diff --git a/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/defaultSchema/blocks.ts b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/defaultSchema/blocks.ts
index 77c360b668..7f36b78d15 100644
--- a/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/defaultSchema/blocks.ts
+++ b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/defaultSchema/blocks.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   TableRow,
   TextRun,
 } from "docx";
+import { clampListLevel } from "../listLevels.js";
 import { Table } from "../util/Table.js";
 
 function blockPropsToStyles(
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ export const docxBlockMappingForDefaultSchema: BlockMapping<
       children: exporter.transformInlineContent(block.content),
       numbering: {
         reference: "blocknote-numbered-list",
-        level: nestingLevel,
+        level: clampListLevel(nestingLevel),
       },
     });
   },
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ export const docxBlockMappingForDefaultSchema: BlockMapping<
       children: exporter.transformInlineContent(block.content),
       numbering: {
         reference: "blocknote-bullet-list",
-        level: nestingLevel,
+        level: clampListLevel(nestingLevel),
       },
     });
   },
diff --git a/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.test.ts b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.test.ts
index a24340a7ab..ec57875bbd 100644
--- a/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.test.ts
+++ b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import {
   BlockNoteSchema,
   defaultBlockSpecs,
   createPageBreakBlockSpec,
+  PartialBlock,
 } from "@blocknote/core";
 import { testDocument } from "@shared/testDocument.js";
 import {
@@ -223,6 +224,66 @@ describe("exporter", () => {
     },
   );
 
+  it(
+    "should clamp list nesting deeper than DOCX supports",
+    { timeout: 10000 },
+    async () => {
+      const schema = BlockNoteSchema.create({
+        blockSpecs: { ...defaultBlockSpecs },
+      });
+
+      // A list nested `depth` items deep, i.e. nesting levels 0..depth-1.
+      const nestedList = (depth: number) => {
+        type SchemaPartialBlock = PartialBlock<
+          typeof schema.blockSchema,
+          typeof schema.inlineContentSchema,
+          typeof schema.styleSchema
+        >;
+
+        let block: SchemaPartialBlock = {
+          type: "bulletListItem",
+          content: `level ${depth}`,
+        };
+        for (let i = depth - 1; i >= 1; i--) {
+          block = {
+            type: "bulletListItem",
+            content: `level ${i}`,
+            children: [block],
+          };
+        }
+        return [block];
+      };
+      const exporter = new DOCXExporter(schema, docxDefaultSchemaMappings, {
+        resolveFileUrl: testResolveFileUrl,
+      });
+
+      // Deeper than the 9 levels the numbering config defines. Without
+      // clamping, `docx` throws "Level cannot be greater than 9" and the whole
+      // export fails.
+      const doc = await exporter.toDocxJsDocument(
+        partialBlocksToBlocksForTesting(schema, nestedList(12)),
+        { sectionOptions: {}, documentOptions: {}, locale: "en-US" },
+      );
+
+      const blob = await Packer.toBlob(doc);
+      const zip = new ZipReader(new BlobReader(blob));
+      const entries = await zip.getEntries();
+      const documentXml = await getZIPEntryContent(
+        entries,
+        "word/document.xml",
+      );
+
+      const levels = [...documentXml.matchAll(/<w:ilvl w:val="(\d+)"\/>/g)].map(
+        (match) => Number(match[1]),
+      );
+
+      // Every item is still exported, and every level it references is one the
+      // numbering config actually defines (0-8) - levels past that are pinned
+      // to the deepest defined level rather than dropped or left undefined.
+      expect(levels).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8, 8]);
+    },
+  );
+
   async function exportAndGetStylesEntries(locale?: string) {
     const exporter = new DOCXExporter(
       BlockNoteSchema.create({
diff --git a/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.ts b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.ts
index 6fce968a3e..3bd65830ec 100644
--- a/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.ts
+++ b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/docxExporter.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
 import { Exporter, ExporterOptions } from "@blocknote/core";
 import { corsProxyResolveFileUrl } from "@shared/api/corsProxy.js";
 import { loadFileBuffer } from "@shared/util/fileUtil.js";
+import { DOCX_LIST_LEVEL_COUNT } from "./listLevels.js";
 
 // get constructor arg type from Document
 type DocumentOptions = Partial<ConstructorParameters<typeof Document>[0]>;
@@ -216,7 +217,7 @@ export class DOCXExporter<
         config: [
           {
             reference: "blocknote-numbered-list",
-            levels: Array.from({ length: 9 }, (_, i) => ({
+            levels: Array.from({ length: DOCX_LIST_LEVEL_COUNT }, (_, i) => ({
               start: 1,
               level: i,
               format: LevelFormat.DECIMAL,
@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@ export class DOCXExporter<
           },
           {
             reference: "blocknote-bullet-list",
-            levels: Array.from({ length: 9 }, (_, i) => ({
+            levels: Array.from({ length: DOCX_LIST_LEVEL_COUNT }, (_, i) => ({
               start: 1,
               level: i,
               format: LevelFormat.BULLET,
diff --git a/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/listLevels.ts b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/listLevels.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8122fb4cdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/xl-docx-exporter/src/docx/listLevels.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/**
+ * The number of levels defined for the `blocknote-numbered-list` and
+ * `blocknote-bullet-list` numbering configs in
+ * `DOCXExporter.createDefaultDocumentOptions`.
+ *
+ * OOXML numbering definitions cap out at 9 levels (`w:ilvl` 0-8), which is also
+ * the nesting limit Word itself exposes.
+ */
+export const DOCX_LIST_LEVEL_COUNT = 9;
+
+/**
+ * Clamps a block's nesting level to the deepest list level the numbering config
+ * actually defines.
+ *
+ * BlockNote allows lists to nest arbitrarily deep, so a `nestingLevel` can
+ * exceed what DOCX supports. Passing such a level straight through makes `docx`
+ * throw ("Level cannot be greater than 9"), which aborts the whole export, and
+ * a level with no matching definition renders without its bullet or indent.
+ * Deeper items are rendered at the deepest defined level instead, matching how
+ * Word collapses nesting past its own limit.
+ */
+export function clampListLevel(nestingLevel: number) {
+  return Math.min(nestingLevel, DOCX_LIST_LEVEL_COUNT - 1);
+}