diff --git a/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.tsx b/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.tsx
index fa81a28bee0..05fe712bfa7 100644
--- a/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.tsx
@@ -870,11 +870,17 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent<Props, IInviteDial
             return;
         }
 
+        const text = e.clipboardData.getData("text");
+        const potentialAddresses = this.parseFilter(text);
+        // one search term which is not a mxid or email address
+        if (potentialAddresses.length === 1 && !potentialAddresses[0].includes("@")) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         // Prevent the text being pasted into the input
         e.preventDefault();
 
         // Process it as a list of addresses to add instead
-        const text = e.clipboardData.getData("text");
         const possibleMembers = [
             // If we can avoid hitting the profile endpoint, we should.
             ...this.state.recents,
@@ -889,8 +895,6 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent<Props, IInviteDial
         // Will be displayed as filter text to provide feedback.
         const unableToAddMore: string[] = [];
 
-        const potentialAddresses = this.parseFilter(text);
-
         for (const address of potentialAddresses) {
             const member = possibleMembers.find((m) => m.userId === address);
             if (member) {
diff --git a/test/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog-test.tsx b/test/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog-test.tsx
index 645492cd3d4..ab17540cff0 100644
--- a/test/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog-test.tsx
+++ b/test/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog-test.tsx
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ const aliceEmail = "foobar@email.com";
 const bobId = "@bob:example.org";
 const bobEmail = "bobbob@example.com"; // bob@example.com is already used as an example in the invite dialog
 const carolId = "@carol:example.com";
+const bobbob = "bobbob";
 
 const aliceProfileInfo: IProfileInfo = {
     user_id: aliceId,
@@ -290,6 +291,19 @@ describe("InviteDialog", () => {
         await screen.findByText(aliceEmail);
         expect(input).toHaveValue("");
     });
+    it("should support pasting one username that is not a mx id or email", async () => {
+        mockClient.getIdentityServerUrl.mockReturnValue("https://identity-server");
+        mockClient.lookupThreePid.mockResolvedValue({});
+
+        render(<InviteDialog kind={InviteKind.Invite} roomId={roomId} onFinished={jest.fn()} />);
+
+        const input = screen.getByTestId("invite-dialog-input");
+        input.focus();
+        await userEvent.paste(`${bobbob}`);
+
+        await screen.findAllByText(bobId);
+        expect(input).toHaveValue(`${bobbob}`);
+    });
 
     it("should allow to invite multiple emails to a room", async () => {
         render(<InviteDialog kind={InviteKind.Invite} roomId={roomId} onFinished={jest.fn()} />);