    if (m_removeImports) {
+        for (const Import &import : std::as_const(existingImports))
+            differenceHandler.importAbsentInQMl(import);
+    }
 }
 
 namespace {
@@ -2439,6 +2441,11 @@ void TextToModelMerger::clearPossibleImportKeys()
     m_previousPossibleModulesSize = -1;
 }
 
+void TextToModelMerger::setRemoveImports(bool removeImports)
+{
+    m_removeImports = removeImports;
+}
+
 QString TextToModelMerger::textAt(const Document::Ptr &doc,
                                   const SourceLocation &location)
 {
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.h b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.h
index 897555c301d..9220f226703 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.h
+++ b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/libs/designercore/rewriter/texttomodelmerger.h
@@ -124,6 +124,8 @@ public:
 
     void clearPossibleImportKeys();
 
+    void setRemoveImports(bool removeImports);
+
 private:
     void setupCustomParserNode(const ModelNode &node);
     void setupComponent(const ModelNode &node);
@@ -160,6 +162,7 @@ private:
     Imports m_possibleModules;
     int m_previousPossibleModulesSize = -1;
     bool m_hasVersionlessImport = false;
+    bool m_removeImports = true;
 };
 
 class DifferenceHandler
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/qmltools/qmlvisualnode.cpp b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/qmltools/qmlvisualnode.cpp
index 61f6833dd59..1e17c2e2fac 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmldesigner/qmltools/qmlvisualnode.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qmldesigner/qmltools/qmlvisualnode.cpp
@@ -289,6 +289,8 @@ static QmlObjectNode createQmlObjectNodeFromSource(AbstractView *view,
     auto inputModel = Model::create("QtQuick.Item", 1, 0, view->model());
 #endif
     inputModel->setFileUrl(view->model()->fileUrl());
+    inputModel->changeImports(view->model()->imports(), {});
+
     QPlainTextEdit textEdit;
 
     textEdit.setPlainText(source);
@@ -300,6 +302,7 @@ static QmlObjectNode createQmlObjectNodeFromSource(AbstractView *view,
     rewriterView->setTextModifier(&modifier);
     rewriterView->setAllowComponentRoot(true);
     rewriterView->setPossibleImportsEnabled(false);
+    rewriterView->setRemoveImports(false);
     inputModel->setRewriterView(rewriterView.get());
 
     if (rewriterView->errors().isEmpty() && rewriterView->rootModelNode().isValid()) {